Snowy, sweet, slippery mountains

We went to Bukhansan mountain today, and the cold, barren heights were blanketed so beautifully with pure white snow, it was lovely indeed! First we tramped up the road called Dullegele, 둘레길, and the ice was very slippery and soft and deep, but there were some muddy spots we could slosh through in safety and style. (I hear that brown is very fashionable this winter.) We sat down once, panting for breath, and all the elderly ladies and gentlemen hiking there stared in astonishment at us; I could just hear them thinking, "Why aren't these kids going to school and instead polluting the air with their carbon dioxide and obnoxious laughter?" Then we turned and climbed up some stairs: it was lovely because every step was blanketed in fleecy snow, and it was a delight to sink my foot inside it with a satisfying crunch and hear the ice die. Is that cruel? I hope that doesn't sound too cruel. I like the sound of ice crunching. It sounds like the crunch of a cookie being eaten. It sounds like the crunch of an ice cream cone. It sounds like the crunch of a crispy pancake drizzled in awesomesauce.

Anyway, I kept on snapping pictures while Eunice and Belinda yelled at me to hurry up. The pictures did not come out in their best.

It was still pretty. Even my lame skills cannot spoil the true beauty of God's nature.

 When we were halfway across a lovely path of deep, swollen drifts of white, with swirling puffs of powdery snow falling in golden showers around us, Mother suddenly decided that it was time to go home. Going up was hard: going down was terrifying. The stairs were okay, but when we got to the road, the ice was packed down so tightly it was really scary. Belinda clung to Eunice, and they both set up a heartrending wail. I was bolder (not sure if that's a good thing) and smiling confidently, ready for some fun and action, I began running down the hill, yelling mentally, "Take THAT, ice!" An old man hobbling by laughed and called as I went, "Good going, little girl!" I must have looked really crazy. But the acceleration of speed was more than I had accounted for, and slipping and sliding, I almost broke my leg. Fortunately, I managed to seize a hanging branch and steady myself. Unfortunately, that branch was thorny.


I didn't cry. Really. :)

Anyway, all in all, it was a lovely trip. :P It ended with our drinking hot chocolate and having spaghetti for supper, and all was well.