Venture #2 | Suzanne Christensen

For many years people have come and stared at this mountain. Every person who comes to look at nature sees something different and feels differently about the things they are looking at. Even the different times of the day cause the mountain to change making it bright and beautiful or dark and foreboding. It is just after twelve o’clock and I find myself sitting on the dirt across the street from this magnificent mountain side. As the sun shines down on the side of the mountain it changes the color to a reddish orange with a slight hint of brown. This side of the mountain that I am facing has deep cuts that go in different angles, the cuts travel from the very top all the way to the base where it begins to touch the ground. When looking up at the top it seems to change colors. It is not the same reddish orange but a darker red with more brown. The sky provides a background of deep blue which accents the top even more. As I begin to look more closely at this mountains beauty I begin to see the many different things that make this particular spot so amazing. Every imperfection tells a tale. There are even small green bushes that seem determined to reach the top. They have their own trail they follow. The trail begins at the bottom on the ground. This bush is not too big but knew that he wanted to see the world from the top. So he began slowly to climb, sending little seeds farther up with each new growth clinging to the rocks strength when threatened by other forces of nature. Growing stronger and more determined this bush began to get bigger as it reached the top. Finding a source of life he never thought imaginable when he was down on the ground. Wanting people to see the obstacles he has over come the bushes are still there showing the path in which he traveled.
This mountain has seen many hardships. Not just its own but others as well. He has seen mountain climbers trying to climb to the top using ropes and metal handles. Some climbers have succeeded, others have not. He would try to warn the less experienced ones so they wouldn’t get hurt but it was usually to no avail, they never listened. Sometimes they would get hurt very badly and then sometimes it was just a minor scrap or bruise. He always felt those were the lucky who should be more careful. The wind, rain, snow, fire, humans and sometimes even the animals would try to break him apart. They would beat against him breaking off tiny bits of rocks but they could not break the rock. When humans came with their dynamite and guns the rock would shake and tremble. They would try so hard to blow him up but, he wouldn’t let them. They might have gotten more than the other elements of the earth but he would not give in so easily. At times he didn’t mind being altered, especially if it was an artist who would come and transform part of him into something spectacular or when they would leave messages for each other he was glad to be apart of those things. I must admit I think this mountain is kind of smug, I think it stood up straighter when people were taking its picture.
This mountain has been here for many years, all the while developing certain qualities such as: honor, strength, courage, wisdom, and friendship. It has been these qualities that have made this mountain into a magnificent structure. Through its long suffering this structure still stands and will continue to stand for many years to come. It will continue to watch over the rivers, the trees, the many small plants, the birds, deer, people, and the many other creatures that are out there. Many will travel from near and far just to see this magnificent mountain, just so they too can feel this mountains strength, wisdom and even love. When they are near this mountain they feel as if they too can become a mountain, that they may also have the same strength and wisdom, so when they return to their world they may go back wiser and stronger than whence they came.