Students, like everyone else, live season by season. At times, they celebrate and take part in the seasons but sometimes, they fail to do so and the seasons pass by without so much as a by-your-leave. Students are especially prone to letting seasons slip by unnoticed when they’re covered in heavy winter clothing, sitting in front of their computer screens, or flipping through pages and pages of reading material. It is so easy to forget, in each year, each season comes only once. With the impact of climate change, some seasons may never come back at all. We live only but once. The American author Henry David Thoreau was onto something when he said, “I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived.”

In the midst of all the exam preparations, the hustle and bustle of KDIS, and the constant pressure to study, KDI School’s administration organized a Hiking Event for the spring of 2016.  A group of eager KDIS community hikers in remarkably similar hoodies, backpacks strolled up and down Gyejoksan Mountain.

Located in the central region of Daedeok-gu, this gentle mountain, shaped like a phoenix, stands majestically at an elevation of 423m, near the Geumgang River. Unlike other hiking trails seen around Korea, Gyejoksan Mountain’s trail stands above the others, not because of altitude, but because of its unique barefoot trail paved with soft red clay which draws thousands of visitors to it every year. Also uniquely done in the oak woods of the mountain are monthly music festivals. KDIS students got only a glimpse of this with the music of a (slightly out-of-tune) Korean guitarist practicing for the monthly festival.

At the summit of this designated Historical Site is the Gyejoksan Mountain Fortress, a structural tower constructed of natural talc. The summit provides a breathtaking view of Daejeon city and the surrounding mountains. Within the bounds of the mountain are mini waterfalls, “crying rocks”, blooming cherry blossoms, peaches, and mini-sized bridges.

Hiking in this mountain not only gives the brain a much needed boost but also a needed stress reliever following the mid-terms and a clearing of the mind needed for the final exams. Some studies suggest that, “Hiking exercises your body and your mind, and nourishes one’s imagination, more than that it reduces depression.” Unlike other fast pace forms of physical exercises enjoyed by the young, hiking can be done by anyone, old and young. At KDIS, this event bonded together professors, staff, and students.

Any form of gravity defying movement deserves a reward, especially if it’s over 400m above ground. Every hiker who made it to the summit was awarded a gold-wrapped chocolate medal with the words “KDIS 2016 Spring hiking” embroiled in the gold wrapping. This was later followed by eating the food that is almost too pretty to eat, and much easier to carry to the mountain top, Korea’s famous Gimbap –  a light snack made of rice, and other vegetables, wrapped in dried sea weed. A mini raffle was drawn to reward 14 lucky winners with coupons.

To the attendees, this event was a much needed break and a stress reliever right before the exams. They realized, In Dean Graziosi’s words, “The world is too beautiful to remain unexplored. Take out time and go explore it! Go on an adventure, renew your spirit and remind yourself why you fight so hard and who you fight so hard for! Every season comes only once, enjoy!”

By Chiindi Chiputa (2015 MDP, Zambia)