Mountains: "To the Heights"

"The hills are alive with the sound of music"-- mountains seem to fill us with a sense of solitude and peace. They allow us to see all that sits below, providing us with the perfect vantage point. But at the same time, the mountains leave us awestruck, as if we cannot and do not want to think at all. The majesty and grandeur clear us thought. Once arrived at the top (or near the top or even just in the midst) of the mountain, we find ourselves changed. We are different from the way we were. Why is this? Why do the mountains supply our minds with this growth, this maturity? We are most likely at the top for just a moment, but still our souls feel as if it has spent eternity in peace. Perhaps this is not the sensation you feel in the presence of mountains. However, it is for me and has been since the first time I found myself surrounded by the Swiss Alps and eventually closer to the tops. It brings on the feeling that you are disconnected from the earth and the problems below. The mountains allow us to escape, allow our minds to float, freeing them from burden. You feel untouchable, invincible.

Blessed Pier Giorgi found particular spiritual solace amidst the mountains. His famous words "Verso l'alto" or in English "To the Heights" captures his love for the mountains.

http://catholicexchange.com/11-reasons-love-bl-pier-giorgio-frassati