Cascades

Through many cascades, the water shoots loudly into the valley. I breathe deeply and for some reason think about Maria, who is always going on a new adventure. I know she feels an unbridled emotion when she is free. That's why she doesn't want to be tied to me.

Not a drop left in the bed of ancient lake or river, not a crystal thread trickling down the rock channelled by ancient cascades, and nevertheless abundance of greenery and luxuriant foliage everywhere!

Mt. Thielsen, namesake for the surrounding Wilderness Area, is called “The Lightning Rod of the Cascades.” A dormant volcano, its peak is struck by lightning so often that some rocks at the summit have melted into an unusual mineral called fulgurite. This mineral is made of natural hollow glass tubes formed when silica is subjected to high temperatures, such as lightning strikes.

Warmed through releasing moisture, it is still further warmed through compression while descending the Cascades, and it goes forward extremely feverish and thirsty.