Jiutai: Tu Men Ling Trip
Wednesday, 08 April 2009 22:28
Life Pegs set out on the second Northeast Expedition trip on Friday, April 3rd, looking for some mountain climbing adventure in the beautiful little city of Tu Men Ling, where Ma Hu Tou, a small mountain, sits overlooking acres of surrounding farmland.
Planning to climb the mountain were forty Life Pegs members – Changchun university students as well as several international members from America, the Philippines, and Singapore. These clubbers were divided into two teams, the “Conquerors” and the “Victors.”
After arriving, clubbers settled in, enjoyed a delicious supper, and talked lightly before resting up for the next big day! The morning brought another great meal, and then both teams were off to climb Ma Hu Tou Mountain. Although Ma Hu Tou is not all that high, it does have several tricky spots involving rocks, mud, and steep fields. In addition to these challenges the Conquerors and Victors discovered a new difficulty – in the words of Life Pegs coach Marianne, “You’re only as strong as your weakest member.”
Both sides cheered their own members to reach higher rocks and fields while some team members actually pushed, pulled, and carried their weakest members towards the top! Through physical help and a lot of encouragement, every single person overcame his or her struggle and reached the top of the mountain! Each conqueror and victor was rewarded with a gorgeous view at the top and as well as a sense of achievement upon learning how to work in team unity to reach the goal!
Other games enjoyed by clubbers at Jiutai were “the great egg drop” and “quicksand.” Like Ma Hu Tou Mountain, these games required concentrated team effort to achieve tasks that seeded impossible from the beginning. Before leaving the site of our second expedition, we sat together, with both old and new-found friends, and thoughtfully shared what we had gained from our time – both in experience and wisdom – through the challenges of our games and from the charming Ma Hu Tou.