“We are now in the mountains and the mountains are in us, kindling enthusiasm, making every nerve quiver, filling every pore or cell of us. Our flesh-and-bone tabernacle seems transparent as glass to the beauty about us, as if truly an inseparable part of it, thrilling with the air and trees, streams and rocks, in the waves of the sun, - a part of all nature, neither old nor young, sick not well, but not immortal." (John Muir)

Mountains throughout the world have been worshipped for their inspiring beauty, their sacred significance and their importance as water sources. Different cultures have regarded mountains as sacred centers (“axis mundi”), places of revelation, or places of the divine. From theories of mountain formation to earthquakes and volcanos, from glaciers to alpine plants, from frozen Inca mummies to sherpa stories, we will combine concrete knowledge with field trips and writing, as a way of understanding mountain environments. The journey will take you from the depths of the oceans to the heights of the Himalayas and the Andes, through some of the most dramatic places on Earth. Enjoy!!