Hiking in and around Seoul

People always warn you about hiking in Korea… and honestly rightfully so. There is no such thing as a “casual hike” here, that’s just a walk around the city! The country is mountainous, far more than I realized before coming here, and Koreans and foreigners alike find themselves drawn to the forested areas far above and away from the bustle of the city. Koreans take hiking very seriously, fitted in goretex and big boots, poles in hand, I felt very underdressed in my simple sneakers and athletic wear when my friends and I went out to explore. I’ve done two hikes, one closer to campus in the trail system of Ansan, and the other the famous Bukhansan National Park hike. 

Ansan, with trails stemming directly from campus and the surrounding area, leads up to a small peak giving a beautiful view looking Southeast over Seoul. You can make out Gyeongbokgung Palace, Seoul Tower, and Lotte Tower amidst the spread of high rises and green hills. We originally set out to see the sunset from the top, but the east facing viewpoint, and the fact that it took us way less time to reach the peak than we estimated, prompted us to keep exploring. Korean hiking trails do not understand the concept of a switchback, everything is straight up and we found ourselves scrambling over big rocks and steep inclines while harabeojis and halmeonis sped past us. 

On the backside of the mountain, we found a red clay trail leading down. We shed our shoes and joined the others walking on the squishy ground. The clay trail allows you to be more in tune with your body and the environment as you feel every part of your step, improving balance and reflexes as well as producing a calming effect through its inclusion of the sense of feel. Red clay in particular has benefits of improving circulation through its absorption, leading to regeneration in the skin and joints, and even relieving pain. Halfway down, we tried our turns walking around in a pit of clay pebbles, which was brief and painful, followed by a soft clay pit. 

We did end up catching a vibrant sunset at the bottom of the trail, but the clay trail was the real highlight of the hike, and I already am dreaming about going back. 

Within a week, we were already planning our next hike. With a day off in the middle of the week, we set out to Bukhansan, the notorious steep and challenging hike with a rewarding 360 view at the top. The subway there was around an hour, and brought us to a small neighborhood at the base of the mountain. We turned in circles, gaping at the size of the mountains we were about to climb and realizing the meaning of a 7km, 800m of elevation hike. After a filling lunch of jeon and kimchi jjigae, we started up. The first bit of the hike is next to a road up to the info center and we were already complaining by the time we reached the trail. It took a little over 2 hours to reach the peak, following soft forest footpaths, steep rocky steps, and ending with a sheer climb assisted by thick ropes over smooth rock. 

The view was better than any picture we’d seen before. The weather was perfect, warm but a layer of clouds protected us from a blinding sun. The city sprawled out in every direction, turning into rolling hills looking east and while Incheon and the Yellow Sea were visible to the west. We stared out, laughing in disbelief and awe, taking thousands of photos in an attempt to memorialize the day. We walked out on open rocks, staring over the edge and contemplating this life we’re all living, and this abroad experience within it. We stayed near the peak to watch the sky turn into a pinky orange and the sun dip below the haze, but realized quickly the consequence for the beauty we chose. The hike down the other side of the mountain was as treacherous as the way we came up, but this time we were racing the light. A kind ajeoshi stayed with us the entire way down, showing us the way and letting us know the parts of the trail to avoid.

You learn a lot about people when you’re faced with challenges outside of the normal conventions of the relationship you know them in. Hiking, and hiking down a mountain in the dark, brought us together in a way we wouldn’t have otherwise had the opportunity to. The day was perfect in my books, I did a super cool and challenging hike with my friends, we got samgyeopsal back in Sinchon, and went out to a board game cafe to end the night. I didn’t think my favorite part about studying abroad in a city would be the hiking, but here I am already thinking about where I want to go next… I’m thinking Hongjecheon Waterfall.