MY first mountain experience

[q_sharon]

:itshere:

I haven't climbed a mountain before, if taken in its strictest sense. Having climbed a mountain for the very first time was a fresh experience for me. A few months ago, I became curious about a mountain which I could see outside my room. It was not really a high and big mountain, so I told myself I could probably try climbing it. My curiosity was satisfied when my student whom I go power walking with on weekends asked me to climb Wan San Mountain with her. It was an uphill and steep climb that we had to rest from time to time. My breath was almost stolen by the early morning breeze that gently touched my face. Ordinarily, I could jog for several minutes without catching my breath. But that time, I was catching my breath and I almost gave up. The mountain is just 185 meters above sea level and not really that big. And to my surprise, the winding uphill road is wide and paved. I have learned that mountain climbing is a popular activity especially among the elderly of Korea. Friends, couples, families climbing together are a common sight. The mountain is replete with different kinds of trees and there are even vegetable gardens planted to cabbage, lettuce and pumpkin. For the first time, I saw a little mountain squirrel which was not afraid of us and even tried staring at us as we were passing. It even playfully threw some acorn seeds from the tree where it was sitting. Then I saw several magpies flying low. When we reached the top, again I was surprised. There were several exercise machines on the paved ground including bars, leg stretchers, waist trimmers, sit-up benches and even badminton courts . :taz: What attracted most of my attention was a woman, maybe an octogenarian ( as she was wrinkled all over) powerfully playing a hula hoop as wide as a ten-seater round table. I imagined seeing her without a hula hoop and she was like a graceful belly dancer. I envied her. I could see other septuagenarians and octogenarians swinging their bodies and limbs with much agility and power. :flex: How could I misprize them using age as a measure? Thanks to their intemperate love for kimchi and wild but comestible mountain grasses.:happy0141:

Then we went further up, climbing about 100 steps more to reach the top. We sat at one of the benches surrounding the Pal Gak Jeong (Eight-Angled House). Koreans believe people can draw in the energy gi from this structure. This mountain has seven tops. We climbed the first one which commands a beautiful view of the west side of the village and from there I saw the villa where I live. It was a sight to behold.

From there, I realized I have been missing a lot of the beautiful things nature offers us to see, especially in our own respective countries. From that nice mountain experience, I made a personal resolve to tour around the beautiful places in the Philippines given the time and resources. This mountain experience made me miss my beautiful country more.

Enclosed are pictures of Wan San Mt. that I took myself from my penthouse veranda. One was taken at about 9 in the morning and the other was at about 6pm (Korean time).

http://english-coffee.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=642&d=1223250105

http://english-coffee.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=643&stc=1&d=1223305780

:animal-bear::animal-bear:

[pinoypower]

Congratulations q_sharon on conquering your first mountain! It's an age defying experience isn't it? I mean the Korean septuagenarians and the octogenarians not you. Hehehe!
I agree with you that mountain climbing is a thrilling experience but it could be dangerous to the untrained. It's good that yours was a pleasant one. As for catching your breath, I read somewhere that it's a good sign of physical exertion and indicates that your heart and the body is reacting normally.
The terrain, flora and fauna that you described are indeed wonderful sights to behold. I haven't seen a real squirrel but I reckon our tarsier in Bohol is equally exciting to watch.
When you return to our country don't forget to climb our very own Mt. Banahaw. I have been told by gan, who is originally from Lucban, that she'll be climbing it as well.
I hope to scale its height as well and it will be the third mountain for me. My first climb was the slope of Sierra Madre overlooking the Pacific Ocean in Baler, Aurora. The sight was breathtaking and will forever be etched in my memory. My second mountain climb was an unexpected one although equally pleasant. We just alighted from the Victoria Peak tram and decided to walk around not knowing that we were already trekking the winding slopes of Victoria Peak in Hong Kong. From the top, the sight of Hong Kong Bay was simply spectacular.
Back to your first mountain experience I could say that your success in doing it is an achievement by itself whatever the height of that mountain.
Congratulations again!:happy0141:

[q_sharon]

Congratulations q_sharon on conquering your first mountain! It's an age defying experience isn't it? I mean the Korean septuagenarians and the octogenarians not you. Hehehe!
I agree with you that mountain climbing is a thrilling experience but it could be dangerous to the untrained. It's good that yours was a pleasant one. As for catching your breath, I read somewhere that it's a good sign of physical exertion and indicates that your heart and the body is reacting normally.
The terrain, flora and fauna that you described are indeed wonderful sights to behold. I haven't seen a real squirrel but I reckon our tarsier in Bohol is equally exciting to watch.
When you return to our country don't forget to climb our very own Mt. Banahaw. I have been told by gan, who is originally from Lucban, that she'll be climbing it as well.
I hope to scale it's height as well and it will be the third mountain for me. My first climb was the slope of Sierra Madre overlooking the Pacific Ocean in Baler, Aurora. The sight was breathtaking and will forever be etched in my memory. My second mountain climb was an unexpected one although equally pleasant. We just alighted from the Victoria Peak tram and decided to walk around not knowing that we were already trekking the winding slopes of Victoria Peak in Hong Kong. From the top, the sight of Hong Kong Bay was simply expectacular.
Back to your first mountain experience I could say that your success in doing it is an achievement by itself whatever the height of that mountain.
Congratulations again!:happy0141:

That is a good suggestion. So let's go for it. Let's plan to climb Mt. Banahaw together with gAn. Maybe, it would be a good fellowship experience for us provincemates who came to get acquainted through English Coffee.

I am actually planning to visit Bohol and hold a tarsier in the palm of my hand. My daughter said it was one huggable creature that she never feared taking in her hand.

Smile, pinoypower because we are now beginning to trek our own mountain of "youth". I am not afraid at all, and I am indeed thankful I am now a golden girl, with one or two new strands of gray hair greeting me every time I wake up in the morning. Ha ha ha. :happy0141:

Thanks for sharing your own mountain experience,too.

[ctivnan]

That was such a great experience, Q! :happy0141:

I'm not much of a mountain person, but your story reminds me of the few times that I'd been to some mountains (by car) or a (very) short hike. :lol:

The most memorable experience I've had in the mountains was in Sagada. Despite the unimaginable ride on rough roads, I was just taken aback by its beauty and calmness. I forgot all about the road and was just there... looking around, digesting all the bountiful beauty around me, and thanking God for an extremely wonderful creation. Of course, I was equally impressed by the people. For me, the natives of Sagada are just beautiful (love their cheekbones!) and polite.

:thanks: for sharin'! I hope to see some photos soon! :fancy:

[q_sharon]

That was such a great experience, Q! :happy0141:

I'm not much of a mountain person, but your story reminds me of the few times that I'd been to some mountains (by car) or a (very) short hike. :lol:

The most memorable experience I've had in the mountains was in Sagada. Despite the unimaginable ride on rough roads, I was just taken aback by its beauty and calmness. I forgot all about the road and was just there... looking around, digesting all the bountiful beauty around me, and thanking God for an extremely wonderful creation. Of course, I was equally impressed by the people. For me, the natives of Sagada are just beautiful (love their cheekbones!) and polite.

:thanks: for sharin'! I hope to see some photos soon! :fancy:

I am happy I was successful enough to attach two pictures of Wan San Mountain. My student helped me do it. Please view them. :heartbeat:

Have a nice and wonderful ahead!! :for_you:

[gAn]

q_sharon, thanks for the excellent narration of your first mountain experience. As a Coffeer, I appreciate your vivid description, using uncommon vocabulary. (I spotted "misprize," which was just introduced in a recent thread.) Thanks for the nice photos too!

I would love to go to Mt. Banahaw with you, pinoypower & q_sharon. Take note, I said "go," not "climb." The farthest I've climbed from Lucban is to the PLDT tower, which is less than 10 kms and still at the foot of Mt. Banahaw.

[q_sharon]

q_sharon, thanks for the excellent narration of your first mountain experience. As a Coffeer, I appreciate your vivid description, using uncommon vocabulary. (I spotted "misprize," which was just introduced in a recent thread.) Thanks for the nice photos too!

I would love to go to Mt. Banahaw with you, pinoypower & q_sharon. Take note, I said "go," not "climb." The farthest I've climbed from Lucban is to the PLDT tower, which is less than 10 kms and still at the foot of Mt. Banahaw.

Good evening, gAn. It's 10:51 pm my time. I have heard Mt. Banahaw is not that safe to climb. However, we have nothing to lose doing that. If but for the adventure and fun, I am definitely looking forward to trekking Mt. Banahaw in the nearest future. :prayer:

Yes, I tried using some words I have introduced just recently. That is also how I build up my powerhouse of active vocabulary. I try to use them as much as possible. Thanks for appreciating the vivid description of my first mountain experience. :approve:

The foreground of the picture was actually the clothesline and the exhaust system that I missed avoiding. It could have been a perfect shot without those, don't you think?:bounce:

Actually the foot of the midwest side of the mountain is just a ten-minute walk from where I live.:okay:

[gAn]

The foreground of the picture was actually the clothesline and the exhaust system that I missed avoiding. It could have been a perfect shot without those, don't you think?

The foreground (clothesline & the exhaust system) is "perfect" and relevant to your post. Any Coffeer can imagine how the "mountain which I could see outside my room" looked from your penthouse veranda. Worry about photo composition only if you're joining a photo contest.

Have a pleasant evening!

[q_sharon]

The foreground of the picture was actually the clothesline and the exhaust system that I missed avoiding. It could have been a perfect shot without those, don't you think?

The foreground (clothesline & the exhaust system) is "perfect" and relevant to your post. Any Coffeer can imagine how the "mountain which I could see outside my room" looked from your penthouse veranda. Worry about photo composition only if you're joining a photo contest.

Have a pleasant evening!


Hahaha. Thanks for that nice piece of advice. :laugh1::laugh1: