Magnificent western landscapes can feel simultaneously solemn and isolating

Evidence

As I cautiously rode back, the sunset glories were reddening the mountain tops, and the park lay in violet gloom. It was wonderfully magnificent, but oh, so solemn, so lonely! — Isabella L. Bird, A Lady’s Life in the Rocky Mountains, 230

Categorization

• FICTION: A model for rendering awe that curdles into desolation — useful scene texture for landscape-driven fiction.
• XREF: connects to: Rocky Mountain alpine scenery rendered sublime, silent beauty worth dwelling on — Isabella L. Bird, A Lady’s Life in the Rocky Mountains, 106; Mountain dawns transform the landscape into transcendent beauty that defies words — Isabella L. Bird, A Lady’s Life in the Rocky Mountains, 111