Solitude at Yellow Dog

The Coeur d'Alene River is near my home, and the North Fork is one of my favorite places to spend a long day or camp. On a visit last fall, it was one of those incredible days where the air is crisp and the sun feels like a warm blanket. It was very still and there was no one else out. Days like that are my favorite, a chance to slow down and become part of the landscape, taking in every detail: the splash of fish rising for a meal, the soft flutter of butterflies, the patterns in the moving water, and the continuous shift of the light across the land.