ourfoothills

Some people think that gently rolling hills or small mountains, lush with green vegetation, is a very beautiful sight. Are you one of those people? A combination of factors makes hills and valleys a spectacular view, not the least of which is their imposing power on the tourist. Most people are accustomed to the flat plane of a city; Most people live alongside the coast, or at least along a river. High and mighty hills can seem powerful to those who never experienced them.

It is remarkable how trees and extensive forests can thrive everywhere in hills. Because of the nature of erosion, valleys tend to be deposits of mineral-rich runoff, and the sides of hills tend to be the most eroded. In spite of the thin soil and outcropping rock, trees cling with tenacious roots that also hold the topsoil fast. When these trees are removed, then a fragile ecosystem is ruined. The mountains breath and smoke with the perspiration of trees.

As extraordinary as the trees is those who live in the hills. They grow food in the valleys, where the soil is nutrient rich and not inclined to erosion. They may also keep chickens and goats, which can climb the hills and eat a broad variety of vegetation without destroying the trees. Visit the highlands, and have your breath stolen.