jangsan mountain

despite being fully aware that i don’t fare well when going up steep, vertical slopes, and even after my semi-disastrous experience on a korean mountain, i agreed to climb jansgan mountain some weeks ago. my motivation was very much fuelled by the fact that climbing this mountain was on my list of things to do, but also, in all honesty, it was mostly driven by the thought of the amazing pictures i knew i would get up there. call it the instagram syndrome, which i am sure has contributed to the high number of selfie-related deaths this past year. not that i took a selfie on the mountain, of course.

the hike started off well enough, as we were met by pokposa temple at the foot of the mountain. i never cease to be in awe of temples - they are so beautiful and peaceful, and the fact that most of them are in mountains, surrounded by nature, makes them seem ever more mythical and mysterious. they feel like places you happen to stumble upon, even when there are droves of people taking pictures. they just have such an imposing yet natural presence.

when it came to actually start hiking, though, it became very apparent that i am inept at being on mountains. between falling, huffing and puffing for breath, and - much to my chagrin - receiving many thumbs ups and gestures of encouragement from koreans with far superior hiking skills, getting to the top was sheer torture. i imagine if there is a hell where one is forced to repeat one task endlessly, mine would be to go up jangsan every day, only to arrive at the foot of the mountain instead of the summit.

of course, as jon krakauer has taught us, no jaunt up a mountain would be complete without a hint of danger. one interesting fact about jangsan is that it happens to have live land mines on it, left over from the war. luckily, these signs are there to nicely warn hikers of potential danger.

all in all, the hike was arduous and left me looking ready to audition for a zombie part on the walking dead.

but damn, isn’t the view worth it?