Yesterday some friends and I went hiking on Bukhansan in northern Seoul. The base of the mountain is actually very near my home, but in all the time I've lived here I haven't visited there yet. Because of the Chuseok holiday most people were busy with their families, so it was a good time to finally get out and explore some of the local scenery.

Hwagye-sa, a well known Buddhist temple, sits at the foot of the mountain, and several hiking trails take off from there. It is quite a large mountain, and I hear some of the trails are very difficult. The one we chose wasn't too bad, but there were a few tough spots. We got about two-thirds of the way up and I was ready to turn around and head back, but the others in the group kept wanting to go a little further, then just a little further, until we finally got to a peak where had a panoramic view of the city. It was hard, but I'm glad pushed me to keep going up. The view was worth it. Looking out over Seoul really brings home what a truly massive city it is; especially knowing we were seeing a relatively small portion of the total megalopolis.

Naturally, I brought my camera and took a lot of photos of the day. Here are just a few...

Labels: Bukhansan, hiking, Photos