The Alps: so much younger than American mountains

The magnificent ocean of rock that comprises the Alps looks much older than it is! In fact, compared to several North American mountain ranges, they are absolute toddlers (measuring in the millions versus *billions* of years of age). This is also, perhaps, what makes them so fascinating to hike: they are always moving & changing. The nice trail you hiked on last spring has, by this autumn, collapsed to the bottom of the valley 3000 feet below. This instability is also what makes them deadly: every summer, the grim site of a helicopter searching for corpses of hikers is a regular sight. Yet, we are drawn to the beauty of these wild spaces, the last ones left in old europe.