When I opened my eyes, I saw that I’d drifted into a flock of ducks, which took flight upon my unwelcome arrival. I breathed in the mountain air and reclined a little more, nestling into the warmth of my puffy coat and tipping my face toward the sun. The sun peered from behind pewter clouds, beaming a summer intensity even though the first few days of autumn had already brought sub-freezing temperatures and an overnight layer of frost.įloating in a packraft in the middle of the lake, I closed my eyes and listened to the softly rolling waves lapping against the hull.
