An Ode to Mountain Dwellers

Why do mountains call to us?

Perhaps their peaks challenge our inner instinct to wander; we are after all, a nomadic species. We wish to see what is just over the next horizon. Around the next bend. Though some of us have religion, many of us are still searching for the big answers. The whys, the hows, whens, whats? Or perhaps we wish to surround ourselves with those beings who do not judge us, who speak languages we cannot understand.

Yet we feel familiar with them; we share hearts, eyes, sounds and motions. We relate to these beings even if we do not exactly why. I think we crave time in isolation, among peaks and other animals, to discover answers to questions we don’t know to ask. We come out with clarity.

Mountains hold the lungs of the world. They are the sources of water. They offer refuge, and challenge at the same time. They inspire us to dream, to connect, to breathe. And so, it’s only natural to choose a mountain dweller for our next Centennial Poster. During our recent ten days in Glacier National Park, we had the opportunity to encounter a number of these dwellers, giving us plenty of time to compose our next idea. Will it be the courageous and often comical mountain goat, or the brave marmot who looked down at us from his mighty pose upon a cliff edge?

Stay tuned for the final piece, and for now enjoy some of the shots we took from this magical land. All taken near Hidden Lake, Glacier.

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Two goats, one wearing a collar for research purposes.

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Marmot building nest. Run along little guy!
Slipping on snow and ice while wildlife pranced around me so naturally.
Slipping on snow and ice while wildlife pranced around us so naturally.

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Saving my favorite shot for the end. This little one had two siblings, they just happened to be out of the frame. They so enjoyed jumping on each other and pushing each other off the cliff ledges (don’t worry, they were not high). Not unlike human children playing.

It makes you think.

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