Started From the Bottom, Now We're Here

Literally. Took me 2 hours to hike my scrawny ass to the top of Jangsan Mountain, but LOOK MAAAA, I MADE IT!

Coming from the suburbs of Ontario, I am not accustomed to the mountains. Haven't seen 'em, haven't been near 'em, haven't thought about 'em. Nothing. Mountains and I just don't click, you know...

Now, coming to South Korea, I'm surrounded by 'em. We are besties. Just looking at the mountains can turn my day around (wow, how corny). But in all seriousness, they are so wondrous. My neighbour and I took off one Sunday afternoon to take on Jangsan Mountain. Luckily, I live a 10 minute walk from it which is amaaaazing. Shout out to Mike for getting my lazy self out of bed.. the hike was so worth it. 

I don't know what possessed me to hike in my Addida's soccer sweatpants and a button up.. Well, actually I do know what. In Korea, it's taboo to show off your upper body and I kid you not, all my t-shirts are either crop tops or tank tops, so I didn't want to draw toooo much attention to myself. Anyway, I ended up stripping quarter way into the hike and wearing my sports bra. It was totally worth the awkward stares and comments from the adjimas. 

I completely underestimated the hike. I thought it would be simple and short, but NOPE. The views were breath-taking...literally. My ass was huffing and puffing all the way to the top. No shame, no game. I was a hot mess. It didn't help that we repeatedly got lost, which made the hike even longer. But thats all apart of the experience. What I found really cool was all of the military sites and warning signs we saw on the way. There were old signs warning us of dangerous mine zones, which I'm guessing was from the war, and military training camps. We even stumbled across random tomb stones in open fields, which was pretty freakin' spooky if you ask me. 

After 2 loooong hours, we finally made it to the top. We could see ALL of Hauendae. The views were worth every drip of sweat, every curse word and my muddy Huaraches. This has been my second time hiking, and am sure it won't be my last. Last year, I went on a hiking trip in Italy and told myself I had to do it again. Nothing can compare to the feeling of achievement and confidence after conquering a challenge. Whether it be physical, mental, or in this case, both - I felt like I was on top of the world and could literally do anything I put my mind to. The sky's the limit.