Elle led the hikers up the winding trail at Castle Mountain. The path curled through green slopes, and somewhere ahead the summit waited. She paused by a cluster of mountain ash trees heavy with bright orange berries.
She held up a sprig of berries. "These keep the grizzlies fed through summer," she told the group. A little girl in a blue jacket reached for one, but Elle guided her hand back gently.
They pressed onward through tall pines that smelled of resin and damp earth. A soft rustling came from behind a boulder. Elle held up her hand — pause.
A baby marmot popped its head out from behind a boulder. Ears twitching. It let out a loud chirp — the little girl jumped backward right into a soft pile of pine needles.
Elle smiled and crouched beside the marmot. "See? Its tail flicks when it's curious." The little girl knelt in the pine needles and whispered, "Hello."
The marmot patted its face with its paws, then scampers up the rocky path ahead of them, pausing now and then to check they were still following.
The group followed the marmot's trail until the trees opened up and they burst onto the summit. The wind tugged at everyone's hats. The last hiker arrived breathless and grinning.
They turned toward the western peaks as the sun began its descent. Golden light flooded the meadow, turning every pine tip and rock face into shimmering amber.
Elle watched the sky melt from gold into streaks of rose and violet. She traced the trail in her mind — the berries, the marmot, the little girl's laughter.
Tomorrow, another group would follow her boots up this same path. She couldn't wait to show them everything.
The little girl waved at the marmot one last time as they walked back down. It watched from its boulder, ears perked, tail still.
The trail dipped back into the forest, and the first stars appeared above Castle Mountain. Elle walked on, already dreaming of the next group.