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Hike Korea

Hike Korea specializes in Korean Mountains. North and South. It conducts independent guided tours and guided hikes to achieve this.

Hike Korea is a foreign owned travel company registered in Korea that specialize's in highlighting for visitor's to Korea its more unique attractions outside its urban districts. These are its mountainous and rural treasure's that include its numerous mountain trails, natural beauty, and Korea's indigenous links to its ancient terrain. Please visit the trails page to view some its products. Hike K

orea also meets independent and customized travel inquiries. Hike Korea also conducts cultural research and travel promotion through photography, media and writing. Its core philosophy is to brand Korea's image to the world as a travel destination of unique and intriguing discovery. Hike Korea emphasizes strongly the link Korea has with its ancient mountain culture and uses this as its foundation for its empirical studies and tours. Its long term goal is to one day see most of Korea’s wonderful cultural and historical attractions interconnected by a series of national trails that pass through mountains, rivers, valleys, villages, and cities. Hike Korea is the only travel company in Korea that reaches out to all corners of the peninsula. Hike Korea also publishes English books and photographic essays on Korea's unique mountain culture and is deeply involved in cross-cultural exchange between North and South Korea. It's owner Roger Shepherd has traveled many times to DPRK and self-published photo-art books displaying Korea's mountainous terrain from the North and South. He has exhibited his work in Pyongyang and Seoul and works closely with relevant ministries in North and South Korea. His work is well received by the Korean communities on the peninsula and around the world.

25/12/2024

I never thought to consider another version of the 1948 Yeosu incident #여순사건 . On a xmas day stroll through the back of Gurye-eup I came upon a memorial site for that. It said that the 14th regiment stationed in Yeosu refused the order too go to Jeju and suppress the local people there. Instead they deserted.

In the Jirisan guidebook I wrote that the breakaway unit were a red cell of the North Korean peoples army. And that they took over parts of Yeosu and Suncheon cities, releasing political prisoners, killing officials and breaking to the hills of Jirisan above Gurye.

The monument in Gurye says in good English, written on a blood red panel in a granite stone park, that after the suppressing operation, the police and right-wingers made many innocents victims through finger pointing, or in Korean, a finger pistol ‘songarak cheong’ #손가락총 . I never heard that term before. I like it. I’m gonna call it in a bar fight.

From then, President Rhees government (1948-60) were able to establish a stronger anti-communist regime. This we know. Many unknown thousands of innocent Koreans were persecuted and killed. Jeju, Yeosu, Suncheon, Masan, Taegu…and so on.

The monument was erected in 2006 and I am not sure if I had visited it before, but maybe they have made some additions as the blood red panel and some of the architecture looks newer than 2006. F**k that was back in the Baekdu-daegan years. I didn’t even live here then.

In my travels of the southwest I found a lot of local history from the liberation period. Locals hiding out in the mountains from Rhees government. Then the Korean War starts in June 1950, and the South is taken momentarily before the North Korean soldiers are forced back. But many are trapped so they form militias in the hills with local anti-governmental supporters. These groups and their supporters are the ones hunted down in high mountains of remote Korea in the years after the war. The partisans.

It is good to see that the truth of these sensitive stories can still be found in back of the small townships and on the peaks of the local mountains in the provinces of Jolla-do in the southwest of Korea.

Merry Xmas everyone.

21/12/2024

Some more photo highlights from last quarter of the year. My season is pretty much over by mid November. It is a time of the year I enjoy because of the cooling temps and goldening of the bush. It is a time for me to contemplate my year and think about the guests I guided and how can I smarten my business more.
It was another good year for . It’s been on the up each year ever since coronavirus got the boot. .
I like to go to my homeland of New Zealand during Korean winters, but I decided to stay here again.
I will work on my next venture after . That is the arts. My painting website will be called - targeting Korean market. My work is all influenced on my times in the North and my life in the South of Korea for now. I will try and get more exposure for my works after some positive comments by the curator at the Seoul gallery I was exhibited at.
Some years later, once I have moved on from Hike Korea, I’ll buy something rural in and just hone out my senior years as a painter. Maybe write too.
Live on my pension, silver doubloons and an assortment of surging cryptoz.
For as long as I am strong enough, I’ll do a lot of backcountry bushwalks in NZ. Get remote influence from the mana of the Papatuanuku.
Every man should have a plan. But that doesn’t make life easier it just gives you a bearing. Finding that course can take a lot of your life too. But trust in what you do. Thats enuf Sunday sermoning. Di****ad. Chur.

17/12/2024

Some photo highlights from October 2024 hiking tours. Once again great memories with my guests. October is peak season in Korea for autumn colours and weather. Although the weather is hotter now than it used to be. So the colours can stretch into early November easily. Each province and each valley is different.
Next October I might be with three guests backpacking on the Baekdu-daegan for 15-days. That will be an interesting experience.
If you are curious to come to Korea for a guided hiking tours, then please get in touch with me . I can make comfortable hikes with hotel accommodation, temple sleepovers, tasty local cuisines and a lot of historical narration on Korea and her many thousands of peaks.

09/12/2024

I spent the weekend out in the Nakdong river area of Wangmosan and Cheongryangsan in northern Andong. I was doing some scouting for next years two silver medal backpacking taking place in late March 2025.

I caught up with and we guzzled down a bottle of bourbon in the car park behind the CU in Dosan-myeon. Camped out in the farmland cold. Got up to a sunny frosty morning and hiked a mean Wangmosan that curves around the mighty Nakdong river.

It is a favorite time of the year for me this. The browning off before winter and the browning after the snows again in March.
#왕모산 #청량산 #낙동강 #하이크코리아 #로저셰퍼드 #안동 #도산면

28/11/2024

Photo highlights from July to September 2024: Most of the summer period I spent designing the first ever English guidebook on Koreas 300km Jirisan Dulle-gil. But I did get out with some guests before the real hot weather set in, and then again by September. If you're looking at coming to Korea in 2025 for a guided hike, I'd recommend March to June and September to November. Winter hiking is exceptional too.

I have been guiding foreign visitors to Korea on mountain hikes for fifteen years. I know the topography of this land very well. I know hot to get around Korea pretty well. I know where to stay, where to eat, and how things work in the provinces. It is my full-time gig. My interest in Korea does not end at guiding. I have published six serious books on Korea's mountains. Before Covid19 my work took me to North Korea, where I photographed mountains of the Baekdu-daegan. I held several photo exhibitions of those works with my South Korean collection all over Korea, including Pyongyang, Kyoto and New Zealand. My work symbolized Korea as one nation. With MBC TV, I also made two good documentaries about those visits to the North. I am well known in the Korean hiking community for my work on the peninsula. My guided mountain hikes are multi-day adventures with an SUV, hiking new peaks everyday, staying in different towns each night, trying new foods, and getting to see another beautiful side to Korea. You will get an experienced and professional service from me.

Visit my website at hikekorea.com.

26/11/2024

Hike Korea 2024 photo highlights from May to June. Many thanks to my international guests for using my service. The mountains of Korea are thawing out and the spring greens on their ways.

I have been guiding foreign visitors to Korea on mountain hikes for fifteen years. I know the topography of this land very well. I know how to get around Korea pretty well. I know where to stay, where to eat, and how things work in the provinces. It is my full-time gig. My interest in Korea does not end at guiding. I have published six serious books on Korea's mountains. Before Covid19 my work took me to North Korea, where I photographed mountains of the Baekdu-daegan. I held several photo exhibitions of those works with my South Korean collection all over Korea, including Pyongyang, Kyoto and New Zealand. My work symbolized Korea as one nation. With MBC TV, I also made two good documentaries about those visits to the North. I am well known in the Korean hiking community for my work on the peninsula. My guided mountain hikes are multi-day adventures with an SUV, hiking new peaks everyday, staying in different towns each night, trying new foods, and getting to see another beautiful side to Korea. You will get an experienced and professional service from me.

For a 2025 hiking tour please check out my profile and website at www.hikekorea.com.

23/11/2024

Hike Korea 2024 photo highlights from Jan to April. Had some great guests who took the opportunity to see Koreas mountains in the crisp cooler months of winter and early spring.

I have been guiding foreign visitors to Korea on mountain hikes for fifteen years. I know the topography of this land very well. I know hot to get around Korea pretty well. I know where to stay, where to eat, and how things work in the provinces. It is my full-time gig. My interest in Korea does not end at guiding. I have published six serious books on Korea’s mountains. Before Covid19 my work took me to North Korea, where I photographed mountains of the Baekdu-daegan. I held several photo exhibitions of those works with my South Korean collection all over Korea, including Pyongyang, Kyoto and New Zealand. My work symbolized Korea as one nation. With MBC TV, I also made two good documentaries about those visits to the North. I am well known in the Korean hiking community for my work on the peninsula. My guided mountain hikes are multi-day adventures with an SUV, hiking new peaks everyday, staying in different towns each night, trying new foods, and getting to see another beautiful side to Korea. You will get an experienced and professional service from me.

For a 2025 hiking tour check out my profile and website at www.hikekorea.com.

11/11/2024

An enjoyable afternoon opening at the in Gwanghwamun,Seoul. I even did my intro in L2 Korean. A good turn out and nice to meet the other artists. Also a special thanks to my Hanguk chingus that turned up. We went and ate boiled chickens in the alleyways of Dongdaemun after. Chur.

06/11/2024

I’m having a fantastic last tour of the year with six gentlemen from the island of Hawaii.

We started in Naejangsan three days ago. Even it was a Monday, there was a full on autumn festival still raging at its entrance. It was a mental and exciting way to start. I had no idea it would be that packed still after a weekend, when it woulda been nuttier. But cool and funny in a unique way. Korea.

But there was hardly anyone hiking up in the grand mountains of Naejangsan on a Monday once we got to Sinseonbong 763m. We got down on dark and walked for 30 more minutes to the car park before getting into the Staria van.

We ate a large 산체비빔밥정식 at one of the entrance sikdangs before driving to the Buan Tourist Hotel for the night. It was a good hotel with friendly staff and a free breakfast in a hall.

Next day we drove to Bulgapsan 516m in Yeonggwanggun. Of course a beautiful and remoter area in Jollanamdo. The charming entrance area was shining and the friendly locals selling their roasted chestnuts in thick jolla dialect. Nice.

The horseshoe course was a brilliant hike, staying on the ridge, on some tricky ledges was fun.

From there we drive to Naju and went to #하이스파사우나, a sauna, and enjoyed soaking in that experience. The light mountain winds are already getting icy. We stayed at the Maruo Hotel. The rooms again spacious and clean. Naju is an innovation city stuck in the middle of rice farms. It’s an interesting contrast.

Today we got up and ate some breakfast across the road at a 24eMart before hitting the road to Wolchulsan 810m. The weather was still November sublime.

We climbed up the steep broad Wolchulsan, crossing the vermillion orange cloud bridge. It was such an awesome day to see the oriental mountainscape of moon rise mountain. One of the top peaks in Korea. I never get sick of it.

We went to 설울대중사우나 in Yeongnam. A really lovely little sauna about the size of half a tennis court, with the quiet and accepting locals. This is non touristy areas. County saunas are part of autumn tours now.

03/11/2024

On the last day of the Jirisan traverse the November rain arrived at Jangteomok. So after frying up some smoked duck and brewing some Kanu stick coffee, we set off to the summit of Cheonwangbong 1915m once some light arrived. It was pointless leaving in the rainy dark for a sunrise we wouldn’t see. It took us the mandatory hour to arrive at the wet windy empty peak. It was Jiri.
It wasn’t that cold. It’s been much colder up there in warmer months. We started our descent down the wet mountain. I love November as a hiking month in Korea. Its rains boldly confirms the colours of the rocks and forests. Particularly the coppers and blacks.
We did it good time, not stopping to mess around. The Rotary shelter is under renovation. It looks like it will be nice, like the new one at Nogodan.
We got back to my car which had been delivered to Jungsanri from our start point back at Hwaeomsa. Changed into some dry kit in the public toilets and headed to Danseong and had a good hot sauna there. After that we ate a delicious mountain vegetable bibimbap with pajeon and makoli at #예담원 Hanok village.
From there it was a drive to Jinju where I dropped my guest at his guesthouse #손길게스트하우스.
An enjoyable three days of hiking the Jirisan ridge with him. Chur chur. #하이크코리아 #로저셰퍼드 #금강블레스사우나 #장터목대피소 #중산리 #단성 #진주

31/10/2024

Been a top couple of days on the Jirisan traverse with my Ozzie guest . We started at Hwaeomsa temple yesterday and made the grueling 4hr climb up to Nogodangogae before hitting the ridge proper. It was a 10hr hike before we reached the Yeonhacheon shelter and got stuck into a big meal of pork belly and chicken and vegetable soup. A restless night in the stuffy shelter, but it was enough for the pins to recover. A big breakfast and we set off the next morning for Jangteomok shelter. Conditions today were a little better for an 8hr hike. Lots of good light on the mountain. Another big dinner, this time a sausage casserole, after the always good sunsets you get over Banybong from Jangteomok. Early tomorrow morning we’ll hike for an hour up to the peak of Cheonwangbong 1915m in what is forecasted as a little rain. But we hope the forever wind on the highest chilly peak of mainland South Korea 🇰🇷 will help clear an opening for a good sunrise. As one fellow local hiker said, the exchanging Cheonwangbong weather. After that we’ll descend to Jungsanri and drink a big fu***ng bowl of makoli. The weather in this hike hasn’t been cold, and the sunlight is glary and warm, but I can feel that pre winter alpine wind sneaking its way through the nooks and crannies. We did see two large and stunningly beautiful pine martens dash across our trail. They were big about a meter long with their bushy black tails and harvest yellow coats. I’ve never seen them that yellow. They normally a copper brown. I did a check and see they must have been the yellow throated pine marten. An endangered species. Chur.

27/10/2024

Top weekend launching the Jirisan Guidebook at the Asia Trail Conference in Gurye. And catching up with staff from North London Collegiate School on Jeju and showing them some ideas in the Jirisan ranges and valley of Akyang-myeon in Hadong-gun for outdoor student experiences and Duke of Edinburgh Adventurous Journeys. #지리산둘레길 #악양면 #형제봉 #신선대

17/10/2024

I saw and checked a final master copy today. It has been a steady effort to get this 133p, 14x21cm guidebook finished. We all only agreed to do it in April this year, and it had to be released by October 25th. I couldn’t do anything but think about how to make it for the first three months, because Hike Korea was busy with guests. But that is almost as good as doing it, if that is all you can do about it.

Then, at the start of that wicked summer we are still having, from July 1st, I sat down and grafted a good manuscript in ten weeks. Complete with all my own photos, Adobe Illustrator designed maps, and several trips to the field. But it was my experience in Korea that mostly did it I think.

For the past month the book has been with the publisher who has created the final design and layout, and it looks much better. None of the content I wrote was altered. And in the introduction I wrote quite colorfully about the creation of Korea and its mythological beginnings with mountains. Referenceable material.

The overall course map for the 300km Jirisan Dulle-gil is a double page rendition on Koreas famous wood block printed Taedongyeojido. So cool there. It would make a good poster I think.

The guidebook will be released next Friday at the opening of the International Asia Trail Conference to be held in Jirisan, Gurye, Jeollanam-do, which starts Oct 25th and runs till the 27th.

I will talk more about the backers and the Legislated National Trail concept for South Korea once the book is readily available.

I am unaware of any cost at this time for the guidebook or the number of copies that will be available and how it will be distributed later. But it will most likely end up in the bookshops.

It is the sixth serious book I have made on Korea. Chur. #지리산둘레길 #하이크코리아 #로저셰퍼드 #산림청 #한국등산트레킹지원센터 #백두대간 🇰🇷

12/10/2024

Some good conditions today in Seoul for some Saturday hiking with guest Job from Guatemala and America.

We took the Bibong spur up to Munsubong. There was plenty of photo ops. There’s also no way, other than Korea, when it comes to a developed nation allowing citizen hikers to climb to the Kubrick obelisk at its nip. I couldn’t hardly believe it up there with woman my age.

An incredible circuit with Job who reveled in the uneven terrain.

Seoul is abuzz tonight. Jongnosamga is the place for downtown Seoul. I said it before.

Glory to all Korea.

08/10/2024

I got up at 6am and drove east three and a bit hours to Juwangsan. I met my guest Maritzina. We hiked the bigger circuit loop up to #가메봉 882m in a light drizzle and cloud. We plied north a bit on what is a part of the Nakdong-jeongmaek I’m sure, before descending back down through the still spring green coloured acorn and chestnut forests at the top of Yongchu falls. A walk through the volcanic terrain and jade green waters.

It was a brisk six hour hike achieved in an afternoon of warm then cold then post rain warm forest. I may have only been to Juwangsan once before in my life. Maritzina was collected in the car park at 6pm and returned to her small group custom traveling Korea. It was a great afternoon!

I decided to drive to Cheongsong and I found an Oncheon. I soaked me bod in the hot mineral waters. It helps heal my leg muscles after seven days of continuous hiking and long distance driving. Awesome!

I grabbed a couple of bottles of apple makoli and got on the freeway. It was a long drive on well made empty dark roads. Chur.

06/10/2024

Day 4: On the last day of hiking, we drove over the Nakdong-jeongmaek stopping to watch the sea mist pushing up the wet green valley under the crisp autumn sky. Then drive down to Donghae on the east coast and park at Mureung valley under the brooding Dutasan.

In subliminal weather we hike the canyon course as it contours along the southern cliffs of the gorge. The views are oriental art if I am allowed to use that term. Twisted pine trees protruding from pinnacles of pink ochre granite.

The trail takes you to the gorges apex at the Yongchu waterfalls. There you can take it back by using the northern side of the valley. Which we did. Many great viewpoints again and less traffic. It also provides a panorama of what you walked on the other side.

That night grilled freshwater eel recommended from a local guest at the I-Hyunjin Hotel. There’s a lot of good affordable hotels in the city provinces now.

The next morning Ivana took the KTX to Seoul to take her plane back. I hoped it was a hiking tour with good diversity. I think so. Chur.

06/10/2024

Day 3 and it’s a scenic drive to Taebaeksan. There will be a mountain Heaven worship ceremony on the large oil stone altar at the exposed top. It’s Taebaek, so it’s dark and cold. We make our way with small groups of other hikers. At Mangyeongsa temple it is windy, cold and wet. There’s nowhere to eat inside but they sell hot cup ramens which I purchase with two disposable rain jackets. I’ve used them before. As an outer insulator you can feel the extra body heat it can trap.

The ceremony is attended by all dignitaries of this area. The city mayor delivers the offering to the heavenly inside the altar named Cheonjaedan. Its location is thousands of years old.

We head off in the wind and fog, taking the ridge way to Munsubong. From the shaman doltaps we make our way back to the carpark. Taebaek is bleak and dark, making the rooms at the Ramada snug. We went into the city center down and saw Hwangji pond where the spring from the temple we ate ramen up on the cold mountain comes out. In that area we ate a delicious menu of pork belly at a nearby restaurant.

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