Climb that mountain!

Climb that mountain? Did he just say that mountain right there? The gigantic one? To the top? Heh heh... he said to the top, but he couldn't have meant all the way to the top. It's huge and the top few hundred meters is just a face of stone, shooting straight down. Heh heh... phew, I thought he meant to the top top.

Well, it turns out the tour guide said what he meant and meant what he said. The goal was to climb to the very top of that mountain and sit on the flat top and look out onto the East sea off in the distance and the mountain tops all around us.

It was a cool day, compared to what we had just survived all summer. The breeze kept blowing the whole afternoon and we made our way into the forest at around 1:30 pm. The hike started out as a slow assent, continually growing into what would become a steep climb requiring me to use both hands and as well as my legs to get up over these big rocks.

A steady climb going up and up and up for about an hour and a half. Feeling my blood pressure rising, head feeling explosive. Is this what a person feels before they have a stroke? I think I need a break... yeah, I definitely need to sit down before I fall down. My face a deep shade of red. Breathe... drink... breathe... Ahhh, that's better. Much better. Let's continue on. Don't worry about your sore legs, you can do it. Just do it! You'll feel so proud at the top.

Finally! The top! Yesssss.... I knew we weren't gonna go all the way to the top top. Just to this here plateau type area. This is practically the top. WHAT? Stairs? How many? 800??? Oh noooooooo..... my legs are going to turn to jello right before my eyes. EIGHT HUNDRED STAIRS! Steep ones too.

Oh man... I need to sit down. Sit. Breathe. Drink. Think. My sweetie, by my side, telling me that I can do it. My friends calling me on, telling me I can do it. Yeah, I can do it. I have to! I didn't come this far to sit at the bottom of some stairs. So, I climb. Red faced, sweaty, a little dizzy, thirsty but feeling like I am doing a really good thing here. This will not be something I will regret. I will regret not reaching the top, however. Climb, step step step... breathe, drink, breathe.... ouch!! My legs!!


800 stairs and a total of over 800 meters in height climbed, I have finally reached the top! Wooo hooo! And it's beautiful. I sit on top of the second highest mountain in the country and look in amazement and breathe. The sea on one side and mountains and forest on the other.

And then, the descent. All the way back down. Legs shaking, involuntarily moving quicker than I want them to at some points because I am not strong enough to control them at this point.... ouch. But it sure felt good being at the top. Wow.