The Allure of the Mountains

What is it about mountains that draw so many people to them? Second only to living on the water, people seem to have an almost magnetic draw to living at higher elevations (or at least near them). So sacrificing the rich, sea-level air millions of people either hike, climb or live among the mountains.

In my experience with some of my family members, you can never explain the allure of the mountains to someone that does not have an innate draw to them. So if you have never dreamt of what it might be like to stand atop a mountain, you may not resonate with any of this. I can explain to my parents what an awesome experience it was to climb Horn Peak (see above and right), but they just don't get it. Maybe it is because they are from a time where there wasn't alot of free time to pursue interests such as hiking or mountain climbing, or maybe it is just because they have no inner "call of the wild," but for some reason, I can try to explain my motives until I'm blue in the face but they never seem to "get it."

To me the mountains represent the unknown. Every step upward is a step into a world that very few get to experience. A world of mountain meadows, evergreen forests, and snow capped peaks. The time I've spent in the mountains has been an opportunity to spend a day in another world. In an age of urban sprawl and suburban developments, mountains represent one of the last natural frontiers onto which the spoiling hands of humanity haven't yet reached.

Mountains also offer one a measuring stick. A test of willpower and overcoming the screaming pain in your legs with mental toughness. They allow you an unparelled test of endurance, as many climbs last hours to days.

Mountains are the place where world class athletes and a run-of-the-mill healthy individual are brought to similar levels. Many people falsely think that anyone who climbs mountains, does it so that they can inflate their ego by saying that they summitted Mountain X. Perhaps due to the huge numbers of people who attempt to climb Everest with little previous experience, often resulting in unnecessary deaths, many people have it in their minds that the only reason you would want to climb is so that you will have one more trophy for the mantel. But for me, climbing was much more than just reaching the top.

It was the stream that we found halfway up, with hundreds of small waterfalls as the snow melt made its way down the valley. It was the 10 of us, encouraging one another to keep going. It was the last 100 yards that couldn't be covered more than 5 yards at a time. It was the 10 of us encouraging each other to keep going. It was the knee deep snow we had to tromp through. All of these things came together to make for a once in a lifetime experience.

In a world of entertainment with increasing television watching and increasing obesity, mountains offer the opportunity to step into a world that few others will ever enter. A world of reality, where goals their accomplishment are crystal clear. An opportunity to see the world around you in a way like never before. A chance to get away from the constant noise of modern society and think clearly for the first time in a long time.