I have a theory that there's something evolutionary about what humans typically find beautiful. Flowers, sunsets, each other's faces; I can think of reasons humans in the evolutionary environment would benefit from attention to these things. Bodies of water, too. Waterfalls mean fast-running water, which is more likely to be clean than still water. Maybe that's why we are drawn to them.
There's no better place in Maine to chase waterfalls than the Cataracts Trail in Andover. It's a short hike, but a steep one that gets a bit rooty, and there are some hazardous areas where it would be easy, trying to get a photo or a better view, to take a great fall onto rocks. Still it's hard to describe the magic of the place; around each corner is a vista more beautiful than the last. When we were there the forest floor was carpeted in moss. We saw a newly-hatched dragonfly, thousands of tiger swallowtail butterflies, lots of woodland flowers, and a big pile of moose poo.
