Out in the woods

I was really naive when I hit puberty. I was about 12 and was at summer camp for the first time when I "discovered" my penis. It seemed to go from little-boy-size to a 5" erection practically overnight, but I had no idea what to do with it. At camp, we had 5 kids and a counselor in each tent. The counselor was never around when we had to be in bed, so there was always a lot of talk among the boys. One night one of the kids in the tent said, "Hey, do you guys ever jack yourself up?" I had no idea what he was talking about, but then he said "check this out" and shined a flashlight on his erection. I was speechless, and I couldn't pull my eyes away. Larry talked about how we could get a "boner" like his if we rubbed it with our hand. I stroked myself a few times, and sure enough, my penis got stiff. Surprisingly, there was no talk of the ultimate result -- orgasm -- or at least not that I was aware of.

Nearly every morning at camp I woke with an erection (was I not aware of this before?), and I was not shy about other kids seeing it as I changed from pajamas to clothes. I remember one time showing them how I could hang my underpants on the end of my erect penis. One day, one of the guys asked if I wanted to go canoeing. We were on a big lake in upstate New York, and you could take a canoe out if you'd passed the swim test. I said "sure," and we paddled to a deserted shore about a mile away and walked a bit into the woods. We sat around talking for a while, and then he said, "I've got a boner; want to see it?" He pulled down his pants and underpants so I could see his penis. He could have done me a big favor by showing me how to masturbate. That would have to wait.

My neighbor Doug was 6 months older than me, but a lot bigger and stronger -- a natural athlete who became a second-team all-American in lacrosse when he went to college. We weren't really close friends, but we occasionally hung out together. One day Doug said (and I'll never forget his strange expression), "Do you ever draw sperm?" My reply was probably "Huh?" He said, "You know, strokin' up and down until the white stuff shoots out. Haven't you done that yet?" He proceeded to lie on his back he began to slowly masturbate. As I watched, the strokes became faster and faster, and after a grand total of 2 minutes, at most, he shot semen up onto his chest and belly.

I wondered if I could do this incredible thing, but I didn't start immediately for fear of looking stupid. "Just stroke up and down," Doug said, "but not too roughly or you'll make your penis sore." I began very lightly and immediately felt the tingling. I increased the pressure a bit, and the tingling increased. I went faster and again increased the pressure. Now I was way beyond "tingling" and into serious lust. I closed my eyes and started pounding my erection like a maniac as the sensation of orgasm started to rise up in my body for the first time in my life. It felt like I was going to pee on myself, but I didn't care -- I just kept stroking as fast and hard as I could until finally I had my first ejaculation. Man! What a sensation! The semen was kind of clear and there wasn't all that much, but it sure felt good.

By the way, my penis did get sore from the rough treatment, but I didn't care -- I did it again the next day and the next and the next....

Discovering lubrication around age 16 was a major advance in my masturbation technique. Masturbating dry, I could only go a few minutes. Lubrication allowed me to stretch the experience out over a long period. I tried various lotions, which were only partially satisfactory. When I finally built up the nerve to go to a drug store and buy some K-Y Jelly (which I had read about somewhere), I finally found what I'd been looking for.

I kept masturbating on a regular basis, rarely missing a day until I became sexually active midway through college. And even then, masturbation was a very pleasurable supplement to intercourse.

I never really got into different masturbation techniques, but I've enjoyed doing it in different places (always in private -- I'm not an exhibitionist). I found that I *really* enjoyed doing it outside in the woods.

I'm now 47, and while sexual relations with my wife have slowed down, I still find myself masturbating several times a week. I've just read that regular ejaculation is "essential for prostate health in middle-aged men." Awright!