Changwon Living: HIKING AROUND ON MT. JEONGBYEONG

HIKING AROUND ON MT. JEONGBYEONG

After a very raucus Saturday night (Read: First weekend in Changwon) it was time to have a calmer more peaceful Sunday so I hiked around on Mt. Jeongbyeong.

Mt. Jeongbyeong

It was about a 40 minute walk from my apartment. Along the way I walked past the Gyeongnam Art Museum, some lovely parks and Changwon University. The trailhead is right behind the university.

Gyeongnam Art Museum

A cool building on campus

On the way to the mountain

Also along the way, a sidenote about Korean culture, I walked past maybe 8 outdoor clothing/gear retailers. As I’ve mentioned before, Koreans are very active, and physical activity, such as hiking, is very much a shared cultural value. So is shopping, fashion and accessorizing. So with all these retail shops, the idea is not as much about really “gripping it and ripping it” and being fully prepared and geared for your outdoor experience. It’s about looking good while you’re doing it.

It was a perfect day for a hike. Some clouds and some moisture but it never rained. It wasn't too hot. I was entirely by myself in the woods and didn’t even see a single other hiker.

There were a lot of interesting mushrooms that I came across. The soil is very soft and almost like clay. There were also intermitantly along the trail some lawn areas that I think were small burial grounds. I came across a a few stream areas.