I never tire of some views. I just need to move on. The way this landscape unfolds to the arrival of morning light is one of them. A breathtaking sunrise over Mt. Jefferson on an August morning.

1200 feet below lies the most iconic meadow of the Oregon Cascades, known simply as Jeff Park. This late in the season, the remaining snow and ice on the mountain and high ridges continues to melt away, feeding the many streams below its flanks. These are the headwaters that nourish the lands and people below.

In 2020 vast areas of this and the forests to the east were wiped out by historic wild fires. In Oregon, fires devastated an area nearly equal to the size of the state of Delaware. Thousands of homes were destroyed. My chest tightens a little in sadness when I think of it or travel through the ghastly burned areas that go on for miles and miles.