It is heard to explain to anyone how I feel when I am in the mountains. I am not sophisticated enough with words that can express my feelings. Perhaps quotes from one of the most admired naturalists and another from one of the most admired landscape photographers can better express my thoughts:
“Keep close to Nature’s heart…and break clear away, once in awhile, and climb a mountain or spend a week in the woods. Wash your spirit clean.” (John Muir)
“No matter how sophisticated you may be, a large granite mountain cannot be denied – it speaks in silence to the very core of your being” (Ansel Adams)
Here is another quote that also express my feelings:
“This mountain, the arched back of the earth risen before us, it made me feel humble, like a beggar, just lucky to be here at all, even briefly.” (Bridget Asher)
So when I stand in front of subjects like this one of Hilda Peak and Mount Athabasca near Parker Ridge, these quotes are not going through my head, but rather the feelings that they convey are present.
There are some people that I know that don't understand my draw to the mountains and it is hard to explain. I often don't try as I find it impossible to properly convey what they mean to me. At those times, I sometimes say:
“The mountains are calling and I must go.” (John Muir)