Hiking

Alright, I'm trying to learn how to have a slide show so everything will be so nice and tidy, but I can't figure it out. For right now, I'll just have to post a lot of pictures like this.

Journal Edition

I live under constant shade. Not the shade from a weeping willow or a tall oak tree, but shade from multi story buildings. Nature is non-existent in such a large city. There are trees on the side of the road, a couple of months ago I heard some locusts, and now there are small mosquitoes, but that is about it. This concrete jungle inspired us to go hiking. We have now gone twice, and it's safe to assume that it is one our favorite things to do.

We take the subway north for about an hour to get there, practically spitting distance from the dark side, North Korea.* From there we walk about 25 minutes in crowded pathways toward the mountain. The hiking trails, just like the beaches of Korea, are extremely crowded. People everywhere! This defiantly takes away the enjoyment of the great outdoors. Solitude, beauty, nature aren't in the same category as over dressed Koreans. Oh, how other cultures can

be so alien at times. Korean hikers get geared up for hiking like they are about to embark on climbing Everest. That's fine, but when it is 70 degrees outside, and your hiking on a paved path at a very manageable grade it just seems a bit excessive. Put away your damn walking stick! They are all walking advertisements for North Face and Columbia.

*On a serious note, my associate director just informed me that China has been claiming more of the historic Baekdu mountain through various means. She thinks that North Korea might be getting paid to let some of it happen. This makes sense since North Korea is so poor. The government could use that money to feed it's population or buy more plutonium instead. Whatever.

This is somber news, because South Korea has no control over that mountain which lies on the boarder of China and North Korea. It is a prized Korean possession, and the largest mountain on the Korean peninsula. The mountain is seeped in Korean history.

Being the rebel that I am, Meg and I hopped off on every side path we could fine, most of the time we blatantly ignored the koala bear sign with his hands held up in a stop position. Hiking is getting dirty, which is hard to do when traversing pavement. We ended up having a great time hiking along rocks, creeks, and even some trees! It was so memorable. I have always thought that the best time of any of my trips have been the nature excursions, and Korea has not been an exception. I loved it!

It also inspired this short semi autobiographical story, that I'll finish maybe tomorrow, maybe never.