I am back from my vacation. I had a chance to go up into the mountains, the Nantahala National Forest to be exact. Growing up in wonderfully hilly south Florida, and living in equally hilly eastern Virginia, I am obsessed with mountains. Give me height, give me elevation, give me a treeline! So today I’m doing a list. Ten Mountains I want to see before I die.

10) Adirondacks- I grew up hearing about these. http://www.adkscience.org/images/Sewards.JPG
9) Canadian Rockies- Banff, Lake Louise, the whole shebang. http://www.math.unc.edu/Faculty/petersen/Pics/Banff03/banff.jpg
8) Danali/ Mount McKinley-mountains, glaciers, whales and bears- practically perfect. http://www.aworldofpictures.com/Images/danali-train-11.jpg
7) Dolomites- http://www.spaceimaging.com/gallery/top1001/dolomites.jpg - even from space they’re shapes and size are fascinating.
6) The Lake District/Wales- the only two places on the list that I’ve visited. I spent a memorable spring break hiking and riding the train through these remarkable mountains. http://home.freeuk.net/wkwo/windemere1.jpg http://wales.fuzzup.net/images/fullsize/photos/a5-road-near-bangor-wales-welsh-uk-mountain-mist-view-15.jpg
5) Alps- this is what I still think of when I think of mountains, even having spent much of my childhood in the Blue Ridge Mountains, tall, majestic, and snow covered- that and I can’t get over the fact that these mountains are actually pushing Venice into the sea, just by their sheer weight. http://www.rightbase.nl/images/Alps.jpg
4) Yellowstone- http://www.photo.net/travel/samantha/medium-format/yellowstone-falls.jpg so much beauty and grandeur, and if it ever blows again the whole planet is toast (anyone bring the marshmallows?).
3) Yosemite- I fell in love with Ansel Adams’ photos, black and white photography, and these mountains with one single image- not this one. http://www.photo.net/photo/pcd1960/yosemite-18.4.jpg
2) Himalayas http://www.exodus.co.uk/pictures/a01hp60a.jpg I quickly outgrew my desire to climb to the top of Mt. Everest, but the Himalayas themselves still call to me. Of course, the ultimate irony is that I love mountains, can stand on the edge of cliffs with no problem, but turn into a spineless jelly fish in any building over 10 stories tall.
1) The Remarkables- Hah! Fooled you. You thought it would be the other way around, but its not. I’ve always been fascinated by the Himalayas, but I’ve also been interested in New Zealand. When I was a teenager, my whole family talked about moving there, but in the end didn’t (sigh). Seeing the Lord of the Rings and all of that wonderful scenery was a dream come true, for more than one reason. http://www.presentationconcepts.co.nz/images/05_remarkables.jpg