A large waterfall is a magnificent thing—the roar of all that water plummeting into the pool, the spray sent up into the air to chill tourists and refresh hikers, the lush greenery clinging to little crevices in the rocky outcroppings surrounding the cascade.

Growing up, we visited the falls in the Columbia River Gorge many times, and I still enjoy going there, but I have found myself paying little attention to the falls themselves, having seen them so many times over the years.

I was at Multnom...