Somewhere there's a message

Last weekend, I went hiking at the Bukhansan National Park. It's in the northern part of Seoul, near where I am. In the guidebook it told me what subway stop to go to and then said, take the bus and get off when everyone else gets off. That's what it says. So, when most (but not all) people got off the bus, I followed them and prayed I was in the right place.

Luckily, I was. The mountains in the area are gorgeous; part bluff, part forest. I didn't realize how much I miss trees until I saw them. I like living in a city, but I also like the ability to be able to get away and see the stars!

The climb up the mountain was steep and it was part stone steps, part dirt, and part stacked stones. I was puffing and panting as every inch of my body was covered in sweat. I imagined that I sounded like Darth Vader hiking through the mountains. It was rough. But when you're going climbing, all you think about is going up, getting to the top. Who cares that I was in tennis shoes and out of shape? I could do it.

And then I got to .6km. I sat on a huge boulder, contemplating. I was good, I had been hiking for awhile, and I had to meet M-Rad later that evening. I could stop, turn around, and I would have gone on a nice hike. But part of me rebelled. I couldn't stop now. I had to, had to get to the top.

So, I kept going. That part of the hike was the hardest part. If anything, the land got steeper and more rugged. I sounded like Darth Vader with asthma. Ok, this is it, I thought, I'm almost to the top. That .6km was rough, but I did it. Here I am! Except I wasn't. I was still just .5km from the top. I'd only gone .1km. I couldn't believe it.

Of course then I couldn't give up. I was determined. I got to a gate, turned, and suddenly I could see an incredible view. People were sitting and lying down, enjoying the view. I took a few pictures, evidence that I had made it to the top, but the view wasn't as exciting to me as sitting on that boulder deciding to continue up. It was as if the journey was more important than the destination. There's a message in there somewhere.

I was about to start back down when I realized...

We pause this thrilling blog entry to bring you pictures of the view and Darth Vader  err, me.

At .6km. Should I stay or should I go?

I decided to keep going!

The path.

Hah! I wish those stairs were part of the hike, but they were blocked off. But look at that view. Worth it.

The view at the top!

Me, at the top. Why do I look a little preturbed?

And now, back to the story. Where was I? Oh, yes. I made it to the top! And then I realized it wasn't the top. And there was still more to climb. So, what did I do? I kept going.

And that's when I realized that I needed proper hiking boots to keep climbing. But I found this awesome wall. And this was as far as I went. After this, I turned around and went back down. All that means, is that next time, I get make it to the top. (Oh, god, I hope.)

Proof.

And then I turned around and went down. I learned two things that day. One, I need hiking boots and two, going down is much harder than going up. For some reason, I thought going down would be a breeze. What were you thinking, [insert full name here]??

Aside from awesome hiking experience, I met really cool people along the way. Like an old man who imitated the birds; his daughter and I were both amused. Or the little kid who almost ran to catch up with me so he could speak to me in English. It made me so happy. It was just a really good experience all around.