LBkorea: Mt. "Ok Now I'm Freaking Out" Namsan

Last weekend we hiked/climbed/I tried not to pee my pants Mt. Namsan. This mountain is definitely not the highest in Korea, but a fellow blogger describes Namsan best, "It might look gentle from the side, but up close Namsan's got enough steep valleys, twisting peaks and craggy boulders to give any hiker a run for their money." Oh how I wish I would have seen this post before we went. :)

Namsan is a pretty cool mountain to hike, it has tons of remains from the Silla period, Buddhist art, "80 carved reliefs and 60 stone pagodas." All of these created around 1300 years ago. So instead of just hiking for the sake of it and great views, you get treats along the way.

Our hike to the first stopping point wasn't too bad. If we weren't trying to race a family of Koreans to the top I bet it would have been more enjoyable and leisurely. :) Once we arrived to Chilbulam, a famous ancient Silla carving, we took a rest and had the pleasure of drinking tea with a monk. She spoke some english so that was nice and we got to enjoy the beautiful views while we chatted. And then the lovely day took a turn for the worst...

Ok hear me out, I am no experienced climber. Not even close. So perhaps, well let's just say positively, when someone more experienced in the climbing department reads this post, they may call me a number of names relating to "big baby, sissy, namby-pamby...you get my drift. But I pretty much have never been so terrified of slipping and tumbling off the side of a mountain in my life. After stopping at Chilbulam, the forest and dirt/some rocky trails that led us up to that point turned into a rocky hellish ascent. No dirt. No beautiful surrounding forest. Just rocks, tinier rocks which make you slide and slip and oh, then some cliff. Wait, I forgot to mention is rained the night before. :) Getting up was a doozy and I can't even tell you about getting back down. We made it out alive so now I have the privilege of sharing our photos with you and am all the more thankful I get to do so.

On another note, Kindergarten Open House was this Friday. The kids worked really hard and put on several performances for their parents. Photos and video below.