A Breath Off an East Coast Trail

You may be familiar with that feeling. You’re walking off the main trail on a footpath, more tightly surrounded by the breath of the forest, when suddenly the air shifts. Without warning, the scent becomes warmer, softer, almost flowery — the air itself feels warmer too. Something vaguely golden and resinous rises with the ferns in a way that feels surprising yet unexplainably familiar. It makes you pause, almost as if witnessing the scent of burgeoning life itself. It lasts only a few steps, then fades, leaving you wondering what you just passed through.