Where do you want to be on a hot day? How about walking through the deep dark forest to a waterfall?

Franklin Falls is a short easy hike, and very popular on weekends. You can see Interstate 90 in the upper left of the photo, which makes this place one of those juxtapositions I find so intriguing–human construction laid over the natural landscape. As you walk through the large native cedars, you are always aware of the sound of the freeway overhead. The freeway is divided and elevated on concrete columns as it makes the ascent/descent to/from the summit of Snoqualmie Pass.

It’s not a case of worlds colliding, because when you are up there driving at 70 miles an hour, nature is just the backdrop that you are speeding through. The two worlds don’t even meet. You have no awareness that there’s anything real down there. When you are on the trail, you know that there are humans above you, moving at an alarming speed. It’s the same flying in a jet over the mountains. You’re just going too damn fast for anything on the ground to be real. But when you’re on the ground moving under your own power, distance and the time it takes to cover it takes on a different significance.

On a hot day, I want to be in the shade. Tall trees are shelter from the relentless sun. A fine spray fills the air next to the falls. Refreshing.