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Each step up the Saddle Mountain two-and-a-half-mile long trail reveals a timeless place born of events that are 16 million years old.
The site dates to a time when a thick layer of Columbia River basalt flowed into the ocean from distant eastern Oregon. Eventually, the ground rose and the mountain was born.
Today, the basalt breaks away in chunks, cracks, crevices and bands that show off eons of geologic time.
The trail opens onto grassy meadows covered in a riot of wildflowers.
Although water is rare, cool springs seep and replenish a surprising number of plants with a distinct sound that also soothes the soul.