I recently read somewhere that Korea has a national obsession with hiking. It isn't too surprising being that 90% of Korea is forested mountains, but other than the countless hiking gear shops around town, I hadn't yet witnessed the pastime in action. I'd been meaning to check out some local trails and I finally got out there this morning with a few friends. It was the perfect day for hiking- cool and a bit overcast, but no wind. And all the cherry blossoms are in bloom now so there is a veil of pale pink throughout the hillsides.
I quickly realized that hiking is more than obsession here. It's an art. We were put to shame in the first 10 minutes of our climb up Mt. Bomunsan by the 60+ Korean man in his track suit who glided past us while we stood hunched over and huffing on the side of the trail. The morning progressed (slowly and with frequent rests) but pleasantly. We were continually amazed at the old ladies bouncing by us with ease and charmed by the pairs of older folk sharing thermoses of macoli atop a flat rock or a fallen log. Though we didn't make it to any of the destinations we had originally pinpointed on the map, (partly because we couldn't read the trail signs, and partly because we vastly overestimated our hiking abilities) we did sip from a freshwater spring and get some great views of the city. And, the forest spit us out right at my main school.
We emerged sweaty, and one of us with split pants, but still in good spirits. We vowed to go hiking as frequently as possible and get in shape by the end of the year. Then we went and split 2 large pizzas and mozerella sticks between the four of us.
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