A Mountain of Pleasure

In the Pacific Northwest, the mountains are always beckoning! More trails than anyone could ever hike in a lifetime. Between the Cascades and the Olympics, there are always new adventures, magnificent vistas to take in.

Imagine that every time you go for a hike, you take the same trail. It leads right from your bedroom door, trips over a babbling brook, winds through a thicket of white birch and breaks out above the trees. At the very top, there is an astounding view of an ancient volcano covered in snow. Right there before you!

You love it so much, for a long time it’s the only trail you ever take. The mountains and the natural world connect you to a more primitive part of yourself. Nature is your reset and you are filled and healed by the beauty, smells and fresh air. You feel alive with the simple rooting energy of the trees and their crowning reach into the sky.

But for some reason, you’ve become stuck in a pattern of only taking this one trail. It is the most convenient trail, so that’s part of the reason. And it is your favorite! After a while, you’ve taken the same trail so many times, you’re not interested in it anymore. Eventually, you stop hiking altogether.