About Sam Lee
6,135 km
499:17 h
Recent Activity
- HarukoDecember 11, 2025
Your ‘Zombie Bike Ride’ story was such an interesting read! 😲🚴♂️ Even with the poor air quality, you still went out for a Sunday ride — that’s real dedication. The atmosphere around Hongdae sounded so different from usual… now I’m really curious what it felt like in person. And the tunnel photos look
Sam Lee went for a hike.
December 25, 2025
I hiked up Inwangsan Mountain and then down to Bulgwang Station markets. Freezing cold northwesterly winds were blowing as I was hiking down from Baekryunsan mountain. The forecast advised that it will drop down to -12 degrees with a wind chill factor of -19. The gamjatang pork stew dinner quickly warmed me up with a little soju.
01:48
7.28km
4.0km/h
340m
430m
Sam Lee went for a bike ride.
December 21, 2025
I went for my Sunday bike ride along the Han River, passing Jangchung Gymnasium and Oksu Station. The weather was two degrees with clear blue skies, a bit colder than yesterday’s hike, in the drizzly rain at eleven degrees Celsius. My destination today was Gyeongdong Market near Cheongnyangni Station, where a large crowd of people aged 60 and above gathered for cheap and fresh produce. I joined them and filled up my pannier bag with apples, broccoli and eggs.
01:40
26.2km
15.7km/h
250m
290m
Sam Lee went for a hike.
December 20, 2025
I took the subway on Line 1 to Mangweolsa Station, just one stop after Dobongsan Station, and set off hiking. It was raining, and I thought, what the heck, so I picked up a bottle of makgeolli and some tuna sushi at CU. The good thing about hiking in the rain in Korea is that you often have the entire mountain to yourself—even on weekends, even on popular trails. I enjoyed every kilometer of my hike today. Although the views were blocked by clouds, the lingering mist and solitude in the mountains made it deeply enjoyable. I breathed in deeply, feeling satisfied with my lungs being filled with cool mountain air, and made my way toward Dobong Mountain, where I decided to bypass the peak and continue on to Ui Rock. When I descended to Ui Rock, I took out my makgeolli for the last two kilometers of the descent. I thought about hiking with Baloo, sharing endless bowls as we rested, drank, and absorbed the outdoors with a little kick from the fermented brew. I looked back up the trail to see if she was near. In my mind she was there for just a brief moment, and then there was silence— there was just the sound of pine leaves in the wind. I then complety snapped out of my deep thoughts at the sound of dogs barking in the distance and buses rumbling, and soon reached Ui-dong, where I found a restaurant serving fermented bean soup with tasty side dishes. Often, when I hike with large groups, I end up exhausted, but today’s solo hike left me energized with every step of the ten-kilometer journey.
02:58
10.3km
3.5km/h
680m
670m
Sam Lee went for a bike ride.
December 14, 2025
My plan for my Sunday morning bike ride was to ride to the district where I was born and try out the 7,000‑won buffet lunch. I noticed a considerable reduction in cyclists and runners along the Han River as I made my way through Yeouido Island. I assume many people were either too hungover or too cold to be out. It was 2 degrees Celsius with clean air—perfect for cycling or running—so I’m guessing most people had a bit too much soju last night. There was definitely no shortage of people at the cheap buffet restaurant in Noryangjin, though. After lunch, I continued along the Han River, crossed Banpo Bridge, headed west toward Yongsan, then north toward Seoul Station for my usual grocery shopping at Lotte Mart. After the 35 km bike ride, I unloaded my groceries and headed back out to hike up Inwang Mountain to check out the overnight snow.
02:04
34.5km
16.7km/h
310m
330m
Sam Lee went for a hike.
December 9, 2025
I was happy to breathe in the fresh air on my hike to Samcheongdong via the Bukak Skyway walking trail. It was my first time taking the trail to the fortress wall from Bukak Skyway, probably because the area used to be a military zone. It only took about 40 minutes to reach Samcheongdong. I continued through Bukchon and eventually ended up in the Jongno 3 district for a 10,000‑won buffet dinner
01:18
6.76km
5.2km/h
180m
260m
Sam Lee went for a bike ride.
December 7, 2025
Despite today’s poor air quality in Seoul, I needed to get out for my Sunday ride. The ride to Hongdae took only 20 minutes. I wasn’t sure whether it was a Sunday afternoon or if the poor air quality was the reason the streets of Hongdae weren’t as vibrant as before. I noticed a group of young people drunk outside a nightclub. Had they been partying all night and ended up on the streets? I continued along 신촌로 toward Seoul Station, where a large crowd of homeless people had gathered for a free warm meal. It seems the colours of autumn have vanished and been replaced with something out of a zombie movie.
01:39
21.1km
12.7km/h
280m
290m
Sam Lee went for a hike.
November 30, 2025
From Exit #1 at Gupabal Station, Line #3, take bus #37 or #8772 (weekends only) to bus stop 북한산성입구. We stopped for vegetarian lunch at Nojeoksa temple. Donations to the temple are welcomed. We were in a large group, hiking at a slow pace. It took nearly 4 hours to reach Baekundae Peak, including the temple lunch stop and then about an hour and a half to get down to Uidong
02:54
8.39km
2.9km/h
800m
390m
Sam Lee went for a bike ride.
November 19, 2025
It dropped to subzero temperatures overnight, the first time in Seoul for the autumn. I was looking forward to the ride from Cheonryangri station 청량리역 to Gapyeong, but when I got there, my phone told me to wait for 4 hours. Not long after I contemplated what to do, I jumped on the next train to Ungilsan Station 운길산역 on Bukhangang River. Later I found out there are more frequent trains to Gapyeong departing from Sangbong Station. You can travel with bicycles during the week between 10am and 4pm and after 7pm. On weekends there are no time restrictions. Rules are strictly enforced as I later found out when I tried to board a train back to Seoul at around 4:30pm, the train conductor came into the front carriage to kick me out of the train. After about 17km from 운길산역, I found a nice sunny spot for lunch. I made ham sandwiches with the loaf of bread I bought at Emart prior to the train departure. At Cheongpyeong, the bicycle path goes inland to Gapyeong City, but I stuck to the actual river road, which wasn’t all that busy. However, I expect it to be busy during weekends. I arrived at my dad's forested land late in the afternoon. The sun had already disappeared over the steep mountain ridge and temperatures were plummeting rapidly. I parked the bicycle on the gravel path and headed into the steep forest. I found some flat areas where a large boulder had rolled down from the ridge. A burrow, likely belonging to a boar, was found beneath the boulder. It would be a good spot to build a temporary camp there in the spring.
02:50
46.6km
16.5km/h
640m
440m
This hike looks so refreshing!
The wooden trail on Bukak Skyway has such a peaceful atmosphere—your photos really captured the mood of the forest
I didn’t realize Samcheong-dong was only about 40 minutes away by trail!
Finishing the hike with a dinner in Jongno 3 District sounds perfect
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