A mark of society

A mark of society

I recently travelled to Phu Kradueng National Park in Loei province to experience one of the most famous hiking trails in the country. The mountain rises 1,316m above sea level, and most people take three to five hours on the 5.5km journey to the top. From then on, there is more walking to do. Another 3km on foot and you can pass out at the campsite.

Before I went there, I was afraid. I was hesitant and almost declined the trip. You always hear stories when you tell people you are heading to Phu Kradueng. The walk is gruesome, they say. And that was actually the thing they talked about the most — the uphill hike. Strangely, no one really describes what it's like at the top. And after three days and two nights there — covering over 45km up, on and down the mountain — I quite understand why.

To be honest, though, no one can quite verbalise the experience perfectly. It is a place you have to go and experience for yourself.

The journey was tough, that was a given. After the trip, it took a few days for me to regain full use of my legs without wincing. Now, over two weeks later, I'm still nursing bruised toenails.

But my expectations were different from reality. I expected that the walk would actually be tougher, that I would be begging people to carry me up, as some friends had told me. But, as one 60-year-old man said to me on that trip, if you pace yourself well enough, Phu Kradueng can be conquered by anyone — the young, old or even the disabled.

"Are we there yet?" was asked multiple times. The first and the last kilometres of the trek were especially steep. We all walked slowly, taking our time to reach the top, admiring the scenery — the clouds, sunshine and thousands of trees. We took pictures, though at times our fatigue led us to want to throw those expensive cameras away. And we stopped at the resting spots to buy cold drinks that were increasingly expensive the higher the altitude.

Thousands of tourists have trekked up and down this path. It is apparent when you look down at the stony steps that they have become quite smooth over the years under generations of footsteps. If you look sideways, you see rows of trees. And on those trees, you see countless carvings on the trunks — and they follow you to the very top of the mountain.

As I brushed away sweat from my eyebrows, I saw that those carvings are actually names — both in English and Thai.

There are also lots of scribbles saying things like "I love you", "I was here" and so on, on rocks, tree trunks and even on the rocky cliffs all over the national park.

The carvings mark the achievements of many who have trekked up the trail, proving that they have been there. Leaving your name on something means a lot more than merely taking photos or buying souvenirs.

I was also tempted to pick up a rock and scratch my own name on one of the trees, but decided against it.

We humans leave a lot more than our footprints everywhere we go. We live our lives each day and leave behind a lot of things — some more undesirable than others. Perhaps it's human nature or instinct, to leave traces and marks wherever we go.

Is it about memories or pure vandalism? Both, perhaps. If only one person had done it, the mark would really stand out. However, when countless people do the same thing, it becomes something else. It transforms into a collective act of unfortunate memory-making. You're not supposed to leave behind or take away anything when you roam in nature.

I don't agree with vandalism. Truthfully, I don't think we cohabit or coexist with the environment well at all.

But am I telling people that they're not supposed to put their names on rocks and trees? I am not. In the end, that decision depends on our morals and values. The countless repeating of unacceptable acts can eventually turn unfortunate actions into the norms of society.


Melalin Mahavongtrakul writes for the Bangkok Post's Life section.

Melalin Mahavongtrakul

Feature writer of the Life section

Melalin Mahavongtrakul is a feature writer of the Life section of the Bangkok Post.

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