Aqua. Agua. ‘Eau. Shui. Mizu. Blue is the color of this Planet Earth, though this Earth is just a big ball of water. Prescious, life-giving, sustaining, hydrating, flowing, lovely water. I watch clouds form and rise, slinking into the crevices of Mountain, gathering-hovering over the peaks. I walk through the misty forest, dripping wet, droplets of water collect on the tips of pine needles, reflecting the entire world of sky and light. Frozen water under my feet crunches and squeaks. Brushing the fresh grasses of easter green, orange, burgundy, yellow and pale purple-pink. With seeds in bloom these grasses are a paintbrush wet with recent rain that drenches my feet as I pass on by, squish squish.

Droplets fall and hit the thin walls of my tent, the thinnest walls on the other side of which I sit warm and dry. The sound of the drops varies with their size and content. Tiny raindrops sound like a sting, icy drops sound harsh, and big rain drops that fall from the tips of conifers hit with a thud and splat. Snow falls so silently and melts as it hits my tent so that I hear not even its whisper.

Water rushes in the creek over my feet and over stones, sometimes making a fall and splash. On slopes it seeps from under the ground and gurgles when it emerges to the surface through moss and rock. Collecting water to hydrate my body, I get up close to the source and hear a hollow echo from under a rock, for I have changed this sound by interloping my human form and merging with the source. As I place my bottle underneath the seep, it slowly fills, surrounding me is water falling from the sky, mist and wet ground. I listen to the forest breathe and am thankful for this meeting with aqua source. I know I may not see flowing water for the next 24 hours so I fill up and drink up right there.

Climbing and descending on the hottest days passing by prickly pear and searing needled yucca, approaching a spring in a canyon I see green leaves of cottonwood trees blowing and rustling in the slightest breeze. The tree roots soak up the prescious underground river and provide us with shade for hours in the middle of the hot day. The spring is with faucet and hose which I use to drench my head and back, dripping over my face, ears, lips, running down the length of my arms, and little droplets into my mouth.