As I sat in the dimming light, I looked skyward at the tall ponderosa pines pointing upward in silhouette, their darkening green so iconic we call it forest green, the last color seen after the blue of sky fades. The ducks by the lake raised their call, perhaps to signal to their brood it is time to bed down for the night. Even they know that night is a time for night creatures. The wind was easy. I heard the river tumble down the canyon. All was quiet and still. This was the peace we always seek. I released my tension into the earth even as I scurried to put all my scented items out of reach from bears before turning in for the night. My headlamp glowed inside my tent as I zipped into my down mummy bag. I listened with vigilance into the darkness, but there was nothing but wind and water.
For all my talk of being a nature girl earth mama, I am still frightened of sleeping in a tent in the woods. The more people with me, the less frightened I am, but with only one or two people and ev…
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