Mountain ash leaves unfolding from neat pleats…
Bracken uncurling from underground…
Trillium unwinding from three overlapped leaves…
My walk today was at 3000 feet in elevation, two miles east of the Cascade crest. I postholed through the rotten snow, then stayed on top of the hard pack. Mist hung down into the tops of the old trees, then parted to reveal waterfalls further up the gorge. I could hear them before I saw them. The forest canopy was alive with birds–varied thrushes, warblers, grosbeaks. Snow is melting, and spring is unfolding like a heart held too tightly in the chest.
In The Rainshadow 
Once again, I feel so touched and nourished by your words and images. Thank you!
I’m impressed that so much of the vegetation is the exact same as right around my camp here in Central Maine, when this is only 360′ elevation.