Night Watch

The wind turned sharp once darkness took the canyon. I cleared away loose debris and laid a dense bed of dry fir boughs beneath a granite overhang. From this vantage, the stone cairn on the gravel bank sits directly below in full view. I sat back against the solid rock face and flexed my wrist joints to work out the day's river grit. The water hums steadily against the stones. The perimeter is secure. I will rest here with my back to the wall until daybreak.