When you think of mountains and valleys, what comes to mind?

For some folks, mountains inspire images of adventure, thrill, power, and achievement. Reaching the summit is a metaphor for what many athletes, entrepreneurs, and sales professionals strive to achieve for themselves. From the mountain top, the details of the world below become obscured, and one develops an appreciation of the bigger picture.

Valleys evoke different thoughts. "Yea, though I walk through the valley of death, I fear no evil." Valleys are dark, mysterious, foreboding places. At best, valleys are where home is... you return to the quiet of the valley after an adventurous journey. At worst, valleys are deadly, hostile places filled with frightening otherworldly creatures.

I have come to appreciate both mountains and valleys wherever I have traveled. There's a beauty in the valleys of the fjord country of Norway that defies description. I enjoyed the vistas down in the valleys as much as those from the mountain tops. And the Alps of Austria will always inspire me.

What are your experiences of mountains and valleys? Leave a comment about your travel adventures.