Summer is in full swing, so we hit the trails and camped on the beach. There’s a great group that organizes hikes and events all over Busan called Busan Daytrippers. Members create events on Facebook that people join and get all the info for.

Here’s a pic of the group at a short stop along the way on our Igidae hike – this route hugs the coast just west of Gwangali.

Here’s the best view along the way – you can see the Diamond bridge and Gwangali

Lots of pretty views of the sea and cliffs

This hike wasn’t too strenuous and after we finished we met with some friends near Hadan, which is an area pretty far west in Busan. We stocked up on supplies at Homeplus (a huge Walmart type store) and made our to Dadaepo beach.

We arrived to a deserted beach. In Korea, the locals adhere very strongly to the official beach seasons. The city announces when a beach is officially open and there are extra services (lifeguards, temporary bathrooms and food stalls to name a few) available for the beach goers

It is mid-June and temperatures are very pleasant and the water is great for swimming – but since the beach is not officially open, no one is there

We set up our tent – the only type left at Homeplus

At 6’2″ tall, I really didn’t fit all the way in. A group of us found a pile of plywood to get a fire going

Shannon bought an inner tube and we did some night swimming after copious amounts of soju (rice liquor)

In all, about 7 of us camped overnight. Here’s the aftermath the next morning

Our friend, Adam had a little trouble finding the inside of his tent. Getting home in the heat and hungover was harsh but it was nice to get back to our apartment and relax on Sunday