The chill of a long and wet winter still clung to the shadows around the trees, but the unseasonably warm, early March sun tickled the side of my face. I turned so that I could welcome the morning glow head on with a grateful smile, glad that the weather seemed to be cooperating during my outing, for the moment at least. Bright white and cottony, the cumulus clouds floated in the otherwise brilliant blue sky. I had four days off of work and planned to make the most of them.

I slung my day pack over my shoulder and readjusted the heavy, antique camera that hung around my neck before continuing down the walking trail in the park. To my left, a small river ran high and fast, nearly overflowing its banks and I wondered absently at how much more rain it would take to flood this entire area.

The past winter had been a rough one. Rainfall records were broken, every month from October to February and in the higher elevations, the snowpack was the deepest anyone had seen since the mid 1900's. The past week though, a peculiar warm front pushed in from the pacific bringing mild temperatures and a much-needed respite from the constant rain.

The grass and leafless trees glittered with silvery water droplets and I sighed, relishing the moment.

"On your right!" A voice called out from behind me.

I quickly stepped to my left as a morning jogger flew past and I wrinkled my nose. Why on earth would anyone want to run for fun? Eww.

The jogger cut a striking figure though, silhouetted against the sun, surrounded by glistening trees. Just him and the trail. I quickly gathered the old camera in my hands and brought the view finder to my eye. Shooting with 35mm film, I only had one chance to get the shot.

I pressed the shutter and quickly advanced the film. Adjusting the focus, I snapped one more shot before the man was lost to sight around a bend in the path.

I sighed. I wasn't here to photograph people; I was here to practice nature photography. Portraiture was my niche and passion though, and I couldn't allow myself to miss out on a golden opportunity for a beautiful photo. I continued down the path, pausing to capture an old arched bridge over the river and a few birds that were busy looking for things to eat but I was left feeling uninspired.

What I needed was a different environment to shoot. I turned on my heel and began the short walk back to my Jeep. Once there, I popped the hatch and sat down. Feet swinging, I scrolled through a hiking app looking for something close by with a good view. Nothing was standing out to me, so I dropped my phone into my pack and sighed.

Maybe I could take an overnight trip to one of my favorite camping spots? I hadn't been out all winter and even though there hadn't been a single reported national park disappearance or mauling since last October, I was still a little bit gun shy. As I mulled the idea over, I glanced back to the trail. The parks in town really weren't that bad, I could just go to one further out. It was then that I saw the jogger coming back. I hopped down from the back of the Jeep and stretched up to pull the hatch closed just as he arrived. Our cars, parked side by side, were the only two vehicles in the small parking lot. He flashed me a friendly smile as he pulled his keys from a small waist pouch.

"Beautiful morning, isn't it?" He said, slightly out of breath.

I was momentarily struck dumb. He had a great smile and a dimple on his left cheek. I shook myself and finally spoke, "Uh, yeah. It's gorgeous. Nice break from the rain." I slammed the hatch down and returned his smile.

"Enjoy the sunshine," He winked at me before turning to pull his car door open.

I blushed and was suddenly grateful that he had his back turned to me. "Yeah, you too." I said, rather lamely and made my way to the driver side of the Jeep.

After settling myself behind the steering wheel and plugging my phone in, I shifted into reverse and turned to back out of my parking stall, but the jogger was waving at me through my passenger window.

"Shit," I started, before rolling down the passenger side window. "Everything okay?" I asked.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you, my bad. Uh, do you have any jumper cables?" He asked.

"Oh, yeah. I got some in the back, hold on." I said quickly as I shifted back into park and popped the hood of the Jeep.

"Thank you so much." He said with a grateful sigh. "It's been a little slow turning over for about a week and now I've got nothing. Guess it's time for a new battery?"

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I unplugged my phone and stuffed it into the pocket of my brown hoodie and hopped out of the SUV. I quickly made my way to the back hatch again and pulled out my road side safety kit.

"Here ya go," I handed the jumper cables over awkwardly.

Together we connected the batteries and he tried cranking the ignition to his car. It turned over slowly but wouldn't fire up, so we let the Jeep run for a few minutes to charge his battery a little bit more.

I had been hoping that the whole interaction would have been over and done with in less than a minute and as soon as I realized it was going to take longer, I could feel my anxiety starting to build. I didn't have many friends and am the type of person that goes grocery shopping with ear buds in to avoid having any type of conversation with anyone.

"So, uh, I like your rig." He said, trying to break the odd silence. "Don't see too many girls driving around in cars that look this capable."

"Eh, it's my first car." I said with a small shrug. "I like hiking and camping, so I started adding gear to it while I was still in high school." I may have been bad at small talk, but the Jeep was my pride and joy. It was one of the few things I could talk to anyone about.

My entire friend circle, small as it was, centered around driving into the forest and pretending that we just lived there. Circle the cars around the fire, eat, drink and laugh under the stars. Sleep, wake, hike, take pictures, rinse and repeat. I loved all of it.

I told the jogger as much and he nodded, smiling. "I can see why so many people are getting into that overlanding style. It's probably pretty cool knowing you can just head to the mountains and get lost for a while without having to set up a tent." He lightly kicked the toe of his running shoe into the sun faded fender of his older sedan. "Can't do anything like that with this bucket of bolts."

I laughed lightly and returned his smile, "Oh, I bet you could get down more than half the roads I do. You'd be surprised."

He looked doubtful.

"So, what's jogging like?" I asked.

He laughed, "Not nearly as much fun as those crazy fitness people will tell you it is." He glanced down at his shuffling feet before continuing, "I had to run almost every day in the military so it just turned into a habit. Helps me think."

I couldn't help but notice the hint of something sad in his voice. "Sounds like how hiking is for me."

"Yeah, the repetitive movement and steady breathing works wonders." We lapsed into another uncomfortable silence.

I mustered up some courage and asked, "Do you ever go trail running? Like on a hiking trail?"

"I have a time or two. I really liked the Hidden Falls trail when I went, but I stuck to town after all that creepy stuff last summer."

"Man, that was wild, wasn't it?"

He nodded in response.

"Speaking of Hidden Falls, have you ever stopped at the camp store on the way up there? The one with the deli? They have the best huckleberry milkshakes."

"Ya know, I never have. I'll have to make a plan to do that one of these days." He said.

"Some of my favorite camp spots are up there on that mountain. Every time I get a chance, I stop there in the summer. I told the folks that work there that if the world ended, I would head straight for the store just so I could have one last milkshake before I died." I laughed and then realized he was looking at me strangely.

I had started rambling like I always did when talking about the outdoors. I cringed inwardly and tried not to wither in embarrassment.

He clapped his hands suddenly and said, "Well, let's see if this turd will start now."

He cranked the ignition and his car roared to life. "Nice!" He cheered, and hopped out of the car to help me disconnect the cables and tuck them back into their case. I was trying not to let my awkward show when I suddenly had an attack of conscience.

Should I tell him that I took his picture on the trail? It would be the honest thing to do. He was just another human before, but after our short conversation, he felt more like a person who obviously had feelings and was maybe going through some things. Having a photo of himself doing something he enjoys might make him feel better.

Before I could stop myself, I'd said it. "So, I have a confession."

"Oh?" He said raising his brows.

"I'm a hobby photographer," I said gesturing to my pack and camera bag in the back of the Jeep. "I'm playing with an old 35mm camera and I took a couple of shots of you when you passed me on the trail earlier."

He took a step back and crossed his arms, "Really?" His head canted to one side, he just looked at me.

"Yeah," I grimaced. "I probably should have asked but you were way past me already and it was a great shot. I didn't wanna miss it. After I develop the pictures, I can send you a copy if you want one. I mean, if they even turn out."

"You mean like actual film? Not digital?" He sounded impressed and leaned forward a bit.

I had to fight a bit of blush coming to my cheeks. "Mm-hm. I'm going to shoot the whole roll today so I should have a print in a couple of days, I think."

"That's really cool. I'd love a print. Hang on," He said excitedly and I breathed a sigh of relief.

Dipping into his car he pulled out his phone.

"What's your number?"

I recited the 10 digits. He dialed the number and hit send. It rang through to my phone and he hung up. "There ya go. Shoot me a text when you get it done."

Did I just give my number to a random guy? Yup. That happened.

"O-Okay," I stammered lightly. I was way out of my wheelhouse with this whole situation and I started to sweat even with the chill in the air. "So, what's your name?" I asked, phone in hand, waiting to add him to my contacts.

"I'm DJ, what's yours?"

"Amber," I said, suddenly feeling much more shy than usual.

"Amber-what?"

"Just Amber." I laughed a little and tucked a stray hair behind my ear, then immediately chided myself. You're not flirting, Amber. You don't know how to flirt. Rein it in.

"Alright then, 'Just Amber'." He spelled my name out loud with a lopsided smile and hit save.

I saved his number too, curious about what the initials stood for but too nervous to actually ask. I figured that if we did ever talk again, I would ask him then.

"So, where are you off to for the rest of the day?" DJ asked.

"Ya know, talking about the camp store made me want a milkshake. I think I'm gonna head up that way. And if they aren't open for the season yet, I'll just use the time up there to finish shooting this roll of film." I turned to close the hatch of the Jeep. "What about you?"

"I've got work, but it's just bartending, so I get to talk to a lot of middle-aged couples during happy hour." We both laughed and he continued, "Some of those ladies about my mom's age actually scare me though. I flip one bottle and they turn completely feral."

I guffawed then howled with laughter. I'd seen the middle aged, single women going after the younger bartenders a time or two and it always made me giggle.

"Well, on that note," I extended my hand, "It was very nice to meet you, DJ, the jogging bartender.

"Nice to meet you as well, Just Amber." He took my hand in his then raised an eyebrow. "Good grip."

"Thank you?" I said, tilting my head to the side, throwing him a sarcastically quizzical look.

We both laughed again before parting ways.

On my way home, I mulled over our short conversation and then pushed it out of my mind. I had a trip to the mountains to pack for.