Welcome to the mountains of Korea!

I finally made it out for a hike. The closest one to where I live is about a 10 minute bus ride to the trailhead.

Summertime is rainy season here in South Korea but we lucked out this Saturday, it was partly cloudy, no fog and no rain (until I reached the summit).

The humidity has been ridiculous, on par with Florida, so even though it was only 1km to the top of trail #2, I was sweating like a dog. Koreans seem to be nearly impervious to it though, I had sweat dripping off my chin and they were lightly dabbing their foreheads. I’m hoping at some point I get used to it.

Check out the map below (click for the large image). I took trail #2 to the top and then turned right and followed the ridge to the summit of Chilbosan at a modest 239 meters. Although it’s a short mountain, the views are incredible.

Hiking in Korea: Chilbosan

Mountain Biking Chilbosan

A couple people I’ve talked to mentioned you can ride here. You’d pretty much have to push/carry your bike up and riding down would be interrupted by staircases. However, if you go end-to-end along trail #1, it might be better. There are some good parts to go fast but mostly slower, technical riding over roots and rocks. When I get a chance to try it, I’ll definitely write a post about it.

Hiking the trail not enough? Knock out a few sets of sit-ups on the mountain top.

Better yet, go all Barstarzz and get in a street workout. Pull-up bars on a mountain… Why not?

So, there you have it – my first hike in South Korea! The first of many to come.

Until next time, take a hike!