India, Sept. 25 -- An hour spent watching a cap cloud over Kokthang becomes a meditation on mountain weather, scale and perception.

The essay follows vapour as it rises over the Kangchenjunga massif, condenses into cloud, then vanishes as the air descends.

What appears to be a still cloud resting on a summit is, in fact, moving air briefly made visible.

The fleeting shape above Kokthang opens into a reflection on geology, monsoon winds, beauty and the limits of human perception.

If a crow were to fly north-northwest along a path rising by nearly 10 degrees against the horizon, Kangchenjunga would be 45 kilometres from where I stand. Starting at 2,150 metres and reaching the peak at 8,586 m, even the arithmetic of elevation gain stagge...