The history of the book’s cover

It was moon lit night on a Memorial Day weekend a number of years ago. I was with a group of men, who were training younger men to be leaders for taking teenage boys on backpacking trips into the high Sierras. We were at 9,5000 ft. up in a place call Desolation Valley, which is north west of Lake Tahoe in California. It was cold, with snow still knee deep 500 ft. higher. The time was about 1:30 in the morning. We were all in our sleeping bags. Some of the men had drifted off in sleep, a few were talking and watching the moon transverse across the heavens. With slow determination the moon moved behind this large old tree. To me, I saw the dragon and guardian of the forest standing, looking over his domain. What a spectacular view, so majestic, tall and silent in the night.