What a Weekend Hiking Routine Changed for Me
A developer who lived in front of screens started hitting the trails every weekend. 8 months in.
My Back Sent a Warning
One morning, getting out of bed, my lower back made a "pop" sound. Didn't hurt, but it scared me. At the doctor: "You don't exercise, do you? Your core muscles are weak." Five days a week, 8+ hours sitting. Home from work, sit on the couch. Weekends, sit at the laptop. 80% of my waking hours spent seated.
I signed up for a gym. Stopped going after 3 weeks. Treadmill boredom was unbearable. Then my dad asked, "want to go hiking?"
First Hike: Was Bukhansan Always This Tall?
Bukhansan is a mountain right in Seoul (about 837 meters / 2,745 feet). Baegundae peak course, rated medium-hard. Dad said "2 hours up." Took 2 hours 47 minutes. Stopped three times. Legs shaking, too winded to speak.
But reaching the summit felt strange. All of Seoul spread below. Wind blowing. Sweat cooling. "Oh, so this is what exercise feels like." A type of achievement the gym never gave me.
Went again next week. And the week after. Eight months straight now.
Eight Months of Mountains
| Period | Mountain | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Hikes 1-4 | Bukhansan | With dad |
| 5-8 | Gwanaksan | Switched to nearest mountain |
| 9-15 | Gwanaksan, Dobongsan | Started going solo |
| 16-now | Various (Gwanaksan, Suraksan, Achasan, etc.) | Weekly, fixed |
Total so far: 34 hikes. Across 8 months of weekends minus rain days and sick days, that's nearly every week.
Body Changes
Month three, same trail: rest stops dropped from three to one. Time went from 2:47 to 2:08. Leg muscles appeared. Belly shrank a bit. (Specifically, weight went from 73kg to 70.2kg / 161 to 155 lbs.)
But the biggest change is my back. No more "pop" sounds. Doctor visit: "your core has improved." Turns out hiking is core exercise. Maintaining balance on inclines engages core muscles constantly.
Mental Changes I Didn't Expect
This was the surprise. During the hike, I don't think about code. Physically impossible. Too out of breath for other thoughts, especially on the way up.
But on the way down, my mind clears. Friday bugs that wouldn't resolve have surfaced as solutions three times on Saturday descents. Similar to how ideas hit you in the shower. The brain seems to reset.
Sunday condition is noticeably better. Saturday hike makes Sunday feel longer. Without it, Saturday and Sunday blur together and vanish.
I Started Spending Money on Gear
Started with sneakers and a cotton t-shirt. Current gear list:
- Hiking boots: 149,000 won (~$108)
- Quick-dry shirts x 3: 87,000 won
- Hiking pants: 65,000 won
- Backpack (20L): 53,000 won
- Trekking poles: 32,000 won
- Misc (hat, sunscreen, etc.): 28,000 won
Total: 414,000 won (~$300). Initial budget was "under $75." Why do I always spend 4x the budget? (Learned the hard way that cheap boots hurt. A 39,000-won pair left me with a blackened toenail after a descent.)
Where I Failed
Tried adding post-work running on weekdays. Gave up after 2 weeks. I don't have after-work exercise energy. Hiking works because it's Saturday morning.
And solo hiking has a downside: safety. Twisted my ankle once going alone. Just a mild sprain, thankfully. If it had been worse, getting down solo would've been a problem. Now I keep location sharing on in a hiking app with emergency contacts registered.
Who Should Try This
Anyone sitting in front of a screen all day. Anyone who quit the gym treadmill after 3 weeks. For people like us, hiking is a strong option. But don't start with a hard trail. Something easy like Achasan in Seoul -- 1 hour to the top.
Tomorrow's Saturday. Planning to hit Suraksan. Hoping for clear skies.