The Book of Mormon mentions “mountains” in conjunction with “wildernesses”:
25 And they did commit murder and plunder; and then they would retreat back into the mountains and into the wilderness and secret places, hiding themselves that they could not be discovered, receiving daily an addition to their numbers, inasmuch as there were dissenters that went forth unto them.
28 And it came to pass that it was expedient that there should be a stop put to this work of destruction; therefore they sent an army of strong men into the wilderness and upon the mountains to search out this band of robbers, and to destroy them.
31 And they were again obliged to return out of the wilderness and out of the mountains unto their own lands, because of the exceeding greatness of the numbers of those robbers who infested the mountains and the wilderness. (Helaman 11)27 And it came to pass that the ninety and third year did also pass away in peace, save it were for the Gadianton robbers, who dwelt upon the mountains, who did infest the land; for so strong were their holds and their secret places that the people could not overpower them; therefore they did commit many murders, and did do much slaughter among the people. (3 Nephi 1)
17 And it came to pass in the commencement of the fourteenth year, the war between the robbers and the people of Nephi did continue and did become exceedingly sore; nevertheless, the people of Nephi did gain some advantage of the robbers, insomuch that they did drive them back out of their lands into the mountains and into their secret places. (3 Nephi 2)
1 And it came to pass that in the latter *end of the eighteenth year those armies of robbers had prepared for battle, and began to come down and to sally forth from the hills and out of the mountains and the wilderness and their strongholds and their secret places and began to take possession of the lands, both which were in the land south and which were in the land north, and began to take possession of all the lands which had been deserted by the Nephites, and the cities which had been left desolate. (3 Nephi 4)
The robbers would sally forth from their hiding places in the mountains to rob, steal, and plunder. The mountains should not be far from the City of Zarahemla.
In fact, there are several ski resorts less than eight miles away:
- Buffalo Ski Club containing 43 slopes and 3 lodges. Map (only 8 miles from Zarahemla)
- Kissing Bridge containing 37 slopes and 4 lodges. Map (only 13 miles from Zarahemla)
The following map shows how close the ski resorts and shops are to the City of Zarahemla, modern day East Aurora:
Which cannot be said by Wayne May and Rodney Meldrum. There are no significant hills let alone mountains in close proximity to Nauvoo.
See also: Land Northward>Mountains