Rocky Mountain people are open to one another, open to changes and open to be taken to new destinations. Here, one whispers of a place at once new and ancient. Good portions of the settlements in these mountains are new. Inhabitants have, of course, been hiking the backcountry trails, mining the hills and logging the forests for generations, but, for the most part, the large populations in western mountain towns burgeoned quite recently. Civilized development edges toward town limits and then past.
Neighbors come more rapidly than they go.
There is dynamism and a sense of change in these mountains. The Rockies feel younger, fresher, than my native Alps. In pointing out these differences between these mountains we inhabit, I can't help but also recognize their powerful similarities. All who visit are given an equal chance to belong, to find their peace and to meet their challenges. Many seek summits, enduring the rough side of the mountains but are still given to pause peacefully, respectfully, for a sunset.