Kamiak Butte is an isolated rocky elevation in southeastern Washington surrounded by low rolling wheat fields for miles around. It was quite a contrast to the tall, numerous Colorado Rocky Mountains near where I'd lived before.

It's hard to convey how very dear Kamiak became. It's always windy at the top, the trees gnarled and stunted by the harsh, arid conditions. Yet even at night, it seems bathed in a benevolent light. Because it's the only high point with no structures in view, you can see infinity from its shoulders. Kamiak holds its space in the middle of an unvaried agricultural landscape, a wild serenity.