"You don't have to move mountains to find peace.  But it helps to move to the mountains."
- Alex Luty, thinker around mountains

I may not officially be titled a philosopher (yet), but that doesn’t mean that I can’t enjoy a bit of ponderous thought while taking in the view of the mountains in the horizon.

These jagged emanations, which line our planets like convex wrinkles, occur around land masses (both underwater and above sea level) that experience a lot of movement over time.  Costa Rica - being one of the newest land masses on the planet - has a series of four mountain ranges that bifurcate the country into eastern and western halves. 

The Central Volcanic Range features the volcanoes Turrialba, Irazú, Barva and Poás.

[caption id="attachment_11582" align="aligncenter" width="1024"] Poas Volcano National Park with the largest active crater in the world - Costa Rica.[/caption]

In the northwest is the Tilarán Range, whose altitude reaches 1,700 metres (5,000 ft) at the Monteverde Cloud Forest.

Farther to the northwest is the Guanacaste Range. Near the Nicaraguan border, this range includes five active volcanoes; among them are Volcan Arenal, a popular tourism attraction, Rincon de la Vieja, and Miravalles, which is currently being used to generate geothermal energy.

[caption id="attachment_11580" align="aligncenter" width="1024"] Volcanic peaks of Guanacaste mountains. Photo from plate-tectonics.narod.ru[/caption]

And in our South Pacific region of Costa Rica is the Cordillera de Talamanca, the country’s oldest and southernmost range.  It includes Mt. Chirripó, Costa Rica’s highest mountain at 3,820 metres (12,500 feet.)

[caption id="attachment_11584" align="aligncenter" width="640"] Cerro de la Muerte in the Talamanca Mountain Range - Getty Images[/caption]

With their misty and mystical characteristics, mountain views are changing constantly and their grandeur doesn’t fail to inspire awe in whoever takes the time to stop and admire.

Because we at Osa Tropical Properties truly believe that it’s not all about ocean views, we are putting together this compilation of famous quotes about mountains with photos that we’ve personally taken of the majestic ranges that surround us everyday.  We feel blessed to be cradled in their bosom.

 

“Mountains are the beginning and end of all natural scenery.”
- John Ruskin, Victorian era art critic

[caption id="attachment_11585" align="aligncenter" width="1040"] Casual drive to the office with an abundant view in Ojochal[/caption]

“It isn’t the mountains ahead to climb that wear you out; it’s the pebble in your shoe.”
- Muhammed Ali, champion boxer

[caption id="attachment_11586" align="aligncenter" width="1101"] Misty mountains around Tinamaste[/caption]

“Thousands of tired, nerve-shaken, over-civilized people are beginning to find out that going to the mountains is going home; that wildness is a necessity.”
- John Muir, Scottish-American naturalist and author

[caption id="attachment_11587" align="aligncenter" width="4032"] Mountains: looming over a home near you in Ojochal.[/caption]

“Great things are done when men and mountains meet”
- William Blake, English poet

[caption id="attachment_11588" align="aligncenter" width="4032"] No filter was needed for these incredibly colored, late afternoon clouds over Ojochal.[/caption]

“What are men to rocks and mountains?”
- Jane Austen, English novelist

[caption id="attachment_11589" align="aligncenter" width="4032"] "And what are cows to mountains?" asked the Heifer.[/caption]

“You don't need to climb a mountain to know that it's high.”
- Paulo Coelho

[caption id="attachment_11592" align="aligncenter" width="500"] View from Cerro Chirripo, the tallest peak in Costa Rica near San Isidro[/caption]