Pukansan is a National Park within Seoul. The hiking is more of an urban type with fellow hikers abundant. However the difficulty of the trail was quite difficult often requiring pulling yourself up cable ropes and the use of my butt. Amazingly enough there were several elderly couples making the same climb. Justin and I made it to the summit in 2.5 hours and the view of Seoul was gorgeous. Cityscapes are rare in Northwest hiking and actually being surrounded by a city at the summit is interestingly uniquely.
Badminton is like the national sport of South Korea and not surprisingly there?s a court about everywhere you look and Pukansan is no exception. While I didn?t get the chance to play badminton in the national park, I did have two experiences with the game. Apparently I?d be an embarrassment to the nation if I was a Korean as my badminton skills turned out to be less than par (actually, I think it was more of a problem taking the game seriously).