The colour red strewn through the rocks Iron rusting over years Untainted by The touch of man With exception of tourists Oils slowly eroding, but untouched By our prided advancements Miles of peaks attracting the world Though, still wild in the sense we define A refuge from the bustle of life We ascribe ourselves to At least to me, it is a place to be alone, to meditate With acres of trees, existing and feeling with them Pulling from their ancient wisdom To sit high upon a peak With notebook in hand and a pen in the other My only defense against the human condition Peering out as far as my feeble eyes will allow Clouds paint elegant watercolours With the rays of the sun Storms creating drama and feeling But I am above it all as Zarathustra was But I am compelled to return As was he, back to the hives of my birth To the city that Jack and his cohorts Loved so much, as do myself This place that has more sun Than the marketed beaches of paradise It may snow here, but that is the beauty of it all The variety of seasons, it is not all-arctic wasteland In the winter months One day I may be swathed in layers Against the cold, the next I can walk around open to the elements, What other place is the weather so differentiable? A couple hoursβ drive and you can be In a winter wonderland or arid city An arctic paradise with acres of fresh powder That many do not take the time to sit, Just sit; in a supple seat. Perfectly formed to the contours of your body And look out; simply look out. At what is surround you; high above everything Too often do we become obsessed With the tiny oases of ski resorts And forget the solitude and beauty of its telos Itβs not the resorts I love, But the mountains themselves; that is my attraction. A place to carve your own path, to find yourself This is my home, a sojourn for the Beaten As they traveled this country, for those on the trail settling from sea to shining sea Facing the fortress of rock, ice, and pine I may stray for spans of time, travel the word and sea, But I shall always come back to pay homage To the place that has sculpted me And given me sanctuary from society Colorado