Thursday, October 01, 2015

dad and boy


My buddy JW and his son Ji-an at one of the many small summits along the fortress wall of Namhan-sanseong, just south of Seoul. We were out there on September 13, hiking the more modest trails. Ji-an had originally claimed he wanted to do some "real" hiking up Daemosan, but it soon became obvious that he wasn't even ready for the gentle challenge of our section of Namhan Fortress. "Every second... feels like an hour," he puffed while walking up a not-exactly-steep 0.8 km rise. I smiled. It wasn't as though I was having an easy time of it, either: I'm way out of shape. But I had already hiked Daemosan, so I knew what would be in store if Ji-an truly wanted to tackle something substantial.

Anyway, minor whining aside, we all had a good time at the fortress—a place I hadn't visited since the 1990s. We sat down at one of the myriad restaurants nestled in the fortress's mountains and enjoyed jeon—Korean pancakes. Ji-an might not have much endurance, but he does have a great sense of humor, and he laughed at my stupid jokes. It was dark by the time we left Namhan-sanseong; JW drove me back while Ji-an slumbered in his passenger seat.

I have more photos of this trip. Once I have time and energy, I'll slap the whole series up. Sit tight until then.


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