Video ID: 025 Title: Sapins et nuages de montagnes

At about 7,000 feet of elevation, the sky and morning clouds are seen through an opening in the subalpine fir forest. Here the sky is at its bluest, the sunshine is clear and both contrast with the pure white morning clouds.

Because one is close to the clouds, the details of their motion becomes evident - and fast. This is especially the case since the clouds are not only moving in the direction of the prevailing winds but also being formed directly overhead by eddy currents that reflect the topography of the mountain - jutting up into the sky to disrupt the smooth flow of air like a submerged rock in a river.

This contributes to the dynamism of the clouds and their unusual character; shapes that change quickly as the formative process expands their mass at every point simultaneously.Even though moving in the low level winds, the firs create a stable pattern which contrasts with the rapid changes above.

Sometimes, the trees are in deep shadow as unseen clouds cover the sun. On other occasions, the overhead patches of blue sky take on the same shapes and patterns as the trees - as if the tree-forms were projected upwards.

In these moments there is a literal display of the harmony that exists among all the patterns of nature's workings.

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