Climb Every Mountain

Before coming to Korea, I had never climbed a mountain in my life, let alone anything bigger than a sand dune at Lake Michigan. So this past weekend was an adventure for me! Some of our friends asked us if we wanted to go hiking with them at Bukhansan National Park in Seoul. Sure, hiking. I was not expecting mountain climbing, but that's exactly what it was! Baekundae Mountain, to be exact.

Tim and I were with our friends Jackie, Collin, and Matt. The hiking trail started as a slight incline, and we laughed as we walked past huge rest stop areas with restaurants full of people! As we kept climbing, it got more and more difficult. At one point, I remember Collin pointing to the peak of a mountain, and saying, "That's where we're going." It was far away. And very high. It was then I knew we were in for a challenging climb!

There was one point in the climb that just seemed impossible for me to get through. The boys were ahead, bounding over rocks, and my friend Jackie and I were behind, taking our time. I was tired, my legs hurt, and there was no end in sight. Just rock after rock, as far as we could see. Collin kept telling us we were "almost there," but we knew we weren't!

Finally, we made it through the physically demanding part of the climb, to a Fortress Wall that was originally built in 132 A.D. I have developed this love for old walls, so I was excited. Not only that, but this was the first time we could really start to see the beautiful view. It was breath-taking, and we weren't even at the top yet. With our renewed energy, we kept climbing. The part of the climb from the Fortress Wall to the top ended up being pure rock climbing. There were cables that we could hold on to to help us, but it was crazy! I felt like I needed to have climbing gear or something! This part of the climb was the most fun for me.

At last, we made it to the top! Altitude: 2700 ft! I have never experienced anything quite like that feeling of finally reaching the peak. Not only the feeling of accomplishment, but the reward of seeing such an incredible view! We could see the city of Seoul, nestled at the base of the gorgeous mountains, and it was stunning. We sat at the top for awhile, resting and admiring the view. We were surprised at how many people were at the top too! Apparently, Koreans are hard-core hikers! After resting for awhile, we started the trek back down the mountain. In some ways, going down was harder than climbing up. I felt like I was constantly losing my balance and almost falling. Plus, at that point, my legs were tired, and were not doing a good job of supporting me. But I am proud to say that I only fell once! :)

Of course, I couldn't climb a mountain, without thinking about the symbolism that was there. As I was climbing, I kept thinking about how mountains symbolize our walk through life. Sometimes life is rough and rocky, and so difficult, but then you see the beautiful view, and you realize why the climb was necessary. I love that I now have an experience to connect with that idea. Also, literal and symbolic mountain climbs are better when you have others there with you to laugh with you and encourage you. We have been lucky to find some good friends here, who we love hanging out with. After the climb, we all went to a Korean BBQ restaurant that was a little "hole in the wall" place. It was perfect. Sitting on the floor, with no shoes, eating Korean food with our friends, after conquering a mountain. Not much compares to that.