When NOT To Take The Road Taken, Naesosa Part 5

From an email sent in 2007:

Went for a walk up the hill behind Naeso-sa. Made the mistake of straying from the main path to follow what I thought was a short cut trail - it looked promising as there was a paper trail like the ones left for Hash House runners except these were tied to the branches of trees, so I thought very naively that it was an even more promising sign.

It  turned out to be a steeper trail than I thought and a few times I thought of turning back but it was so steep that I preferred to forge ahead toward the unknown in the hope of finding the main trail down again. No such luck, it was uphill all the way till I reached a low peak and spent a few minutes on the windy ridge.

Was tempted to wait for rescue party or other climbers to show me an easier route down at first but cold wind made me decide not to wait for any knight in shining armour and rely instead on my trusty improvised walking stick. Luckily along the ridge, I found another slightly easier on the knees trail and  found my way back to the temple safe and sound. 

I like to take minor risks but I could’ve kicked myself for venturing off the beaten path because the experience was more pain than pleasure. Moral of this pathetic story: Never assume paper trails are meant for me!