Camping at 10,000 feet, he asked me, and I thought for a moment or two,
then blurted out the first things that came to mind.

Cold. Very cold.

It’s wild and beautiful. It’s can’t-see-your-hand-in-front-of-your-face dark,
with stars so close I could have plucked them from the skies,

if I tried.

Peaks shrouded in mystical shadows held every story never told. Hard, rocky soil managed to cradle my body in a soft embrace. Nestled in the earth’s arms
I felt the tree roots stir and stretch; heard an owl-

at least I told myself it was an owl

-calling in the night and I shivered in the isolation, welcomed it with a happy smile.
I awoke not realizing I was numb until it bit me like a million tiny teeth
clinging to every nerve.

At that moment I knew, knew I was alive.