Probably months. Compare I Ne. 16:17.
Into the mountain. The meaning is, into the mountain region. The expression occurs in the Old Testament with that meaning, as for instance when Moses says that the Lord will plant the children of Israel "in the mountain of thy inheritance" (Gen. 19:30, where Lot is said to have taken refuge in a cave which was "in the mountain." At all events, the land Bountiful was a mountainous country.
Cried unto the Lord. Earnest prayer in privacy was the preparation of Nephi for the mission he had been called to perform. Prayer is the best preparation for any work, be it either spiritual or material.