Mountains,
You keep my life exciting;
without you my life would be flat—
a wash of gray,
colorless.
You provide a place of sanctuary,
a place of peace and tranquility.
Along with your astonishing beauty,
you yield nearly insurmountable challenges
that have inspired people since the dawn of time.
The mountains are...
a world apart from civilization,
which is an urban and lowland achievement.
The great wave of civilization...
is powerless to move...
when faced with an obstacle
of a few hundred meters.
- Fernand Braudel
We humans do not mean to disrespect you by merely calling you an achievement. The thing is, we really love and need you, so thanks for doing us a solid.
I won't go into how many countless lives you have claimed with your extreme cold, massive cliffs, and wily labyrinths. I suppose with enough beauty anything can be overlooked.
We go forth to seek out adventure,
to try and become
as ambiguous as the mountains,
to be swept up in majesty,
to feel a part of something
that is bigger than ourselves
and precludes
time.
Then we come home and interact with the world through our personal entertainment box.
Thank you, mountains,
for not being square.
Mountains, although you can be enjoyed though a box (granted only partially) and I thank the brave men and woman that have contributed to my mountainous tube-time, you lack the adventure I feel when I'm like...right up in your face!
And, might I say what a wondrous face it is.
That stoic composure, why don’t you just chill out sometimes?
(I guess that’s what lovely mountain valleys are for?)
You know when you're trying to enjoy yourself, on some mountain, minding your own business, looking at some flowers or mountain goats, then out of nowhere - BAM - adventure slaps you in the face?
Mountains & Adventure, you two are inseparable...
You two are inseparable, like a couple of old drinking buddies who like messing with people, even if adventure likes to wonder off alone sometimes.
Mountains, well, you're more of a homebody.
Adventure,
I have found you in so many places...
I have found you in grocery stores,
under my couch cushions,
in big cities,
at my grandma's house - the list goes on and on.
Let's face it, adventure:
You and mountains go together like bees and bears.
You're like the salt to mountain's meatloaf - too much and you can really screw stuff up.
But just the right amount and cue the music - Montage!
You're the reason I look forward to the weekend, or even a day at work. You can be quick, or drag on like a Quentin Tarantino film. But I love you anyhow.
Even if I don't have a chance to get out and enjoy your dynamic duo with mountains, I can always count on you for a surprise – not always a pleasant one, but definitely a surprise.
Yours truly,
Joshua Hildreth
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Time lapse at the beginning of this blog is courtesy of YouTube channel Video Background via https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCWpsozCMdAnfI16rZHQ9XDg
