wet and wonderful

Near the summit on the west side of the Cascades about fifty miles from Bend, Oregon, at a campground, closed for the season, I wandered in a dense grove of old growth fir trees and big-leaf maples. In this region, thick, billowy clouds billet after a long march from the Pacific, and then sleep on the high granite peaks. This grey soggy cover creates rainforests in the canyons below. In the above picture, thick curly moss gathers on tree branches like wet wool. Sparse droplets of capricious light squeeze through the canopy and illuminate a few fortunate leaves fleetingly and then moves off to other secret spots. Here, the cool, highly oxygen-loaded air inflates my lungs with fresh vibrant energy and causes me to tick with ideas. Among such grandeur, and where the tune of nature's life-affirming lovesong chimes so melodically, I sense a renewal of spirit and a tenacious desire to prolong life as long as possible.