Namhansanseong

On Sunday the 5th we decided to go hiking. I read in my travel guide that Namhansanseong was a great place to go and take a picnic lunch so off we went. It was a fort built nearly 2,000 years ago however most of the visible structures that are still standing were built in the 17th and 18th centuries. Namhansan is a mountain fortification surrounding a valley that guarded Seoul's southern entrance. Only the west gate survives intact. Well that's enough history for today! So there are tons of trails that go all throughout this area. The one we planned on taking, and thought we were on, went around the old fort walls making a loop. Clayton and I started out and down the steps we went. After walking for a while we started laughing and said good thing we don't have to come back up this way. After walking for about an hour we reached the bottom. We weren't making a loop at all. We were on the trail that went straight down the middle to the town below. So you guessed it... we had to hike all the way back to the top, 2, 290 feet UP. There was very minimal zig zagging, we literally were walking up. All the signs were in Korean so we had no idea where we were, what we should have done, etc. Clayton and I were starring at some sign that lead to a little side trail and finally some older Korean came up to us and said "wada" it was a stream you could drink out of. Clayton of course is in awesome shape so he had no problem, I on the other hand hadn't worked out in well over a month or so. I made it to the top with the support and patients of my loving husband.