Bukhansan National Park

I have to thank my roommate Michael for suggesting a hike this past Saturday. I've always liked climbing the mountains of the places I visit, so it seemed like a great way to spend my afternoon. Bakhansan National Park is located in the North part of Seoul, so we had to take a bus to the city of Ilsan to meet up with another friend Matt. From there we took the subway into Seoul. Once we got off the subway we really didn't know exactly which direction to go, but toward the general direction of the mountains seemed most logical. We cut through a very interesting market selling all kinds of goods like pigs hooves, sting rays, and who knows what else. It reminded me of the Korean version of the farmers market back in Ontario. Eventually we made it out of the maze and headed toward the park. There weren't really any signs to guide us so we just followed other Koreans who were all decked out in their hiking boots, backpacks, and walking sticks. I kind of felt underdressed considering I was only wearing sneakers, jeans and a t-shirt.
We eventually came to the 'entrance', which was really only a small gate that could have lead to a farm instead of the park. It was free to enter the park which was great. So we just started hiking up the trail unsure if we'd be able to make it to the top. From the bottom the peak seemed quite high up, and considering the gear the Korean's around us were wearing I was beginning to think I wasn't adequately prepared. But we kept treking upwards. A little more than an hour into the climb we decided that no matter where we were that we'd head back down at 4:00pm so we wouldn't have to walk down in the dark. We kept moving though and pretty soon we realized that we had basically made it to the peaks. I say peaks because there are many paths linking to other mountains all around us. We found a great perch to sit down, catch our breath, and enjoy the view. From where we sat we could see many people climbing in the distance on other summits. If you had the time and energy there would be a whole weekend of exploring the different views the mountains have to offer. We continued to enjoy our spot though looking over the city and were treated to some great sunbeams shining down.
We had made good time and got to spend close to a half-hour at the top before our set deadline. At some points the descent was a little more difficult than the climb, and since our legs were rubber it made for an exhausting hike back. However the whole afternoon was worth it and it felt really good knowing we accomplished a difficult climb under our circumstances and expectations.