By Uncle Abdul

Outdoor scenes in the woods are really neat. Naked bodies in chains amongst the trees. Intense floggings whilst bound to a tree limb. Go ahead, scream. There's no one around to hear you do so. It's so primal. (It's such a damned hot picture, I'm getting a hardon looking at a damned 2x4.) Such are done today to larger and smaller extents, but at one time there was Valhalla.

Valhalla was a real place, and at one time was one of the most popular destinations for occasional Janus summer campouts in the early and mid-80's. It was a large plot of wooded hillside near Gold Country in California owned by George, a Janus member. He was a serious kinkster and did some wonderful toy construction in wood and metal. (You can still see some of his chain and shackle sets yet today.)

George inherited this land from his grandfather and he lived there with his then wife and slave, Ananka. Unlike the stereotype vision of a manicured English garden that most people have when they think of 'country', George's place was real country--clutter inside and around his cabin, weathered and patched wood siding, his grandpappy's forge deep in the trees, etc. He also had a guest cabin and had cleared off some campsites on the hillside for occasional kinkster friends to explore their outdoor scene fantasies. Then of course there was that block and tackle high in the tree where someone could be suspended 30-feet into the air. (Here you'd need a 25 foot single tail.)

Oh, there were some drawbacks. The campsites were dry--i.e., no water. You'd have to go to George's cabin to get water. And there was also poison oak all over the place. This required clearing the stuff out before the group came out--which generally meant that the work crew got in an extra night of play. It also meant that you needed to be extra cautious on the trail to the priviy in the dark of night--an extra burden for enema recipients (and also givers by the way).

George loved having his friends over for the campouts. Often he'd name features on his property for significant events in his friends' lives. For example, there was a hole near the road gate where Fakir Mussefar got his car stuck. That was labeled (with an appropriate sign) "Fakir's Hole." Then there were the steep walls of a small wash that my friend Josh slipped down while he was setting up his tent. This became known as "Joshua Falls."

I still remember vividly the sounds of slapping leather and screams in the woods, the grunts of kinky leatherfolk in rut, the sights of naked women being 'hunted' by their masters amongst the trees. It was here that I saw my first fireplay scene. It was also here where several folk started their coupledom. We ate burnt raw chicken together, dabbed Calimine lotion onto our poison oak rashes, and late at night gathered around the fire sang union protest and red diaper baby songs to the stars.

Though alas it is no more, there indeed once was a Valhalla.

Chao-4-Now

Unc'