Taedunsan is a gorgeous mountain about one hour south of Taejon. On Saturday, Feb. 20, Rob tagged along with a group of his colleagues from the National Statistics Office for a killer two-hour hike to all the way to the top over the (typically Korean) steep, rocky hillside.

He liked it so much there that he returned the next day with Cheris and Son Young-tae, another good friend from the NSO, plus Young-tae's wife, Kim Ja-Yeong, and their two absolutely adorable daughters, Yeo-gyeong and Hyeon-gyeong. Together we took a nice cable car ride to the first peak, had a snack, and hung out...

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A view from the trail.
Chul-ju, Young-hwae, and an unknown NSO colleague. Yeah, it's a dark picture--Rob acknowledges that he'll never be a pro photographer...
A view from above of the bridge leading from the cable car station (first peak) to the upper trails.
The terrifying stairs to the upper trails.
A view from the top.
Another view from the top.
Yet another view from the top.
Still yet another view from the top, with Rob striking his best GQ pose. Thanks to Chul-ju for the camera work.
We hiked down via different trails, leading to more views of cool rock formations.
Taking a rest on the way down. Chul-ju is at the center, but Rob doesn't know the rest of these folks' names yet.
Almost the same crew as above, with Rob thrown in. Thanks again, Chul-ju.
Another shot from the hike down.
The next day: Young-tae and his family at the bridge. You can see the stairs to the upper trails just right of center in the background.
Another shot of the bridge. You shoulda felt that sucker swaying in the wind. The little kids were scared yet giddy at the same time.
Young-tae and little Hyeon-gyeong on the bridge.
Can you handle one more shot of this bridge? We liked it. Here it is from our picnic spot.
Yeo-gyeong finds inner peace in the mountain scenery.
Couldn't leave without taking one more picture of the whole enchilada from the parking lot...

bonus: Rob's buddies at NSO were kind enough to give him some copies of their pictures from the first day at Taedunsan. Here are three of the best...
Young-hwae strikes a manly (or is that terrified?) pose on the ladder of doom...
At the peak: the crew from the NSO's International Cooperation Division. To Rob's right are Mr. Bong-ho Choi, the division director, and Mr. Ryu, the deputy director. Great guys.
One more group shot from the peak: almost all of the NSO members who attended the hike.

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