The word hike, by definition, is a long walk. In Korea, this could mean lots of different things. On one hand, with my school trips, it usually means a long walk on a paved surface with minimal incline. On the other hand, it could mean 3 hours of wondering why the heck you made your outfit decisions, and deciding in your head which of your friends you’ll eat first because that banana you had for breakfast just isn’t cutting it anymore. Our trip up and over Geumjangsan falls somewhere in the middle. Nobody died, though, and that’s a plus. The chance to make and take home a big bucket of makgeolli at the end of the hike was a pretty good reward. The pots of gold at the end, guys. They exist.

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