Four days down!

We now have four days in the bag - and despite our huge bags (20kg each) we had a great time with perfect weather, aside from the humidity. I'm not going to lie, we're exhausted, but we're having fun! The mountains in Korea aren't especially high, but the terrain is up there with Alaska in challenge. Koreans seem to have no need for switchbacks. The trails go straight up and then straight down and years of erosion means at times you are climbing hand over hand on large boulders grabbing roots and anything that will help you pull your self up.

On top of the physcial exertion, we have the cultural challenges, mental exertion and stress associated with being in a foriegn country. Most everyone we've met has been soooo helpful, kind and generous. First my aunt, who picked me up at the airport, braved traffic and then hauled me all over Seoul to help with some last minute errands, then drove me all the way to Suwon to meet my host family. My host family totally rocks - they put us up for several nights, fed us lots of good meals and then drove us to the trail head and hike with us to the first shelter. Then there have been the countless people along the trail, sharing advice, food and lots of smiles.

Last night we made it out of the park to a guesthouse with the "good cop/bad cop" hosts. One lady was glad we were there, the other we were pretty sure was going to kill us in the middle of the night. But we showered, washed clothes and had meals and beer! Now we're in a large city catching up on e-mail before we head out for another week or so.

Click on the slideshow below to see it in full screen: