Backpacking in the Eastern Sierras, I encountered perplexing land formations IÕd never seen before. Curious about their nature I began constructing a sculpture based upon a topography map of the region. This led to an exploration into the unique geography of Central California, which piqued origination questions. Delving deeper I learned about the discovery of glaciers, ice ages, continental drift, ocean spreading & tectonic planes, as all of these mechanisms are at the heart of mountain formation. The desire to dispel the rigid mindsets that block the direct perception of reality drove the research and topo sculpture that is at the base of this work. As such I finished the book with an exploration of personal mountains Ð what it takes to achieve mastery - how to distinguish mountains from molehills - and what a mountain can teach us concerning the quest for self-realization.