Take a Hike

This afternoon I "discovered" the system of hiking trails in the mountains behind my apartment that I assumed must be there but had yet to actually see. I quickly realized that I was not dressed for hiking, at least not by Korean standards. Most of the hikers' were decked out in what looked almost like uniforms: long synthetic shirts and pants (mostly all black, and keep in mind that it was at least 80 degrees Fahrenheit today!), hiking boots, and a combination of nylon gloves, air-filter facemasks, and large black visors, which serve a dual purpose as sunglasses also. I drew many odd looks from fellow hikers, which could be due to the way I was dressed, or because I was clearly the only foreigner out on the trails. Some simply ignored me, some shielded their children, and others greeted me in English, which they seemed to get a big kick out of. Anyway, it was a thoroughly enjoyable hike, although I'm sure my legs will ache tomorrow as I am woefully out of shape.

I'm not sure whether this is typical of other hiking trails in Korea, but every so often there would appear out of nowhere either a rest stop with wooden benches or some sort of strange exercise area, with pull-up bars, sit-up benches, and, in the case below, weightlifting equipment:



















This particular one had it's own makeshift sunshade as well. Also, near the beginning of the trail there was this:




























which seemed to be cordoned off by some carefully placed branches. There was also a sign in Korean that I couldn't understand, but I imagine it said something like "Do Not Enter."

But the real treat was the view of Cheonsang from one of the peaks:




























The foliage is still too thick to get a better view than those above, but I think the general feeling gets across. I plan on posting some more photos from the trail as soon as autumn arrives.

After the hike, I descended back down into Cheonsang where I ran into several students from the school, including the aforementioned middle-school troublemakers. I told them, "See you tomorrow," to which they replied simply with an unmistakably teenage sneer. I think that might be a universal look.