Former Tyler Junior College Chancellor and President Mike Metke has direct experience with South Korea’s hiking culture, including its highest peak, Mount Halla. Metke, who retired from TJC in 2019 after 12 years, scaled the snow-covered extinct volcano in 2007. Rising 6,397 feet above sea level, Mount Halla is familiar terrain to Metke, who describes the climb as a team accomplishment.
The 2007 trek up Mount Halla was made with Myung Park, a colleague from Lake Washington Institute of Technology who grew up in South Korea. According to Metke, Park had previously attempted the climb on her honeymoon without success. Metke characterized Mount Halla as "not technical," describing it as a long hike that most people can complete by being careful and taking their time. He recalled advice from a previous climb up Kilimanjaro, to "go slowly" and acclimatize, which contributed to everyone on the team successfully reaching the summit. Despite a light rain, the journey featured breathtaking scenery, and Metke noted that such shared experiences truly bind people together. He said the exhilaration of mountain climbing involves the way climbers’ lives depend on each other, creating experiences and lessons that shape behavior and are never forgotten.
Metke’s initial trips to South Korea, which preceded his Mount Halla ascent, were as a liaison for economic development to then-Washington Governor Christine Gregoire. In his role as president of the Lake Washington Institute of Technology, he developed a close connection with the head of South Korea’s polytechnic system. The two had previously hiked together in Washington State and pledged to do so in Korea, leading to the Mount Halla expedition.
Metke’s connections to South Korea extended beyond his diplomatic and hiking endeavors. He stated that he always felt embraced in the country, believing there is no other country, at least no Asian country, that loves Americans and all things American like South Korea. His personal life also intertwined with Korea, as his son John was stationed with the U.S. Air Force there, where he met his wife, who was teaching English. The warmth and hospitality of Koreans were also evident when a group of Koreans welcomed Metke and his son into their chartered bus after they nearly froze climbing Mount Fuji in Japan. This spirit of camaraderie carried over into his professional efforts as a college president and liaison, particularly with the late Paull Shinn. Shinn, an educator and the first Korean-American elected to the Washington State legislature, shared his story of being adopted by an American colonel after the Korean War. Metke considered Shinn a deeply valued friend.
During his tenure at Tyler Junior College, Metke maintained his ties to South Korea. Friends from Korea traveled to East Texas for his inauguration as TJC president in 2008. In 2014, Metke led a delegation from TJC to Seoul, where the institution’s Apache Belles performed for American troops stationed at Camp Humphreys.
Metke’s experiences in South Korea align with a broader interest in the country’s hiking culture, recently highlighted by a new Netflix reality series, 'Take a Hike!,' which debuted August 18. The series features celebrity hikers tackling climbs in South Korea, including Mount Halla, showcasing the diverse climates and plant and animal life of the extinct volcano, as noted by South Korea’s Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism.
