Mt. Lingtou

Confucius once told his student, "The wise find pleasure in water; the compassionate in mountains. The wise are active; the compassionate tranquil. The wise are joyful; the compassionate long-lived." I do find pleasure in mountains. Does that make me one of the compassionate? I sincerely hope so.

The day we conquered Mt. Lingtou had the premonition of a typhoon inching toward us. The weather changed quicker than we ascended through muddy trails. At 2025m, on the top of Mt. Lingtou, the rain started dropping through the leaves of towering trees. The experienced had everything prepared for: waterproofing boots, portable stove, rain coats and even the cloth of a recycled umbrella. Evania and I, the inexperienced, had our hiking boots and pants almost ruined by mud, but it did not ruin our memory.