This is about the time of year when I start fantasizing about fall clothes. As much fun as there is to be had during the summer season, I’m done with it by mid-August. Bring on the fall. I always loved back-to-school…now as a mom, I love it for different reasons.

Given my I’m-over-it feeling about summer, it’s no wonder I was drawn to a short, sweet – and above all – cooling hike to a place called Palisade Falls today. Took 7 year old, and noted the bittersweetness of this contradiction: while I crave back-to-school schedule’s structure, we won’t get to do this sort of thing as often once that kicks in. We held hands on the trail, climbed on the rocks by the falls, and sat with our eyes closed as the mist cooled our faces. The recent “I can’t wait for school to start” moments I’ve been having faded fast.

I’m grateful to Montana for its generosity with the tonic we crave, called wilderness.