High in the Cascades, I was reminded how it feels to breathe freely. Out there, tension melted away and the pain of present circumstance felt like more memory than reality.
We journeyed through a vibrant and lush rainforest on a trail that eventually crested a high mountain pass, where we ventured onward, discovering spectacular ponds and watching the light transform the landscape. I don't know if I've ever seen light so soft. The evening glow permeated every subtlety of the landscape, washing it with gold and casting shadows throughout the valley.
In that moment, the veil felt thin, as if heaven and earth came together in the way that a gentle tide rolls over the sand before retreating once again.
