Dobonsan

Last weekend, we went with Will, JungMi, Cara, and Toby to hike Dobonsan, a mountain north of the city. Hiking is like a national sport here in Korea. When we got off of the train to walk to the trail head, we found ourselves in a swarm of people. Pretty much everyone, young and old, was decked out in the latest outdoor fashion. All sorts of hiking gear, from low to high grades of practicality and relevance, were able to be purchased from the many mountaineering shops that lined the road to the mountain. It was easy for us to feel inadequate and intimidated in our comparatively pedestrian getups, but we pressed on.

At one point on our hike, we came to a cliff and were able to see a Buddhist temple across the valley (above).

The scenery on the way to the top was gorgeous.

About halfway through the hike, we began to wish we had some high tech equipment of our own. For much of ascent we were scrambling up steep, smooth rocks, grasping for weeds, branches and tree trunks. At one point (below), we had to use some footholds chiseled into the rock and a rope to ascend a steep part of the trail.

We finally made it to the top, and rested for a while among the other hikers. Evidently, it is the tradition to carry exorbitant amounts of a type of rice wine called Makoli up to the top of the mountain when you hike. There were a lot of people filling and emptying their tin camping cups. I worried that a few of them (including the two gentlemen below) might have trouble safely making the descent. The face of the man in the background pretty well sums up the mood at the top of Dobonsan (worth zooming in).

The trail down the mountain took us by a little temple under a cliff. We stopped for a while, taking shelter from the rain, and were given some bananas by the monk who lives there.

The rain continued to pick up on the way down the mountain. Most of the Korean hikers were, of course, well prepared with rain jackets and plastic bags. We ended up pretty wet.