Dave:

I like both, but I definitely like the crop on the second one better too. It gives more prominence to the peak in the background, which I think is the focal point of the picture. The tree on the hillside on the left in the first one is a little distracting to me.

In addition, I don't know if you adjusted anything besides the crop, but to my eyes, the lighting in the second shot seems different. Maybe the reddish dirt on the hillside influences my perception, but the first shot seems to have a slight magenta cast to it.