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Seoul Hiking Group

Treasure Island

June 8, 2013
Seoul Hiking Group, South Korea, Weekend Trips
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NamhaeRemember when I mentioned we were going to attempt 54 kilometers in one day? Yeah, well, it didn’t exactly work out that way. Myself and a few of my bests were with Seoul Hiking Group, attempting a new hike that our fearless leader, The Warren had never done himself. We ran into loads of logistical issues and ultimately decided to call it quits around 30 kilometers. I have a few Holga shots from the hike, but have yet to receive them back from development.

Before heading back to Seoul, we made a pit stop at the Namhae rice terraces. Whoooeee! It felt more like being in Northern California than Korea. I’ve never seen the Korean coast look so magnificent! The actual rice terraces did not look like they were currently being used, but there was a fantastic walkway that went along the coast.

Anxiously awaiting the film from this adventure…

Namhae3 Namhae2Namhae 1

Mishap

May 9, 2013
Hiking, Lomography Supersampler, Seoul Hiking Group, South Korea, Weekend Trips
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Jirisan MishapOn my most recent trip to Jirisan National Park, I opted to solely take my Lomography Supersampler. Typically, I take three cameras on every hiking excursion: DSLR, Holga and Supersampler. To streamline both my editing process and my backpack, I wanted to try traveling light.

Some bad things happened. I dropped my camera down the mountain. It started taking bites out of film. I had communication problems / I made a mistake when dropping my film off to be developed. All in all, this roll of film is confusing. If anyone has any insight into why this roll of film is all a bit exposed / milky / sepia toned / sad looking, I would love to hear it! I thought this was a role of slide film to be cross processed, but now I’m thinking… no. Not so much.

Jirisan MishapJirisan MishapJirisan Mishap

Songnisan National Park

April 24, 2013
Hiking, Seoul Hiking Group, South Korea, Weekend Trips
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MunjangdaeNearly a month ago, on March 31st, I headed to Songnisan National Park with Seoul Hiking Group. Songnisan had been at the top of my mountain bucket list since last fall, when my beau and I had a travel mishap and couldn’t locate our bus that was scheduled to take us to our destination.

This was one of the most physically challenging hikes I have experienced. The terrain was not particularly challenging, but I had an absolutely horrendous hike. I’m not sure what caused my muscles to feel like black liquid was oozing out of them with ever step I took, but for the duration of this hike, I seriously struggled. I was thankful for wonderful, supportive companions that were patient with me (when they would have been better off gently nudging me off of the edge).

Despite not being physically up to par, Songnisan did not disappoint. We began our hike in the Janggakgol Valley, welcomed by an emerald waterfall. From here, we followed a series of rural backroads flanked by fields until we reached the unassuming trail head. To be honest, independent of an organized hike, I’m not certain how accessible this route would be by public transportation. We ascended (struggled) to Birobong, the second highest peak in the park and then continued across the mountain to the highest peak, Munjangdae. A single rock perched at 1,033 meters, Munjandae offers impressive (and gratifying) views in every direction.

After briefly basking in our success, we descended to Beopjusa, the temple that houses the stunning gold Buddha. If possible, I would highly recommend this hiking course. Finishing at Beopjusa was a fantastic reward at the end of a 6-hour hike. The quality of light as the sun was setting also added to the incredible ambience and allure of the temple.

Songnisan National Park is a must-do for anyone who loves to hike in Korea.

For another take on Songnisan National Park, check out Tigers and Magpies guide to the park. This map from The South Korean Travel Guide is also extremely helpful (and in English!).

Janggak WaterfallBirobongMunjangdaeMunjangdae  Munjangdae MunjangdaeBeopjusa TempleBeopjusa TempleBeopjusa TempleSongnisan National Park Songnisan National Park  Mushroom Stew

Muuido Round Three

April 9, 2013
Holga, Lomography Supersampler, Seoul, Seoul Hiking Group, South Korea, Weekend Trips
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Muuido  I’ve alway been a huge fan of Muuido, the small island off the coast of Incheon. It’s barely outside
of Seoul, but operates on a completely different pace. One convenience store, a few bathrooms, a handful of restaurants and, of course, the “rustic” huts, make for a great breath of fresh air from the city. To ring in the supposed arrival of spring (perhaps I was a bit too optimistic), we headed to the island with Seoul Hiking Group. Armed with food, refreshments and, foolishly, our swimsuits, we
set up camp for the weekend. It was a bit too icy to truly enjoy, but the fantastic sunset made it totally worth it. Muuido was a wonderful escape.

Side note: A 7-story, bright blue tower has recently shot up in the middle of the beach that serves as
a launching pad for a zipline. This obtrusive structure blasts a playlist of less than 10 songs – on repeat. The same songs. Every. Day. I personally found this to really detract from the experience of relaxing on the beach. The 10 tracks were a mix of traditional Korean folk music, Korean hip hop and, yes, Psy. Bummer!

Muuido Reflection Muuido Supersampler Muuido Holga Muuido Sunset Muuido Sunset Muuido Sunset

One Weekend, Two Mountains

January 29, 2013
Food, Hiking, Seoul, Seoul Hiking Group, South Korea, Weekend Trips
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AchasanAchasan BacksideStanding at a mere 287 meters high, you have walked up hills steeper than Achasan. The appeal of Achasan lies not in its rather unimpressive size, but in its unmatched views of Seoul. This miniature mountain lies just north of the Han River in eastern Seoul and is totally worth it for its views of the city. Actually seeing the river wrap through the city is amazing. As you can see from the photograph above, on this particularly brisk Saturday morning, the Han was not only frozen, but also covered with snow. Wowza. I look forward to going back when visibility is higher.

Achasan is a great, easy option for absolutely anyone. For detailed directions, visit the Official Site
of Korea Tourism.

Manisan CoverAt 497 meters high, Manisan is the highest point on Ganghwado, the large island north of Incheon. I cannot say enough good things about this hike! Despite limited visibility, it was extremely gratifying. The ascent was neither particularly steep nor long, taking only about an hour to reach the peak. After reaching the summit, we hiked along a magical ridge overlooking the East China Sea. I cannot wait to go back in the summer to actually be able to truly experience this awesome mountain. Manisan was comparable to my other favorite ridge hike in the far south, Geojedo.

After hiking, we had the pleasure of indulging in one of my winter favorites, kalguksu.

As always, thanks to The Warren for taking Seoul Hiking Group on this adventure!

South China Sea Panoramic  Manisan Ridge On the Ridge Temple Figurines Temple GoldKalguksu Big BowlClam Kalguksu

Birobong

December 23, 2012
Hiking, Seoul Hiking Group, South Korea, Weekend Trips
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ChiaksanWith zero experience hiking in the snow, I headed with Seoul Hiking Group two hours southeast of Seoul to Chiaksan, a mountain infamous for it’s harsh winds and unforgiving cold temperatures. It was both beautiful and insanely challenging. While the distance to the peak, Birobong is short (there are only 2.7 kilometers of ascent,) the incline is steep. After two hours of trudging through the snow, we reached the peak. It was impressive, but too cold to be bearable in our makeshift winter gear.

As it was extremely, extremely cold, I was unable to take as many photos as I would have wanted. These photographs do not do the experience justice.

A few Holga photos from this hike are in the works as well!Chiaksan Chiaksan Chiaksan Chiaksan Chiaksan Chiaksan Chiaksan

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