She's Got You High and You Don't Even Know it Yet

(Title borrowed from the band Mumm-ra from their song of the same name)

Last night I returned home from a 12 day visit to the east coast.  This trip allowed me to interact with coworkers and visit extended family.  While I always enjoy coworker interaction and love visiting with family, to me there’s nothing like returning to the Wasatch front, the place I call home.  As we descended into the airport and the mountain range appeared I knew I was home.  It was as if the mountains were reaching out to me, calling my name.  The reality is the mountains just are.  They just sit and expect nothing and for that I love them.

I remember the first time I saw the Rocky Mountains 12 years ago.  I was flying in for my first visit to Utah, a house hunting trip.  As the plane descended and I caught my first glimpse of the mountains I was hooked.  It was May and the mountains were covered with bright green flora as well as the snow caps left over from winter (Little did I know it would snow again that year in June).  I was amazed at their beauty, majesty, their just being.  I couldn’t believe I was going to be so fortunate to live amongst these mountains.

For at least the first 6 months I lived in Utah I was always looking to the east to see the beautiful mountain range.  I couldn’t imagine anyone living here and not appreciating their beauty and how they wore the change of seasons.  To me they were a selfless and silent lover- they always gave and never took.  They just were. 

Sometime along the 12 year journey I lost my full focus on the mountains.  I started to notice them less and less.  Sure I would notice them when I hiked or skied but beyond that they became a part of the noise of my life.  Occasionally I would notice them when I left the gym at sunrise and I could see the sun peaking over Mt Olympus.   Then again I was humbled and felt a flutter in my belly.  Recently I took a friend who is new to the area up the canyon to hike.  He marveled at the rocky crags and grand views.  I was reminded that I was taking my lover for granted.  Again she just was.  She wasn’t scorned or angry or offended.  These mountains just be.  I realized then I love her for her beauty, her giving, and her just being.

These mountains are my witness.  They’ve seen me through 12 years.  Like my mountain lover I know how good it feels to give so I give her my thoughts, my secrets, my sweat, my tears, and my love.  As I view, hike, and ski these mountains I share my pain of lost loves, my memories of hiking with a dear friend who is currently too sick to hike.  Today as I hiked I imagined my friend and I hiking again with her laugh echoing against the mountain walls as we share stories of our lives.  My heart tells me that vision will come true.

Today I was grateful for my homecoming.  As my feet trudged up the mountain I was present with the smells and how they changed with the altitude.  I was aware of the sounds of the birds and insects that make the mountains their home.  I soaked in all my lover’s grandeur as she held me on her craggy side.  When I reached the end of the trail and looked out over the valley I truly felt connected to her earth.  I visited my heart today and it felt good.