Confluence Formation

I was walking among a bunch of wolf trees in the Green Mountains in southern Vermont. This was last Friday. The sun had begun to set, and with it a week’s worth of efforts. The first mile of the trail was steep. I move at a quick pace when I’m walking solo. So, with the exertion and rapid elevation gain, I could count my pulse from the throb in my ears. At the top of that first mile, where the trail flattens out, I found myself in the arms of a birch tree. Tears caught in the stubble on my face