The Inaugural Post

For a guy who's never read a blog in his life (aside from flipping through the photos), the act of creating one is a daunting task. I'm going to have to learn the process as I proceed, checking out other pages to see how it's done, stealing ideas, developing my own voice eventually.

The past two years have been a time of revelation inspired by my camping trips throughout the Republic of Korea (South Korea). Most recently, I've been engaged in backcountry camping, which essentially involves trekking through uncharted or undeveloped or at least uninhabited environments--sometimes mountains, sometimes islands, sometimes streams, sometimes long stretches of nothingness--and setting up camp at the end of it all. Along the way, I've been awestruck by the majesty of Korea's backcountry. And this is what I want to share, the motivation for starting this blog.

To that end, I hope this blog will grow into a comprehensive source of information for anyone interested in camping here in Korea. First, if only for personal reasons, I will post photos of and comments on past and ongoing outings as a means of recording not only the pertinent factual details of the trips but also my reflections on the experiences. Embedded in such posts or as separate entries, I will consider the distinct culture of Korean camping through reviews on the gear and gadgets employed, descriptions of the food and beverages consumed, as well as tips on social interaction and other more abstract niceties. I will provide local travel information, both on public transportation and by car. I will provide links where possible to official websites for camp grounds, parks, and other recreational facilities (although most sites currently seem to be written exclusively in Korean--hence the dearth of information available to foreigners, hence the urgent need for this page). I will not, however, discuss specific domestic laws or regulations or even speculate on the legality of a given act (e.g., whether campfires are permissible here or there). Finally, I will make announcements on my future trips and on events organized under the auspices of other groups, in hopes that some of you may join me someday.

In the meantime, as I endeavor to make good on even a fraction of all that bullshit promised above, please feel free to send me questions. That's really what this is all about.