Dobong-san hiking!

Today was exhausting! Kara and I went up to Bukhansan National Park this morning to conquer another of the mountains in the park! We were there last fall, when we first experienced Korean mountain climbing and were amazed at how difficult it was! Today was no different--it was still difficult, but I think we can both thankfully say that our bodies are much more acclimated to this mountainous country!


I read a couple of interesting things about Korea last week...here they are: Korea is about 70% mountains--the same % as Switzerland, and, this one I can personally validate, Koreans are the best dressed hikers in the world! No kidding--everyone is ready to go with hiking boots, sports pants and coolmax shirts, darth vader sun-visors or fishing hats, grip gloves and walking sticks, small mats to sit on while resting and large mats to sit on while eating, and the list goes on and on!


The view from the summit was beautiful! I love the feeling of getting to the top of the mountain and being rewarded with an amazing view! Korea is turning me into a hiker! Even though I grew up in the flat mid-west, I have decided I need mountains in my life! :) If I don't live by them, I want to take trips to them and hike/camp for vacations.


A part of hiking in Korea is the Buddhist temples and hermitages. Each hiking path passes by at least one of these temples--I love the paper lanterns, the peaceful chanting, and the colorful temple rooftops.


Finally, this is Kimbap, one of my favorite Korean foods. It looks like sushi, but doesn't usually have any fish inside. Instead, Kimbap is loaded with vegetables, ham, crab meat and egg. Today, we were invited to share a meal with a group of Korean hikers we met along the path. First, they offered us Makgeolli (pronounced like 'broccoli'), a traditional, milky-white Korean alcoholic beverage. Then came the Kimbap, cherry tomatoes, apple juice, sunflower seeds, Korean melon and coffee! These guys came prepared! It was so nice of them to share with us--especially since they didn't even speak English! In my experience, this is pretty typical--Koreans are very generous and hospitable in this kind of situation.

We started the day at 9AM and got home by 4. Total hiking time: 4 1/2 hours.