Streams roar as they drop steeply down the side of Mt. Walker in the Olympic Mountains, rushing over boulders, ever downward toward Hood Canal and on to the sea. Fresh, sweet, woodsy air dances off the falls and fills my lungs with the energy of the tireless moving water.

Every shade of green must grow on these canyon walls—moss and lichen, fern and alder.

The canyon pulls me in, draws me toward its light source. Such drama—the steep canyon walls create a spotlight effect, allowing the sun very focused access to the waterfall. But where light catches water, it’s as though crystals have been tossed into the cascade, which are repeatedly flung back up into the air as a sprinkling of rainbows.

A warm breeze carries scents of cedar, maples, fir and ripe blackberries—a salad for my nose. Already, alders are beginning to yellow; summer is waning. I feel the wheel turning.

MEDITATION VIDEO

If you live where August is hot and dry, then a visit to a cool green waterfall maybe just what you need about now. This video includes a simple guided relaxation meditation. It’s a mellow 4-minute breath of cool air. Enjoy!

Would you like to visit a magical, cool lake? Come on to Lake Crescent, also in the Olympic Mountains.

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