Hiking Gyeryong National Park

After a month in the city, we finally made our way into the countryside. The fall colors are starting to show here and there, so we headed to Gyeryong-San National Park for a weekend of hiking and relaxation. The park is basically one big mountain full of Buddhist temples and hiking trails. The scenery was picturesque, the weather was beautiful, and the setting peaceful. We hiked for hours on Saturday, completely hiking up one side of the mountain and down the other, to finally reach the quaint but beautiful Gap-sa temple. Throughout the week the temple is still in use for young Buddhists, on the weekend it turns into a tourist filled festival (although only Korean tourists--we did not see any other foreigners all weekend). While many of the trees were still green, those that had changed were absolutely brilliant. And the persimmons, Oh! the persimmons. The trees were ripe and beautiful and covered the Buddhist compound. On Sunday we enjoyed a book in the shade, a persimmon, had a nap, and discussed how lucky we are.