Falling Water

There’s something about the sight and sound of “falling water.” It’s soothing as well as exhilarating, a special combination that nature creates in everyday places.  Who doesn’t love hiking to a waterfall or following a mountain stream and listening to the sounds of the rushing water as it pounds against the rocks before continuing along its journey to the coast? Water, especially falling water, seems to have a calming effect on us like few other things in nature.  

While falling water is not limited to “waterfalls,” I must admit there are few things more inspirational than standing beneath a waterfall and feeling the mist touch your face, summoning all your senses. You quickly notice the drop in temperature as the falling water from the mountain stream above creates its very own climate. You find yourself straining to hear the other sounds of nature as the falls seems to be demanding your full attention.  There is nothing like the experience of a waterfall.  Falling water is magical. No one who has ever stood below Rainbow Falls at Jones Gap State Park would ever argue that point.   

There is also a bit of magic in an afternoon rain, comfort in an early morning shower and peacefulness in a gentle rain on a tent, camper or cabin. One of the best hikes I ever had was in a spring rain at Jones Gap, falling water from the skies above. The drops from above danced on the river that had accompanied me along the trail. The rain always seems to add color and vibrancy to what is already a kaleidoscope of nature’s wonders. Even the woods were magical that day and where the water came from really didn’t seem to matter, whether from the skies above or the mountain stream high above the floor of the forest, I was refreshed and amazed at the power of nature. How about a hike to the falls?





See you in the parks!

Phil