While hiking, I seek out not just the panoramic vistas of endless mountains. Granted, they are a big draw, but I sometimes stop for the small dioramas that I find in nature: a tiny cascade down moss-covered rocks, an assemblage of ferns and flowering plants, a tree nursery. They help find the beauty and a semblance of organization in the chaos of nature.

While hiking in the Olympics, I came across one such scene, and stopped to admire the gentle gurgling sound of water; it was the perfect place to catch a break on a 10-mile day.

Olympic National Park
WA USA