Lanin

"Is" vs "like" a mountain

Mountain: Volcan Lanin
Altitude: 12,293 ft | 3,747 m
Location: Villarrica, Chile, 39°37'S 71°29′W

I saw it's big body at night. Its enormous corpse cut out the star-sprinkeld night sky leaving just a black triangle. I am happy I saw it at night since its canonical protruding body is a bit overwhelming during the day when you realize that the only way to ascend it is a brutal vertical assault up.

When encountering difficulties we often compare them to a mountain: "mountain-sized problems", "mountain of work" or "mountain of problems". We use mountaineering metaphors colloquially to refer to achieving difficult goals and navigating obstacles: "scaling new heights", "finding a foothold" and "navigating rocky terrain". So climbing an actual mountain is extremely refreshing - it's there in front of you.

And Lanin volcano was right in front of me, veiled by the night light, but not hiding. It was not "like a mountain" - "it was a mountain". Steep, imposing, overwhelming.

Eighteen hours later, with swollen toes, gnawing knee pain, and wind-burned face I looked back at Lanin. Its massive body is now in full daylight, enormously stretching and proudly pointing into the sky. It was large, profound, and proud. And it felt refreshing to be able to deal with something that was a "mountain-size difficulty".