It's fall, a few days into October. I'm hiking Bacherlor Gulch in Beaver Creek, Colorado. To the right is a small upslope, and to the left is a slightly steeper drop to a small creek. The sun is shining but clouds build to the west. Soon it'll be cold enough for a warm jacket, but for now the bright light is hazy through the canopy of trees. Yellow and brown leaves cover the path, and they crunch under my shoes as I walk. The creek bubbles beside me. Up ahead I see my family through the guazy light, and it's all so beautiful that for a moment time slows, almost stops.