Septuagenarian backpacker is full of wander

Hyo So on his daily walk to MacArthur Park. He always had wanderlust, but he didn’t take up backpacking seriously until he was in his 60s.

Hyo So collects cans and bottles on his walk around L.A.’s MacArthur Park. For all the great monuments, vast landscapes and beautiful artifacts he’s seen, what So remembers are the people he’s encountered.

Hyo So passes through the Wilshire Boulevard tunnel on his daily walk in MacArthur Park. He has submitted accounts of his trips to a Koreatown newspaper, offering travel advice, relaying insights from his adventures and encouraging other Korean seniors to give backpacking a try.