Exploring Buk-gu - Songjung Reservoir


The Saturday before my birthday we decided to take another hiking trip. Another group of foreigners had hiked to a lake in Buk-gu the weekend before; we had seen the beautiful pictures and decided we wanted to go ourselves! We met up at a bus stop just south of Hogye in the late morning and set off.


First up before our hike/walk though, Jaryt made a brought us breakfast burritos, complete with eggs, bacon and salsa! It was delicious and a great surprise start to the day!



Much of the beginning portion of the walk involved navigating and finding out way through the farms behind the main road to get to the mountains to the east. According to the maps we were looking at on our phones, the lake/reservoir rested just at the base of one of the mountains south of Hogye.



Almost every stop we took, we could still see Hogye towering in the distance to the north.


After walking for about an hour (we had to back track a few times before we found the right road, so it took longer than planned), we finally made it to the lake. It was a beautiful sight and the day provided perfect weather. The fall colors in this area were at a great point, too.



There was lots of construction in the area just below the lake. Apparently they are building some sort of new train line leading to Ulsan. I wonder if it will be completed before I leave Korea.


On the rocky bank next to the shore, we found this (not so) little guy crawling around. Jarah picked him up so I could get a good picture and then move him to a safer spot away from all the hikers' feet.


The water was crystal clear and still, making the reflections flawless.








At one point on our way around the lake, we heard some rustling in the leaves next to us and turned to find a snake! It was moving away fairly quickly, but I was able to steal a few pictures.



In the distance, through the smog, you can see the city of Ulsan. This gives you a good idea how far north I live from the city and why it always takes me forever to get anywhere by bus. I also live just to the north of the airport, so the picture below is a common image in my area. There are always planes flying in and out of the small station.


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