The weather is turning cold and we have not gotten the camping in we wish to for the year. We enjoy spending time in the great outdoors. Waking up in a tent far away from civilization greeted by a serene morning fog and the echoing sound of chirping birds. Planning and cooking quaint meals for two on a tiny camp stove. Hiking up inconspicuous mountain trails to look out over quiet vistas. There is something truly peaceful and majestic about nature, it is sad so many people never quite grasp it.
Koreans as a people do a pretty good job at it though. There are trails all over the mountains that dot Seoul and they have camping sites both in and out of the city. They flood the trails every day of the week like a determined column of bright florescent ants zigzagging up and down the stony mountain slopes.
There is this spot up north which I pass by frequently for work and every time I do so I have thought that it would be a nice place to go camping and hiking. It is well north of busy Seoul, situated on the side of a hill west of Cheorwon Valley several miles south of North Korea. The opportunity finally presented itself a few weeks ago when I had a Monday off so Bee and I packed up and headed out. We left Sunday afternoon for an overnighter. It was a nice drive up there, not more than two hours, with me pointing out points of interest on the way. We made it to the dirt road that climbed the mountain to where I wanted to camp. I did not have a specific place in mind to camp, I just knew that I wanted to do so somewhere up the dirt road. So we took it! Our little car handled the bumpy dirt road beautifully...I wish I could say the same about Bee. Every little bump or rock or rut I negotiated she had this tendency to stop breathing and squeeze whatever she managed to grab. Rest assured we made it safely to the top and I found a convenient little clearing with a spot for us to park and camp in. It was atop a wide mountain saddle where the hill fell away from us to the east and west with high ground to the north and even higher ground to our south.
After deciding we had hiked far enough and should turn around and head back to camp I decided I would take the high ground to the east to get a better view of the surrounding area so I ran up it. It was a nice view and while I was up there I found a trail up that spur which I decided would be the trail we would explore in the morning, because it provided such a nice view off to the north east. I followed the trail down as Bee made her way back along the trail we had followed in, shouting at each other occasionally to make sure we were both still near.
We got back to the car and set up camp just as the sun was setting. We set up the tent and then turned our attention toward dinner. I should mention that on the way out of our housing complex at the start of our journey Bee asked me if I had grabbed the tent. I told her that I had not but remembered that there was a little tent in the trunk that I have had there for a while. What I had failed to recall was that the tent I did have in the trunk was one man tent. Be it, it was a decent sized one man tent, but a one man tent none the less. Ooops! We have snuggled together in tighter places before though, like our first year of marriage were we only had a twin sized bed.
We cooked and ate dinner using a tiny camp stove we borrowed from the scouts. A box of shells and white cheddar, with some broccoli and tuna stirred in. We realized a little late that we forgot to mix the broccoli in early to let it cook some but it was still good added in at the end. Camping has a special way of making food taste better because it was delicious!
After that we sang a hymn or two, cleaned up and climbed into our tent to stay warm. It was chilly and I forgot to ensure Bee brought her jacket. I decided I would be okay with just a long sleeve shirt but Bee was so cold she had on my long sleeve shirt and a light blanket that I keep in the car. Needless to say, she was eager to climb into her sleeping bag. The tent was snug but manageable. It was colder than I anticipated during the night and I only packed my summer bag so it actually probably helped that we were nice and tight; besides, it builds character.
In the morning we had oatmeal and bananas for breakfast, broke down camp and prepared for a hike. We started up the trail I came down the night before so I could share with be the vista I had witnessed. Since we were already pointed in that direction we continued our hike up that trail. As we hiked we found trenches and bunkers and tunnels all up and down the side of the mountain we were on. It was neat to explore them and humbling to think that we were hiking in the very same spot where more than likely hundreds of Korean's fought and died. Many of the bunkers looked newer than Korean war era, built for defense in anticipation of some future provocation, but I know that the trenches that weaved across those slopes were dug in a time of war and stained with the blood of honorable men. It added a measure of reverence to our journey.
Once we had decided we had climbed high enough I saw a small rock face that I wanted to climb to the top of and look out over the trees to the north. So I climbed it as Bee waited patiently below. At the top it was beautiful and clear and I could see several mountains of North Korea off in the distance and invited Bee to join me on top of the rock. She obliged and I found a trail for her to hike up (which happened to be the same trail we decided not to go any further on) so she would not have to climb up the rocks. We sat up there for a while relaxing and enjoying the scene. I pointed out North Korea to her to her amazement that we were close enough to actually see it. It was amazing! We sang a few more hymns as we sat there looking out on a still Korea and then slowly made our way back down the mountain to the car. At the car we made sure our site was clean, hopped in and followed the dirt road down the other side of the hill to enjoy a new and scenic drive home.
We had a wonderful time and were very happy to escape the hustle and bustle of busy, congested Seoul and spend a quiet day on the side of a secluded hill. I miss that kind of camping and look forward to doing it again sometime.
After that we sang a hymn or two, cleaned up and climbed into our tent to stay warm. It was chilly and I forgot to ensure Bee brought her jacket. I decided I would be okay with just a long sleeve shirt but Bee was so cold she had on my long sleeve shirt and a light blanket that I keep in the car. Needless to say, she was eager to climb into her sleeping bag. The tent was snug but manageable. It was colder than I anticipated during the night and I only packed my summer bag so it actually probably helped that we were nice and tight; besides, it builds character.
In the morning we had oatmeal and bananas for breakfast, broke down camp and prepared for a hike. We started up the trail I came down the night before so I could share with be the vista I had witnessed. Since we were already pointed in that direction we continued our hike up that trail. As we hiked we found trenches and bunkers and tunnels all up and down the side of the mountain we were on. It was neat to explore them and humbling to think that we were hiking in the very same spot where more than likely hundreds of Korean's fought and died. Many of the bunkers looked newer than Korean war era, built for defense in anticipation of some future provocation, but I know that the trenches that weaved across those slopes were dug in a time of war and stained with the blood of honorable men. It added a measure of reverence to our journey.
Once we had decided we had climbed high enough I saw a small rock face that I wanted to climb to the top of and look out over the trees to the north. So I climbed it as Bee waited patiently below. At the top it was beautiful and clear and I could see several mountains of North Korea off in the distance and invited Bee to join me on top of the rock. She obliged and I found a trail for her to hike up (which happened to be the same trail we decided not to go any further on) so she would not have to climb up the rocks. We sat up there for a while relaxing and enjoying the scene. I pointed out North Korea to her to her amazement that we were close enough to actually see it. It was amazing! We sang a few more hymns as we sat there looking out on a still Korea and then slowly made our way back down the mountain to the car. At the car we made sure our site was clean, hopped in and followed the dirt road down the other side of the hill to enjoy a new and scenic drive home.
We had a wonderful time and were very happy to escape the hustle and bustle of busy, congested Seoul and spend a quiet day on the side of a secluded hill. I miss that kind of camping and look forward to doing it again sometime.
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