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Ah, I used to think this way, it’s kind of a “peakbagger” mentality... bag the peak and move on. I’m all for seeing new mountains, and actually there is a _ton_ of variation in what you can find due to altitude, aspect, geographic location, etc etc. In the same valley I’ve walked down lush green forest on one side, and walked up dry baking desert on the other. I think the more I’ve trained my eye, the more unique qualities I see. In the last year or two though I’ve realized that every climb is it’s own experience, even on the same mountain. The season, the plants and animals that come with it (or snow!), the weather that particular day, whether it’s a dry or wet year, the time of day. Some days you get turned back before you reach the peak. Maybe an avalanche happened overnight. Or you time it just right to get a view of sunset/sunrise/aurora/milky way. There’s always something new to learn even if it’s your 100th ascent. They actually change much more than you’d think. I always thought it would be tough or impossible to, say, get all the 13ers/14ers in Colorado, or all the 4,000ers in the northeast. Now I realize I could spend a lifetime just getting to really know a handful of them. I find a strange comfort in that. Maybe I’m getting older. Also, I love to ski and snowboard. Gotta get up to ride down! But I’ve never lost the desire to go around one more bend, or over one more peak, to see what I can see beyond. |