My dad, Caitlyn, and I have
been continuing our morning trips to the mountains, and I am happy to say that
it’s been a memorable time for the three of us. I’ve always been more drawn to naturey
things, but the wife is more of a city person and shuns anything that produces
sweat or causes muscles to cramp, so any hikes we’ve ever taken in the mountains
have never lasted very long.
That’s why I’m glad my dad enjoys these hikes as much as I do. Even though not much is said between us, it’s still a good bonding experience. I haven’t really had those kinds of experiences with him since elementary school when my mom would take my sister to piano lessons on weekends, and my dad and I would watch kungfu movies together on TV all morning long.
On the spur of the moment, I decided we could try hiking to the top of Qixing (Seven Star) Mountain the other day, which is the highest dormant volcano in Taiwan at 1,120 meters. It was a steep trail and wasn’t very easy to traverse.
While my dad may be 69 years old, he probably still has the body of a 30 or 40 year old. In other words, he’s in pretty darn good shape for someone his age, which was why I wasn’t too concerned about him doing the hike. I was more worried about me quitting and giving up before him.
As we slowly trudged up the mountain, people coming up or down would give my dad words of encouragement, saying how it was pretty impressive of him to be climbing up the mountain with a baby strapped to him. I believe this gave him a boost to the ego and the will power to continue on even though it was obvious he was wearing out quick. Plus, Caitlyn was really enjoying herself, and I don’t think he wanted to disappoint her. Like father like son, we’re both pretty stubborn and he refused to give in.
But when we reached the halfway point, he had to throw in the towel. While we might not have reached our goal, we did manage to accomplish our initial task, which was to keep Caitlyn occupied and away from Mommy so she could have a few hours of extra sleep.
One thing I’d like to continue after my parents leave is these morning hikes. It’s a good source of exercise and a great way to introduce the baby to Mother Nature. Of course, if she prefers to go back to her old habit of waking up at 8:30, I wouldn’t be completely opposed to that either.
That’s why I’m glad my dad enjoys these hikes as much as I do. Even though not much is said between us, it’s still a good bonding experience. I haven’t really had those kinds of experiences with him since elementary school when my mom would take my sister to piano lessons on weekends, and my dad and I would watch kungfu movies together on TV all morning long.
On the spur of the moment, I decided we could try hiking to the top of Qixing (Seven Star) Mountain the other day, which is the highest dormant volcano in Taiwan at 1,120 meters. It was a steep trail and wasn’t very easy to traverse.
While my dad may be 69 years old, he probably still has the body of a 30 or 40 year old. In other words, he’s in pretty darn good shape for someone his age, which was why I wasn’t too concerned about him doing the hike. I was more worried about me quitting and giving up before him.
As we slowly trudged up the mountain, people coming up or down would give my dad words of encouragement, saying how it was pretty impressive of him to be climbing up the mountain with a baby strapped to him. I believe this gave him a boost to the ego and the will power to continue on even though it was obvious he was wearing out quick. Plus, Caitlyn was really enjoying herself, and I don’t think he wanted to disappoint her. Like father like son, we’re both pretty stubborn and he refused to give in.
But when we reached the halfway point, he had to throw in the towel. While we might not have reached our goal, we did manage to accomplish our initial task, which was to keep Caitlyn occupied and away from Mommy so she could have a few hours of extra sleep.
One thing I’d like to continue after my parents leave is these morning hikes. It’s a good source of exercise and a great way to introduce the baby to Mother Nature. Of course, if she prefers to go back to her old habit of waking up at 8:30, I wouldn’t be completely opposed to that either.
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| I'm on top of the world! |
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| Looking down the mountain |
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| Our goal is somewhere over the ridge |
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| Blast these steep steps! |
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| You can do it, Grandpa! |
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| Sulfurous fumarole |
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