Pre-coffee morning thoughts…
I have a pretty drive, which seems weird as my commute is through the heart of the Portland Metro area. Coming down & around the Terwilliger Curves, sometimes Mt. Hood is just there, your huge, friendly neighborhood Mr. Perfect GQ level mountain. He’s perfectly backlit by the softest pinks & oranges of a gorgeous sunrise, the color that blesses a good day ahead & gently lifts the spirit to be living in such a beautiful place.
This same mountain on a different day, say a cold, foggy, drippy morning, he reminds you of all the sad, foolish or just unlucky people his glaciers & forests have eaten, that he’s a volcano of immense potential. Hood has an eons long bet with his brother to the north, Mt. Rainier, set in terms of body count. He reminds you to button up & stay snug by the fire, no need to try to bag his peak today.
He’s always there, either peeking out between the glass high rises of downtown or popping up in front of you on a clear day, close enough to touch those white clad sides. He’s always watching his passes and rivers, the planes swopping past, reminding me I’m home here, with countless adventures in his forests yet to come.