The Living Mountain
29th March 2015
29th March
The living mountain
Like many I am a great fan of Nan Shepherd's book , The Living Mountain. I love this book for her anthromorphological view of the hills and her unique way of seeing the 'whole' mountain. To Nan Shepherd the mountain is not determined just by the summits and their ascent. She does not define any hill by its top, but by its completeness and entirety. She talks about not going on to the Mountains, rather going 'IN' to the mountain. This 'IN' is more intimate and meaningful than the usual trivial, summit orientated, almost tick listing manner.
I share Shepherd's values as mountains and high ground mean more to me than just trying to reach their tops. These summits, adorned with cairns, religious symbols, white follies of a local eminent, inevitably covered with an 'alarm' of celebratory climbers, provide a narrow understanding of the mountain. Little is experienced and therefore understood of its overal environment, it interaction and creation of the world it exists within and its inhabitants.
The routes to these summits are often chosen because of renown and popularity, or due to its adrenalin pumping severity. This results in other routes, ways and means are unconsidered. Hardly ever is a route chosen for its quietness, uncertain direction, or just for the sake of experiencing something of the Mountain beyond the predetermined, tram like 'regular' route. The mountain is just a thing to be conquered and not to be experienced and understood. It is separate from life and is no more than a place to have a carefully planned, commodified experience where all outcomes have been already assessed.
Choosing a new, undetermined, uncertain route, where you look at the land and not the map or guide book to steer by, you uncover much more about your environment than the regular ways up. This is because you have to look at the mountain more, to find your way. This makes you study the land around you and consider relationship with its many features. There are holes formed by the erosion of falling waters, boulders blocking ways, but not others, river beds to cross, or avoid, twists and turns that have not been prescribed and assessed. There are some ways only understood by looking at the fall and creases of the Fell sides and it is by eventually floundering, assessing and learning the mountain from within, do you find your own way.
If you escape further into the mountain, to places unrecorded, overlooked, it can provide a deeper sense of the Mountains character. And just like a person, mountains are more than just their face, or preferred feature. They are all of their parts and greater than the sum. And like getting to know and truly respect a person you have to take time, and care about all of their parts as these reveal the full and true character.
"The mountain gives itself most completely when I have no destination, when I reach nowhere in particular, but have gone out merely to be with the mountain as one visits a friend with no intention but to be with him".
The living mountain
Like many I am a great fan of Nan Shepherd's book , The Living Mountain. I love this book for her anthromorphological view of the hills and her unique way of seeing the 'whole' mountain. To Nan Shepherd the mountain is not determined just by the summits and their ascent. She does not define any hill by its top, but by its completeness and entirety. She talks about not going on to the Mountains, rather going 'IN' to the mountain. This 'IN' is more intimate and meaningful than the usual trivial, summit orientated, almost tick listing manner.
I share Shepherd's values as mountains and high ground mean more to me than just trying to reach their tops. These summits, adorned with cairns, religious symbols, white follies of a local eminent, inevitably covered with an 'alarm' of celebratory climbers, provide a narrow understanding of the mountain. Little is experienced and therefore understood of its overal environment, it interaction and creation of the world it exists within and its inhabitants.
The routes to these summits are often chosen because of renown and popularity, or due to its adrenalin pumping severity. This results in other routes, ways and means are unconsidered. Hardly ever is a route chosen for its quietness, uncertain direction, or just for the sake of experiencing something of the Mountain beyond the predetermined, tram like 'regular' route. The mountain is just a thing to be conquered and not to be experienced and understood. It is separate from life and is no more than a place to have a carefully planned, commodified experience where all outcomes have been already assessed.
Choosing a new, undetermined, uncertain route, where you look at the land and not the map or guide book to steer by, you uncover much more about your environment than the regular ways up. This is because you have to look at the mountain more, to find your way. This makes you study the land around you and consider relationship with its many features. There are holes formed by the erosion of falling waters, boulders blocking ways, but not others, river beds to cross, or avoid, twists and turns that have not been prescribed and assessed. There are some ways only understood by looking at the fall and creases of the Fell sides and it is by eventually floundering, assessing and learning the mountain from within, do you find your own way.
If you escape further into the mountain, to places unrecorded, overlooked, it can provide a deeper sense of the Mountains character. And just like a person, mountains are more than just their face, or preferred feature. They are all of their parts and greater than the sum. And like getting to know and truly respect a person you have to take time, and care about all of their parts as these reveal the full and true character.
"The mountain gives itself most completely when I have no destination, when I reach nowhere in particular, but have gone out merely to be with the mountain as one visits a friend with no intention but to be with him".
Comments
By Phil Hemsley: Great to read your article and of your enthusiasm, like Nan Shepherd's for exploring the oft overlooked aspects of the mountains. To open the mind and use all the senses to embrace the essence of a place is a most rewarding metaphysical activity. Many will 'look' at the mountain, yet not 'see' or experience it's myriad treasures. For those that step away from the well trodden routes, there is gold in the hills.