Surak Mountain, South Korea–5,686 Miles from America

As has become tradition on my trips to Korea, I try to get some semblance of something outdoorsy done.

One of the great things about Seoul is that there are quite a few very good hiking opportunities on the same trains that serve the metropolitan area.

That day’s destination was Suraksan, a ‘relatively easy’ hike, according to the guidebook.

I’m used to park brochures calling trails for dog walking to be ‘moderately strenuous’ so I figure this would be a cakewalk. Not really…but the terrain in Korea is pretty rugged so on second thought this would be ‘relatively easy’ for out there.

As mentioned in a previous post, the average hiker in Korea aren’t exactly youngers but they are tough as nails. The Five Ten approach shoes are pretty popular out there, as the mountains near Seoul are similar to Yosemite, with lots of steep granite.

To give you an idea how hospitable the folks are in Korea, I slipped off a boulder at the summit and some hikers noticed I was bleeding all over my elbow and knuckles. I tried to tell them I was ok and that I had my own first-aid-kit (we had the language barrier to work with), but they grabbed my hand and patched me up before I could even have a chance to drop my pack.

Since I couldn’t read the signs, I hiked with another younger guy, who never took an English class, but rather learned all his English from watching TV. He was pretty up to date with US news and politics and the celeb stuff. He probably knew more about mainstream American culture than I do, which isn’t saying much but I still feel pretty lame. He hiked with me all the way to the top, then all the way down with me. I’m glad he did, as I may have walked down the wrong side of the mountain again.

I had all of two and a half days in Seoul, then went to China for four days of work. Did I eat anything gross? Maybe… I’ve been so busy I haven’t managed to get my photos online in a timely manner, so stay tuned for the nasty…