Over the last couple of weeks I have been heading up the mountain that is very close to my house. I walk past the bookshop, the flowershop, down the alley, past the apartment building and the school, past the big western style houses and the orphanage and up.
Along road, along gravel, until finally I get to the rough dirt trail. And then I keep walking.
I walk and I walk. The 1st bit is always the hardest, but I know that if I stop now the rest of the hike will be hell. When I reach the top of the 1st bit I stop.
I take a deep breath and look. I look at the grass tombs, the farm below, the town and the crops. The other mountains close by and the trees. And my body relaxes. My whole body seems to breath. (for my previous blog on hiking and some pictures click here.)
And then I keep going. I walk along the path, past trees and workout areas and benches. Past lovely hiking couples and groups saying 'hello' as I go.
Up and down, round twists and turns, following this trail or that one. Knowing my goal and sticking to it.
I'm trying to find as many different routes as possible on this mountain. Looking for new look out points and hidden areas. New trails that have been walked for years, and some that have almost been forgotten.
And on my walks I think.
I ponder life. Dreams. Goals. Worries. Purchases. The beauty of the world. The wonder of walking and walking and never getting bored. The wonder of how I have begun to love walking. And sometimes, just occasionally I ponder nothing.
But I always learn a new lesson. Always.
So far I've learnt that walking up a mountain means I sleep well at night, especially when I go for my full 2 hours. I've learnt that going off the track means that I WILL get lost. But it also means I will find myself again. And along the way I will see some amazing things I never knew existed. I've learnt that if I leave the mountain for a few days it will be hard to do a big walk the 1st time back, and so I only walk for 40 minutes upwards to get to the pagoda and then sit and look out at the wonderful view. I've learnt that it's the things I never knew I would need so much are the things I use more and more. My fleece. My walking boots. My book bag. I've learnt that I need to tie my hiking boots just right or I will get blisters or they'll just feel wrong. I've learnt that if I'm going to explore I need to take some food and water, because all good explorers take supplies.
But most of all, I've learnt about myself.
I never knew I could walk for a couple of hours and still want to go for more. I never gave myself enough time to ponder the beauty of the world until I moved to Korea and walked those mountains. I've learnt that I CAN walk up that really steep hill and I WILL feel better for it in the end. I'm learning that I can do things alone, and I will be fine.
And I'm still learning. Every walk has become a journey not only up a mountain but deeper into me.
OK, I know that this post sounds a little gay - but it's true. I'm slowly learning all sorts of things about myself and I'm liking what I see. That I'm questioning. That I'm allowing myself the time to progress and think.
I even think that one day I'll walk up Mt. Fuji or along the Great Wall of China. I still have a long way to go, but I've learnt I can do it. If I put the effort in.
ps. I know I just gave you Wiki links - if you want more, feel free to check out other places :p
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