Hiking Samsungsan

We took this hike back in September...I know it's the end of October. 
This is how I tend to roll now, a day late and a dollar short. 
Fun trip nonetheless. 
Enjoy.

Line 1 Seoksu Station, exit 1.
When you exit you will be on an overpass.  Take the staircase that shoots off the left, and when you hit the bottom make a u-turn and go back the way you were walking down the stairs. At the intersection - Samseongsan-gil - which is very close, turn left where you will see a GS25 from here follow the hikers to the mountain, which is straight ahead.  If you see someone selling makgeolli on the street you should fork over the 1,500 won and buy a bottle.  Don't worry, you won't be the only one drinking on the mountain.

You will pass a garden on your left, where a little old lady might be working.

And then you will head up this path:

If your family is anything like ours, 5 minutes into the hike someone will be EXHAUSTED and will need a break.
Thank goodness I splurged on that bottle makgeolli!

Hitting the trail again and guess what?!  10 more steps in and someone else needs a break...
Yes, this was the theme of our hike.

The kids  are consistently breaking or giving me heart failure.  They really enjoy hanging out on the edge of a rock with a huge drop off on the other side -- at least I know I can call for help if needed. 
Just call 119 in Korea!

Ahhh, getting closer to the top!
I'm always amazed by how big this city is.
EVER.SINGLE.TIME.

Forget to bring something on the hike?  No worries, someone is sure to be selling it along the way.

Awe, the beauty of nature.

We made it to the top, and this is as good as it gets in the picture department.

On the way down we stopped at this cute little Buddhist temple for some lunch. 

Lunch was around 8,000 won for the 5 of us. PLUS they gave us all kinds of rice cakes and the people sitting beside us shared their grapes with us.  This is a theme for us here in Korea - people always sharing food and drinks with us and wanting to practice their English.

At the end of the day, if you can't make it all the way down, no worries, just take a little nap on the mountain.

This hike was pretty easy for Korea standards.  No ropes or climbing crazy rock structures.  Pretty straight up.  It took us a bit longer than it might take you since our kids are so out of shape and we had to stop every 5 minutes to break.  All in all SUPER FUN day.  Once on the mountain I think it took us about 4 hours round trip, including breaks and lunch at the temple -- plus we always go slow to take in the beautiful scenery. 

Till next time,
Trish