My mountain won't hurt me.

I'm sorry, but when someone in Utah tells me to look at the beautiful "mountains" I have a hard time not questioning that persons knowledge on the definition of mountains. To me they just aren't mountains and they never will be, they are just glorified hills. Yes, they are gorgeous though. (In their own special, handicapped way) Don't start your arguing, I just feel like when you are used to looking at this

I stole this from a Seattle photographer's blog, Robert Wade.

and someone tells you these are mountains

I just feel like they don't know what they are talking about.


Now I understand that Rainier is only like 1000 ft higher than King's Peak, but Utah's elevation is like 3000 ft or something higher than WA to begin with, so just shut up and deal with the fact that the Cascades are better than the Uintas and forever will be. And be prepared to fight me if you want to talk about this. Sure hiking trails in the Uintas are perfectly good and I'm always up to hike them, but again they just don't compare to this

In my last year and a half in the Seattle area, and now being back in Utah, I have come to even more fully realize my need to live in the forest by mountains and lakes, but yet miraculously still be in close proximity to incredible cities, like say, oh I don't know, Seattle. Nothing is better. I'm accustomed to it, I've spent more than half of my life doing so. I miss it so. One of my main life goals is to own a house on a lake, preferably Lake Sammamish or Lake Washington. I used to go running on the Lake Sammamish trail all the time. Every run I would just stare at the lake the whole time with a big stupid smile on my face because it is just so incredibly gorgeous. I mean seriously,  look at it...

It's somewhat hard to go from this being your driveway

driving over those potholes is "fun"

to well not having a driveway (or a house, for that matter). But if I did, I'm pretty sure it wouldn't look like that here.

Dear Washington,
I promise I will return to you one day. No, I don't know when, but rest assured our time apart is only making me love you more.
Love,
Mal

(If you must know, the title of this post is from an old man that lived in a cabin by Mt St Helen's. He was told to evacuate his cabin because the mountain was going to erupt and he told the rangers "My mountain won't hurt me" and didn't leave his house. His mountain killed him.)