A lone, bushy white cloud covers a dreary, isolated mountain separated from the vast green, white and grey range. The top of the lonely mountain floats high above the layer of buoyant clouds obscuring the beauty of the snow covered cap and the deep rivets caused by the slow trickle of water. No mountain looks the same as her or was formed the same as her. The lonely mountain never falters, never sways, always present but remains cloaked in a thick white mist, scarcely visible to the human’s weak, straining eyes. A higher, more beautiful mountain stands in front of the lonely mountain casting its dark shadow far beyond the lonely mountains reach. Eternal darkness cloaks the lonely mountain causing its water to freeze in the rivets and all life stands still in the chill of the wind. The lonely mountain’s roots run deep into the earth’s thin crunchy crust clawing at any spec of hard rock to wrap itself around to ground it, an inescapable grip drawing it further into the crippling darkness. Will the thick layer of blindingly white clouds and mist allow the lonely mountain to be visible to the human eye? Will the warmth of the suns rays ever shine through to reach the lonely mountain again to thaw its frozen stature and release it from eternal darkness?

People talked, about the ugliness, the dread and the pain in the lonely mountain only forcing its roots to take a deeper hold and shrink back further and further into the shadows of something and someone better. The dismay of the mountain forced a crack in the sustenance of it, never fully healing leaving the mountain wounded, angry and even more dangerous. As adventure seekers came from all over the world to see the big beautiful mountain the word began to spread about the in superiority of the lonely mountain. The whispers of defeat crept through the tree infested hillside like a parasite devouring its host. Storms of thunder and lightning and heavy sheets of rain, enough to make it impossible to see a small wrinkly hand in front of your face, roared over the mountain sending an understood message to leave the lonely mountain alone.

Athletes, fishers, adventurers and adrenaline seekers attempt to conquer the higher, more beautiful mountain by hanging off her by a single shiny grey pick ax, plucking her extravagantly colored and delicious tasting fish from her abundant streams, or sliding down her side on a small thin graffiti covered board. The extreme conditions and sports on the higher mountain makes everyone forget about the dark shadowed mountain leaving the lonely mountain undiscovered and shut out. The thrill-seekers and daredevils and everyone else who witnesses the power of these mountains ignore and deny the existence of another mountain. Everyone except one man, more dauntless, courageous and caring than all the others took his first step onto the smooth hardly worn bottom of the lonely mountain. The vast area of undiscovered land proved daunting at first try but the climber didn't give up as a storm that threatened to destroy any life pushed him down off the lonely mountain. Unexpectedly, as the sun peaked out at the mountains the adrenaline junkie had returned yet again to discover something and anything about the lonely mountain. This athlete was the first in many hundreds of years to attempt to understand and unlock the secrets of the lonely mountain but not to exploit its riches are cause it harm but for the sake of the mountain and the people who were to come after him so that they may all enjoy the beauty that it beholds. Even though the adventurer took so long to get to the lonely mountain, he opened up a new home from people and animals to discover, respect, and take care of. The clouds began to thin and the first rays of sunshine and hope that the mountain had seen in years shone on her all because one brave soul decided to not follow the beaten path and discovered something special.

After the lone mountains discovery, only few people came to discover it for themselves due to its frequent rain, hail, thunder and lightning combining into severe storms forcing all activity away for differing periods – normally long – of time. As the mountains grew older and the wear on the bigger, more beautiful mountain became excessive and dangerous, the crusts began to move and along with it the mountains that once shadowed each other began to separate allowing the light to shine once again on part of the lonely mountain. The lonely mountain was finally exposed to the fresh air, sunlight, and people but it could still whip up storms that kill in the blink of a human eye always threatening to blow its top and obliterate itself so the people around had to always be careful and know the signs of an storm.

The mountains nearing the furthest apart they will get, a storm settles over the lonely mountain clearing the mist, fog and clouds for the first time revealing the true nature of the lonely mountain. Its top glows crystal clear and the water run in the rivets for the first time in many years. Parts of the lonely mountain remained shadowed and cold and undiscovered reminding it of the challenges it has overcome but keeping it grounded in the reality that it is not done fighting its battle yet. The mountain still produces great and deadly storms forcing everyone away from the mountain and destroying most of what surrounds it but the skies are never clearer than after a storm, as if the mountain creates a new beginning for itself after every eruption. One person, one single person began to change an entire mountain freeing it from captivity, shining light through pitch blackness not knowing what he was getting himself into yet still continuing forward to shine a light where no one else had dared to go before. He discovered the real lonely mountain, one enshrouded and beautiful in its own way and a mountain that is not so lonely anymore.