As I was heading to South Korea, I promised myself that I will do things outside of my comfort zone even if it means doing it by myself. Well, I'm fulfilling that promise quite well. On Sunday, I decided to climb Bukhansan, the highest mountain within Seoul boundaries. FYI, this was my first time going hiking or climbing a mountain. I had instances where I walked and moved around rugged areas, but I won't compare it to the hiking I did on Sunday. I would best advise that you shouldn't go hiking on your own , but none of my friends wanted to hike with me so I had to do it alone. The good things was I met some nice people as I was hiking, who were sources of encouragement for me.
Hiking up Bukhansan took 4 hours in total. It was very brutal for me because it has been a while since I put my body through such a gruesome activity. There were times I wanted to turn back and just go home and be happy with the fact I made an effort by coming. I was confused with where to go, and the map was a little hard for me to understand. I got lost once, but I retraced my steps and got back on track. Taking a picture of the map really helped me as I was hiking. Also, I asked other hikers if I was going in the right direction. I took multiple breaks and encouraged myself to not give up. At the same time, I met people on the trail that encouraged me to continue and said I was doing well. Once I made it to the top, the adrenaline and the rush of accomplishment though my body was surreal. Standing there, I started to cry happy tears because I was doing things I never thought I would be able to do. I freaking climbed a mountain! Something I wanted to do for a long time. I am the type of person that prefers trying something new with someone instead of going alone. Even though my friends couldn't make it. I didn't use it as an excuse at all, which is a form of growth for me. Trying to not sound cliche, but staying on the mountain made me feel like I was on top of the world.
As I was starting to head back, it started to drizzle a little bit. I didn't have an umbrella or a good jacket for the rain. I pray to God to hold the rain until I make it out of the mountain. I moved very quickly through the trail. I almost got lost, but I was able to find my way again. I made it to the bus stop before it started to rain.
Going home, I was very tired and drained from my adventure. I'm glad I climbed Bukhansan! I was boasting in my heart that I did something quite new. The only regret I had was going climbing on a Sunday because I had to go to my internship the next, and my body was very sore.