M is for Mountains

 I spent most of my life in eastern Massachusetts, where the nearest mountains were many miles away. The Berkshires are at the other end of the state, but it was easier to head north into New Hampshire. Mount Monadnock is right over the state line, and it's said to be the most-climbed mountain in the world after Mt. Fuji. The White Mountains and the Presidential Range are farther north, with some forbidding peaks like Mt. Washington, where weather conditions can change suddenly and bring tragedy to the unprepared. A road goes to the top, as does a cog railway. I've taken both, but would never consider hiking up the mountain.

Cog railway, Mount Washington

Now my wife and I are well west of the Mississippi River, New Mexico to be more specific, and mountains are all over the map. From my office window the Robledo Mountains are visible to the west; in another hour the sun will set over them and wink out for the night. Nearby are the Dona Ana Mountains, known also as the Jornadas. Closest but out of my immediate sight are the Organ Mountains, which dominate the Las Cruces skyline. The state, I think, may have more mountains than it has names for them.

Dripping Springs trail in the Organ Mountains