Sometimes this place exceeds my expectations, stops me in my tracks, and provides a living, waking example of why we want to be here, why we think this place has a magic - a gravity - that defies explanation.
This was one of those times.
Carmen and I were hiking after a few days of rain, and had just picked a random drainage - no real plan - but we saw water running out, and the maps said it was steep enough that maybe there would be a waterfall somewhere up there.
As we made our way up, the stream turned into a hidden glen - and this. This glorious, lush green glen reminded me of things I’ve seen on Hawaii, and there was a waterfall - springing right out of the ground. “Being brought to tears” is a cliche at this point, but this place did it. For real.
No park. No trail. Just the quiet hand of nature, doing what it does and has done for millions of years in this place, the oldest mountains on Earth.
hope y’all have a great weekend.