So you would think that after such a taxing day like Saturday, we would be ready for some R&R. Instead of taking a break, Candice and myself did the opposite. We hiked the highest mountain peak in all of Seoul. On the plane ride over, we looked through many guidebooks and learned that Seoul has a stunning National Forest with some intermediate hiking ranges. We decided that we were up for a challenge so we decided that Sunday would be a perfect day to slay the mountain peaks of Mt. Bukhansan. To be quite honest, we didn’t mean to hike the highest peak! We couldn’t read the signs, so we just picked one of the three peaks that seemed reasonable. Apparently we are not very good guessers because we ended up on the most DIFFICULT terrain I’ve ever hiked (and I hike pretty frequently!). The good news: we had a blast and got the absolute best view of Seoul! The bad news: it is three days later and we are still sore from the hike.
For those of you who thought librarians and archivists weren’t so athletic….look at these killer photos and think again! Badass hiking librarians on the move!
So our day started with a much needed sugar-filled breakfast with Laura so we could fuel our muscles. We ate at Tom N Toms Coffee in Sinchon while looking over our maps. Bukhansan National Forest is about a 30-40 minute subway ride from Sinchon, so we wanted to make sure we knew where we were going:
Green Tea Latte & Apple Cinnamon Pretzel
Walking to the subway we spotted the Korean National Flower – the moogoonghwa! I interpreted this as a good omen for hiking, which turned out to be the case:
Moogoonghwa
This is where the day gets really interesting- and pretty hilarious. We did just as much laughing as we did hiking on Sunday due to the extreme nature of Korean hiking culture. Let me explain. On the subway we were feeling a bit lost and wondering if we were going in the right direction. Candice then tapped me on the shoulder and pointed to the far end of the subway car where we saw these guys, and immediately knew we must be going to right way:
These guys don’t mess around – one of them had an ice pick…which made us seriously question if we had bitten off more than we could chew going hiking in a foreign country!
We were wondering if maybe Koreans taking their hiking WAY too seriously and over-dress for the occasion, or if maybe the peaks we picked were a bit too difficult for two Americans wearing gym shorts and tennis shoes, and one wearing barefoot running shoes (that would be me). Either way, when the subway stopped we followed these guys because we figured they knew how to get to Mt. Bukhansan:
They have the serious gear!
Once we got out of the station, we found this MASSIVE line of more hikers dressed like they all just walked straight out of a North Face catalog – hilarious and awesome:
Waiting for the bus to the top!
Candice checking out the bus routes.
(Check out the super serious guy behind her with the metal cup and everything – I’ve never in my life seen such extreme hiking gear!)
Also, we spotted only ONE other American the entire day, and of course he too was wearing Barefoot running shoes. His name was Ryan and he is a law student from New York – hooray for New England graduate students hiking in Korea!
His were black toe shoes.
Mine are pink!
I should also point out at this time that Koreans have NEVER seen these type of running shoes before. I feel like they are getting pretty popular in the states, and I’ve been running in them for about 3 years (they are fantastic and I highly recommend them). Almost EVERY SINGLE Korean hiker I passed immediately looked at my feet, pointed, and started laughing hysterically. At first I thought they were making fun of me, but then someone pointed out that what they were saying was “Those are so cool!” I’m so glad I wore them because we got to talk to so many Korean hikers and have some pretty hilarious interactions because of them.
After a quick bus ride up to Bukhansan, we arrived here:
Welcome to the Korean National Forest
At the base of the mountain, there is an obscene amount of sporting good stores. There is everything from North Face to Columbia to K2. We figured out that hiking in Seoul is sort of like an amusement park for outdoor activities. There is a lot of stores and restaurants that cater to the “hiking” crowd – and many of the “hikers” are just looking for an excuse to dress up in their trendiest athletic gear and meet up with friends. Notice the ad of the guy below who is doing a sexy pose with his hiking ropes:
Base of the Mountain
Sexy hiking ad!
Bukhansan National Park
We were hoping the sign above wasn’t a bunch of warning about snakes and poison ivy because we couldn’t read any of it. This is probably the sign that said: “Baegundae peak is only for experienced hikers.” Too bad we couldn’t read it – might have prevented us from selecting the Beast Mode Extreme Level peak that was far beyond our experience level. Oh well! You live and you learn.
This way to the really, really hard peaks!
Beautiful view of the mountain range in front of the falls.
Ready to Rock n’ Roll!
Our first view of our soon to be nemesis – Baegundae peak!
Smokey the Bear, a la Korea!
Pretty excited about our trek, still ignorant of the full-on mountain battle that is about to go down!
Candice doing some preliminary map consultation.
It was so damn hot, we wanted to jump in!
River rock!
- Bridge over Troubled Water….a fitting song for this day!
Something you don’t find hiking in New Hampshire or Vermont….Buddhist Temples!
I love the chanting monks – so peaceful in the mountains.
Wish we could have gone inside to rest.
Perfect!
Vigilant Guard Dog- hard at work.
Happy campers still!
The point where things take a difficult turn….
Sufficiently drenched in sweat at this point.
Danger! There’s a tent here?
The harsh realization we are in way over our heads here – completely exhausted and still 1.3 km to get to the peak.
We wanted to turn around, but with a view this promising, we persevered.
Candice workin’ hard – giving it her last bit of energy.
At this point Candice decided to take a break and call it quits – she put up an impressive battle with Baegundae Peak, but rest was in order!
Candice had a lovely picnic on her gorgeous rock perch.
Candice was nice enough to wait for me while I tried to battle to the top….getting so close I could taste. I was way too tired, but I had to keep pushing forward!
Getting there….
Stairway to heaven….
WOW! Still not even to the top yet….brought tears to my eyes.
Excuse me, while I kiss the sky!
200 feet from the top of the peak!
The peak BELOW me, which is probably the one we should have done!
Seoul in the sky….gorgeous.
Looking back at the mountain face I had to rock climb WITHOUT a harness. Probably super risky move,…sorry GSLIS 🙂
I MADE IT TO THE TOP!!!!
As a side note, those cables behind me were used to ROCK CLIMB UP THE FACE OF THE PEAK, without using a harness. I was terrified, but the endorphins kicked in and helped  me push to the top. The American military men at the top were super helpful and cheering me on the entire way – so awesome.
Speechless.
Peak Pose!
I selected this as my peak slaying pose because all of the Koreans at the top kept saying “So American Strong Lady! Hiking peaks with barefeet shoes!” One of the guys who had been behind me the entire hike said “We see you at the bottom and think she’ll never make it up there with those feet….but you strong!” Everyone was giving each other high-fives and cheering. This was one of the most incredible moments of my life, and celebrated it in front of the Korean flag at the HIGHEST POINT IN ALL OF SEOUL!
I did it!
I had to take pictures of myself at the top so I had enough evidence to prove how tough librarians/archivists can be!
Looking down, not ready to repel down the mountain without a harness.
Having my final moments with the monster called Baegundae….goodbye dear friend.
I hope this says: “If you made it up here, you’re a champ!”
The descent overlooking Seoul.
Downhill.
Reunited and it feels so good!
This is the largest, most ridiculous cairn I’ve ever seen….hilarious.
FInally to the bottom! I’ve never been so happy to have a gatorade – we ran out of water before the peak.
I had to represent my undergraduate alma mater here – GO GATORS! Slaying peaks for the Gator Nation and for Simmons GSLIS!
- Candice re-fueling with some sort of purple sugar water?
The RedFace,…a slightly more racist version of the North Face?
Goodbye Mt. Bukhasan, thanks for the memories!
And thus ended our exhausting, hilarious, mishap-ridden, yet absolutely wonderful battle with Mt. Bukhansan. I have to say this was one of the most rewarding experiences I’ve ever had and I’m glad I got to share it with Candice. We truly had a blast and got a view of Seoul that few tourists get to have. This is the reason I love to travel, and I feel so fortunate to have the opportunity to visit Seoul with Simmons GSLIS.
Rock n’ Roll,
Bethany & Candice