The Summer The Thimbleberries Failed

I’m running under a relentless August sun, up this peaceful mountain trail that bends with the creek that is somehow still flowing. The pines release their scent into the air, welcome and familiar, but the air is hot. I dart to the very edge of the trail any time shade presents itself, if only to feel the reprieve for a moment.
This is where I come on my lunch breaks to escape the monotony of a computer screen. It’s where my wife and I used to mountain bike together, up the steep tra