The morning dawned rainy and stayed that way, typical for the temperate rain forests that thickly carpet the west slopes of Washington’s Olympic Peninsula. By late afternoon, solar heating broke apart the lingering clouds and fog, except over a few of the seacoast woodlands, like this one inside Teawhit Head. This was in a relatively secluded, still area of forest, quiet but for dripping moss and a few echoing bird songs, the smell sweet and moist, the air tinged with these last wisps of fog, where this breathtaking scene unfolded. Yes, I can explain the physical phenomena of crepuscular sunbeams and haloes easily with textbook concepts culled from the science of atmospheric optics, but there was so much more than that in my presence, in this occasion. Simply put, it was a moment to stop, set aside thoughts of all else, fully immerse in the glory, and in doing so, to get a little closer to the ultimate reason we’re all here.
3 SE La Push WA (14 Jul 6) Looking WNW
47.884, -124.595