MtEgmont

Taranaki Taekwon-Do

New Plymouth New Zealand 1993 - 2008

Moral Culture - Mountain Climbing (DUNG SAN)

This form of exercise not only develops important leg muscles, but also nourishes the spirit and promotes a feeling of victory and triumph, as illustrated in the well known Korean poem; " No matter how high the mountain is, it can be compared to a small tomb under the heaven. There is no reason why man cannot succeed if he desires to climb it. All too often, however, one claims it is too high to climb without even making an attempt.

From page 34 of the condensed encyclopedia. Gen Choi Hong Hi

Mount Egmont Summit Climb.....

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On Sunday 27th February 2005 members and friends of the Taranaki TKD club attempted a climb to the top of Mount Taranaki. Unfortunately we didn't quite make it to the top.

After three hours and around 500 metres from the summit we had to turn back due to the weather being against us. The clouds were rolling in, the wind had picked up and it had become very cold. Our mountain has claimed many lives due to a lack of respect in the past, so in the interest of safety we turned around. We will be back next year for another attempt. hopefully by then we will have forgotten how much our bodies were hurting by the end of the day and days to follow. Quote: 'This is on par with a black belt grading'.

The group assembles at 7am in the car park

Jo And Neill making there way up the puffer.

Jo And Neill

Kirsten and Neill

'It's this way'.

Group shot 500 metres from the top

Checking out the ice on the way back down

Krishna & Nic leading the way back down.

A well earned rest and a spot of lunch at one of the huts.

Taranaki TaeKwon-Do Club - Mountain Climb - Waitangi Day 6th February 2006

On Monday 6th of February members and friends of the Taranaki TKD club set off again to climb to the top of Mount Taranaki. It was a case of completing some unfinished business, so to speak, from the previous year.

The plan this time also captured some positive learnings from the previous attempt. We left the carpark really early (4.30am), in complete darkness for example, and completed the first tough section (the Puffer) in good time, resting at the Taharangi Lodge, just before sun up. The darkness helped disguise the incline, and the walking sticks certainly helped take the pressure off the legs throughout the day.

It was still very windy and cold as we next progressed up the steps to the scree slopes, resting again at the rock marker we reached last time. From this point onwards and with the sun rising to warm the ground, the clouds dispersed and the wind dropped. The summit beckoned us.

The younger-fitter ones of the group got to the top in 4hrs 30min with others not far behind. The crater was full of ice and snow, and surprisingly the weather at the top was fine and calm. The panoramic views at this elevation extended North to Raglan, East to Mt. Ruapehu, South to Waverley, and West to Opunake. Reaching the top and taking in the views this time, was a really neat reward for all that effort, and a satisfying achievement, particularly for the members of our group that had never climbed the mountain.

This iconic mountain is embodied into our club logo, so it was fitting that we as a Club, acknowledge the Mountain in this way, testing ourselves in the process.

Rested, and recharged with food and drink, and with photos taken to verify our success, we made our way down.

The confidence with which people skipped over rocks and further down, jumping-sliding down through the scree slope spread the group out, and the quickest arrived back at the lodge, in a respectable 1.5hrs. Unfortunately a number of the party sustained minor injuries with slips and falls with the loose and unstable rocks. Our party was well provisioned for such situations and with additional support and good contact with each other, we all made it safely off the mountain. Again, further lessons were learnt for another time, one being, that despite the easy accessibility, the mountain commands respect, especially at the higher and exposed elevations.

The Puffer track (well named) was now revealed for its cruelty to our tired limbs - legs, knees and toes which started to ache on the final downward leg, but we were all buoyed by our sense of a great day shared by all.

Upon reflection, the day also provided a good opportunity to test our fitness, stamina, and perseverance from another perspective to our normal training. A good training day, and another opportunity to develop the many attributes of a TKD practitioner.