Comments on: Hiking In Korea Is Like Raving, Only Better

By: russell emil wild

russell emil wild — Mon, 24 May 2010 12:11:46 +0000

john, on june 17 im going to be visiting korea for a month til july 17. im staying with my uncle who is a welder in a place one hour from seoul. i really want to hike in the mountains there but my knowledge of the area is as lacking as my ability to speak south korean. is there anyway you could use your experience to help me in any way?it would be much aprecciated and i want to learn as much from this experience as possible.
sincerly
travelin on’
russell wild

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By: John

John — Sat, 12 Dec 2009 10:24:00 +0000

thanks! while i love the hiking fashion, i also love seeing the korean hikers who deviate from it, folks in denim, guys who go up the mountain in slacks and dress shoes (and pass me on the trail), ajummas in matching separates, and kids in flip flops and chuck taylors, and have mad respect for the barefoot hikers. they are the true mountain warriors.

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By: John

John — Sat, 12 Dec 2009 10:16:34 +0000

hiking is a great bonding experience for families, i love seeing three generations – grandparents, parents, and children all hiking together.

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By: Ahi

Ahi — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 15:15:18 +0000

I hike almost every weekend in Korea and you’re right on. One element you might not be aware of (but won’t be surprised to hear) is the Korean shock if you aren’t dressed exactly like them. Hike in jeans or, worse, converse and you will be chided at by quite literally hundreds of passing hikers. Some get quite angry. It’s always fun to see though, and it will be weird to hike where people mostly ignore their fellow hikers.

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By: John

John — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 14:35:07 +0000

that is the best compliment a writer could get, thanks!

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By: Hyeyoung Jin

Hyeyoung Jin — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 13:28:29 +0000

I think that Koreans like mountains.( I’m Korean)
My parents go to mountains almost every weekend. When they do, it normally takes 6~8hours like you said. They got knackered, but they do love it and look forward to hiking another mountain. They’ve also made lots of friends from hiking.

I hadn’t understand why they like mountains before I tried.
It was really tiring, but worth it.

I recommend my foreign friends to go to mountain when they visit Korea.

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By: Tim Patterson

Tim Patterson — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 10:42:41 +0000

Awesome post. I love travel articles like this, that get beyond dry info and get straight to the idiosyncratic essence of an experience.

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By: John

John — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 22:54:35 +0000

hey seth, i feel you about the legs quivering, i’m thinking about investing in hiking poles. it’s kind of hard to be all meditative about nature when your body is hurting and you’re worried about falling on your face.

i think the farther you get outside seoul, the more peace you have on the mountain. hiking when its crowded, like on holidays, is a real drag. i did it once, and never again.

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By: John

John — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 22:48:59 +0000

hi kelly, this site is a great place to get started:

http://www.san-shin.org/

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By: Kelly

Kelly — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 22:29:14 +0000

Great article! Im visiting Korea in April and really would love to do some hiking, weather permitting. Do you have any links to hiking groups for foreigners, or recommendations on where to hike?

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