Bukhansan National Park

This weekend we went hiking at Bukhansan National Park, per Nathans suggestion. It turned into an unexpected adventure that led us across the high ridge peaking 5 mountains! After a few subway transfers and a crowded 20 minute bus ride on line 704 we arrived at the west entrance of the park, this was lined with vendors selling upscale hiking gear and bottles of mokoli, snacks, and cold water. We hurried through the vendors excited to be away from people, the city, and civilization. 

We glanced at a few maps of the mountain range that were posted around the base (all of which were in Korean, mind you), noticing that there were scores of trails to choose from, thus realizing the magnitude of the park. We set forward to see some temples and a historic gate. We immediately encountered throngs of decked out hikers, with the newest and most fashionable gear. It reminded us of people coming off of a ski slope, with their poles and parkas. Were we under-equiped? Or were they over-equiped? The question crossed our mind, and we had a good laugh....

We reach our first gate, with a beautiful watch tower situated between mountain peaks and above a granite wall below. This wall was built in 132 AD, and enlarged in the 1700's as a defense against invading Mongolians. 

We continued to hike along, happy to be out of the city, and grateful for the beautiful, warm weather.

Tucked away off the paths were a few ornate and serene Buddhist temples. Some had dragon head gargoyles and others 6 foot tall bells and still others had giant golden wrought statues of Buddha, but they all had the same calm tranquility.

There were some handsome hikers.....

And those responsible for ensuring the trail remained unobscured.....

There were many beautiful sights as we continued up the mountain, plotting our course as we went, unsure where each trail would lead

While originally we thought our hike to be coming to a close, we sought a new way down, so as not to retrace our steps, but rather see the most of this picturesque region.  We decided to head to the apex, only 1 kilometer away, believing that there would be a path leading back down to base on the other side, but to our surprise we committed ourselves to a ridgeline trail that led us over 5 peaks before our final descent. The trail was difficult, perhaps we were unprepared.... but it was truly breathtaking. The climb was intense and frightening at times, but equally rewarding. 

We made it back to base after sunset, starving and legs feeling like jelly. What a day it was!