Bill,
I've always enjoyed this piece, largely because of how different it is from your big epic works. I've associated it in my mind with your Ye Olde Days of Future Past groove but I really like this interpretation (which I'm sure, since you wrote it, is what you meant in the first place). Your cinematography really tells a story. When you take a hike, even in as spectacular a place as the High Sierras, much of the time your attention is on what is close...a flower beside the trail, light through the trees, your steps on the trail itself. You stop to look at a bird for a few seconds before it moves on (my favorite part, BTW). Finally, you arrive at a spot where your gaze reaches out to the high peaks. But it's not a big climax with a sweeping crescendo and a modulation; it goes with the flower, the bird and the steps.
Great stuff, Bill. Thanks for sharing it with us.