From the station it was about a 15 minute walk to the mountain. The way is easy to find, just follow the stream of people in hiking gear and the line of shops selling hiking equipment. Since I went on a weekday, the place was wonderfully not crowded, so I snapped a few photos of the walk from station to park.
I don't think I've properly explained yet how much of a "thing" hiking apparel is in Korea. It has its own style category, and people carry the hot accessories like bags and poles even if you're only doing an easy, paved hike. It seems like as soon as November arrived, half of the ads on television became celebrities wearing hiking jackets.
There were several familiar brands like Merrell, Columbia and The Northface. And also some I've never heard of, including my new favorite, The Redface.
Onto the hiking! I hiked for a total of 4 hours, up to the mountain top and then on the trail that runs along the ridges of several mountains, then down again. It was that wonderful mixture of rigorous and rewarding.
Of course it wouldn't be hiking in Korea without passing a few Buddhist temples. I passed 5 on my loop, and although I didn't explore them, they were very picturesque.
The temple in the last picture was brand new (or else getting major renovations!), and parts were still being finished. You can see how the white stone seems so perfect, almost glowing. I purposely didn't include the construction work going on to the right of this scene.
The mountain trail started wide and smooth, and it snaked alongside a stream for a while.
The further I walked, the narrower and steeper the path became. I especially liked how the trails were kept as natural as possible, using tree roots and litters of stones as steps. Some places were very steep and railing or ropes were provided to help you climb up and drop down easily. Below are a few shots of the trail I took. Just as beautiful as the trees, so were the leaves scattered between rocks. I spent a lot of time looking down at my feet, taking careful steps, so it's a good thing the ground was pretty too!
The shot just above to the left, with the rope in it, was the final ascent to a very satisfying vista. I would say it was breathtaking, but truthfully my breath was already gone from the trip up.
This panorama shot above was wider than 180 degrees. Very lovely.
So many buildings tucked in between strong, towering mountains. What blows my mind about the photo above and the city within it is that I don't even think this area is considered Seoul. It's some smaller city. I'm looking out to the east, and on any map Seoul is labeled directly south of this park. Also if you look along the horizon, in the distance you can barely see the blue shadows of some even taller mountains. Over in that direction is where the next Winter Olympics will be held.
I chose this rock facing west to rest on and eat my peanut butter sandwich. The wind was fiercely cold, even though I had a heavy jacket, it still stung my face and hands. But I was determined to enjoy the view.
This shot is of the trail along the top ridges of the mountains. I love these scraggly windblown trees that sheltered me on both sides.
Footnote from the "reckless" youngest child of a family: Yes, I went to the mountains alone and felt safe and nothing bad happened to me. Due to the concerns of those close to me...No, I will not go out alone again. :)
Yeah, well in response to your footnote...listen to your husband and your mother, father and sister! Not sure where David would fall on this topic :-)
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