My first time on this site. Came here through Mr. Bills Used Car Sales.
Have owned a business in Pyeongtaek, half way between Osan AFB and Camp Humphreys. Closed right now, but planning on reopening in about 4 months.
Have a passion for locating areas for exploring/hiking/and added to that, looking for old coins/relics/pottery/etc.
Have led many groups of GI's and Airmen/women out into the Korean mountainsides, and got all of them home safely. Enjoy showing some of what the real Korea is like, as opposed to the "outside-the-gate" Korea.
If you would like to go, or to hear more, my tele is (031)618-4706. Ask for Mr. Smith.
My wife is an excellant translator, having translated for the Salem, Oregon and Marion County, Oregon Court(s) systems. When in country, she enjoys helping newly arrived persons with problems they might be having.
I collect coins. (My wife says I collect everything. She's probably right.)
Hope to get acquainted with many of you folks on this site.

I use to spend my summers in Salem at my sisters house picking beans and Strawberries (many many years ago) Sister now lives in Oregon City but I have very fond memories of Salem.

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Just my humble opinion!

welcome koreahiker;

I sure hope they do not get us mixed up. Since I have generated some animosity within this group you may catch the wrath <LOL>

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Chill

Hello Hiker, Of course, my first question: where do you do your hiking? How often do you hike? I have been hiking in Korea since the late '70s. I really like the ChungChong-do mts, as well as the Kyeonggi-do mts. Have only been once down into the Pusan area, and once down into the area around Non-san, Cholla-do. Hope to get down there more often, but have to do some work some time, to keep food on the table.
I have a couple of sites where people on the sites got angry with my opinions, too. I guess they get over it. And I don't say anything with the purpose of making them angry. So, they will have to live with their anger. If someone gets angry with me saying what I believe to be the truth, then so be it.
Let me know about your hiking. Maybe we can hook up once, and see what happens. (I do have a purpose for my hiking. I also combine metal detecting with it, looking for old coins/etc up on top of the mts. Korea is an old country, and people used to be in the mts much, much more than they are now. And they lost things, just like any peoples are prone to do.) If this interests you, let me know.
Oh, and by the way, I seem to attract snakes. Saw a beautiful one this Tuesday, up near a castle just south of Chon-an. About 1 1/2 meters long, and laying across the trail that I was walking on. I had never seen this type before, a combo of dark brown and light brown. Quite a beauty. He went south, and I went north.

I will have to delay posting for a day or so.

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Chill

Welcome to the site! Tis' the season for hiking.

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Visit USFK Classifieds, the FREE classifieds in Korea!

Hello, and thanks for the post.
I went hiking today (Monday, 3 July). Boy, was it hot and muggy. But the weatherwoman said that Tues - Fri was going to be rained in, so thought that I had better get out at least once this week.
I went south of Chon-an, between Chon-an and Kong-ju. Beautiful country. Of course, forgot my camera. But did take enough liquid to keep me hydrated.......almost.
The coin site that I had been to several months ago was the one that I was going back to. I had found several older coins, but one Chinese coin
that dated about 1020. So, hoped to find a few more.
The Korean owner of the rice paddies close to the road that I was to travel on chose today to pave another portion of it. So, as soon as I arrived I was told that I had to leave, ugly van and all. I was able to hike the hills on both sides of the road, but could not get up to the area that I needed to go to.
Nothing found, so looked at my map and found another possible site close to there. Hiked there, and sure enough, there was a small site. Found coins dating from 1670s (Chinese and Korean) to the 1940s (Japanese, from the time of their occupation of Korea). BUT, to be able to put my machine on the ground, I had to clear the area first. So, I did ........and got myself a nice case of poisen ivy on both arms. I usually don't react to the poisen leaves/vines they have here, but I did this time. Hope the hydrocortasone helps.

By the way, I really don't like to hike in the summer. The heat really takes its toll on me. But I love hiking in the fall and winter. So beautiful, when there is a fresh snow on the ground and the lakes are frozen over. Then a person can see what animals there are in the hills. And there is a bunch.

Well, that was my July 3rd.

Here's wishing you a great 4th of July. It will be raining, so no fireworks.
But there will be plenty of hotdogs and hamburgers and coke.