Message from the Mountain

January 2026/ Issue #19

The Winter Frost

The frost of winter is unique to watch, as it creeps down the mountain further and further. The silence in the morning air is crisp and cold, it tastes like cool mountain spring water. The stars always look the best in the night sky, during winter. No matter how cold, nature continues to function around us. We snuggle up for warmth and tend to stay hidden. Nature, however, forages for food, plays in the snow, and flutters about as if nothing has changed. Change. I think of change and see how we roll into season after season, a continuous change.

I see a lot of people playing in the snow, piloting themselves on skies, snowmobiles, and sleds. It is so great to see how we can adapt to the surroundings and make a go of it. I guess I have always been impressed by that. Whether sweltering heat and humidity, or Antarctic temperatures and ice, we move right along in our lives. We find a balance between our limit and our confidence, at least a majority of us do. Others tend to continue to freeze or bake, long after the breaking point has been reached.

As I write this, my fingers are cold, as are my toes. I sometimes swear it feels like my toes might break and fall off, and I won't even notice. I remember a cold snap in Adak, Alaska, when I was stationed there. The wind was brutal, heck, the island was called, "The Birthplace of the Winds."

We called this the Dinosaur Cage. It is a Radar Array.

During the initial stage of the Second World War, the Japanese wanted to use Adak to launch attacks on the US mainland, but were thwarted by US forces. The cold there was next level cold. The wind was so brutal, that everything had straps or chains to secure it to a building. It would cut you to the bone, just freeze you like a slab of meat and move on to the next victim.

Ironically, we all survived the weather. We ran, we hiked, we played, and we worked in the cold and wind. Adapting to the surroundings is something that we humans are good at. It is my hope that we have enough equipment to help people adapt to the environment, placing little to no limits on the imagination. After all, our motto is "Making Nature Accessible."

Happy New Year!

By Jeffrey Pryor

The New Year is upon us, and we are looking forward to some exciting change. The search for property is becoming more of a focal point, as is fundraising for that property. Letters will be going out, grants will be applied to, and work will be done! I will admit, I had eight grant denials in 2025, the last one arriving in the mail, just a couple of days ago. I do not take it personally, I just assess what I can do better next time. I recall a time when I was a camp host for the USACE, and I was working in a campground, alone with my thoughts. I knew the path would be long and there would be denial, pain, rejection, and mockery. I also knew there would be approval, acceptance, and praise. I truly believe that when the time is right, the wheels to the funding machine will start rolling.

The path that we are led down is full of bumps and hills, but also beautiful scenery and cherished moments. The work that I put in with the USACE was hard, hot, and often solemn. This gave me time to reflect on how much Mobility Mountain needed to become a reality. I was able to see the discrepancies that were abounding in campgrounds. The simple reality of overlooking the accessibility needs for those who need it, never settled in my mind. I appreciate those solemn moments now, and that time to reflect and focus on where I needed to be.

The year 2026 will bring about some good change and progression, there is no doubt about it. I wish everyone following along on this journey the best in the coming year. May these blog posts provide a glimpse into something bigger than us, something we can all agree on, a new push to help begin Making Nature Accessible. Thank you for being a part of our team.