Climbing in the mi(d)st of Seoraksan National Park
by SARAH SHAW on Nov 12, 2012 – 4:14 pm
In Seoraksan National Park, towering, jagged peaks jut into layers of clouds overhead. Waterfalls pour off the rocky cliffs, and clear waters flow, carving paths through the valleys. Encompassing 373 km of land, Seoraksan has, throughout history, been a sacred place for Buddhist pilgrimages and monastic life, as well as a muse for artists who have continually found inspiration through Seoraksan’s beauty and peaceful ambiance. Additionally, thousands of international and domestic visitors, dressed head to toe in fluorescent hiking apparel, flock to this famous mountain range each year, intrigued by the jagged landscape with views all the way to the East Sea.
Last weekend, I hiked Seoraksan with Adventure Korea, a budget travel company catered to foreigners, who generously sponsored my trip. On arrival at Seoraksan National Park, located in Korea’s northeastern Gangwon province, we ate heaps of rice and vegetables mixed withgochujang, red pepper paste, at an all-you-can-eat bibimbap restaurant for lunch. Shortly after, we embarked on our first hike.
My friend Charlie photo bombing my shot of the main gate.
We began the hike by walking through the main gate of Seoraksan National Park, surrounded by a sea of other hikers. Usually hoards of people visit Seoraksan in the fall to see the colorful foliage splayed throughout the mountains. However, with rain in the forecast, the crowds lessened, and the majority chose to steer clear of the potentially slippery paths.
Near the entrance, we passed the exquisite, bronze Great Unification Buddha of Sinheungsa(Sinheung Temple), called the “Tongil Daebul,” illuminated by golden yellow and crimson foliage. Within this hollow statue are three pieces of the Buddha’s sari, collected after his cremation and donated by the government of Myanmar. This statue represents the Korean peoples’ wish for reunification of their divided country.
Visitors from all over the world write prayers on roof tiles, comprising a myriad of positive messages in various languages.
Here’s Seokjin, our guide and the owner of Adventure Korea, standing before Sinheungsa on the base of the mountain. At this point, we split into two groups. The more enthusiastic hikers chose the three and a half hour route to Ulsan Bawi, traversing up a series of never ending staircases, while the others opted to take the cable car to Gwongeumseong Fortress and continue on to see the Biryong Waterfall.
I chose to hike to Ulsan Bawi. On the way, we listened to sounds of Buddhist chanting as we passed another temple.
We began climbing the first of many staircases that have been built into the natural curves of the mountain to accommodate thousands of visitors who choose to summit Ulsan Bawi each year.
Crowds gathered around the Kyejoam Seokgul Hermitage to rest, buy an expensive snack or snap a photo. This hermitage must be quite peaceful in the hot summer months and frigid winter, when the number of visitors lessen.
We trudged up several long, narrow staircases, occasionally stopping to gaze at the staggering peaks in the distance. I saw several Koreans resting on rocks and surfing the web on their smartphones. Even on Seoraksan, 3G networks are readily available to post Instagrams and play a quick game of Angry Birds.
I snapped this photo of a woman posing on another peak, portraying how small and unimportant we are in comparison to the massive scale of Seoraksan.
Once we reached Ulsan Bawi, my friend Mary and I posed for a photo. From this point, we could see large slabs of rock, haphazardly stacked like a child’s tower of toy blocks. To the right, two adjoining cities with tall apartment complexes stood on solid ground, and beyond, we glimpsed the East Sea’s expansive shoreline.
After descending the mountain in a much quicker manner, we walked along rocky paths next to calm streams, and tried to escape the clouds increasingly growing darker overhead.
We passed groups of hikers sitting on teal plastic chairs, enjoying makkoli (rice wine) andpajeon (fried pancake with seafood and vegetables) under the vibrant trees. I pulled my hood over my head, as the rain lightly pattered down.
Once we arrived at a small village in the inner Osaek Valley, some of us chose to bathe in the small sauna in the basement of our motel, complete with a hot and warm pool, while others walked to the Osaek Hot Springs down the street. I chose the former, and while the baths were quite nice, I wish I had gone to the sauna down the street, containing a greater variety of pools, including water from the natural hot springs.
After changing into clean clothes, we walked to a nearby restaurant and devoured some samgypsal (pork belly), sundubu chiggae (soft tofu stew) and duenjang chiggae (soy bean paste stew), along with a couple bottles of soju, of course. Unfortunately the only noraebang was closed for the night, so instead of singing, we brought the party (rather a small gathering of tired hikers) back to our motel, and we all fell asleep before midnight.
The next morning, in the midst of a light rainfall, eleven people from our group chose to embark on the Heulimgol course, a more challenging hike, while the others slept for an extra hour and took the shorter Jujeongol course. I joined the hardcore group of hikers, and with our ponchos, raincoats and enthusiasm, we hopped on a bus and headed towards the beginning of the trail.
The Dream Team, taking a break in front of a waterfall.
Although the rain leaked through my supposedly waterproof jacket, the light drizzle, hanging clouds, and lack of crowds enhanced the peaceful ambiance of Seoraksan. Towards the end of the hike, before drinking natural mineral water from within the mountain’s rocky core, we passed Yongso Waterfall and Osaeksa, another tranquil Buddhist temple.
After completing the three and a half hour hike through Seoraksan’s inner valleys, we ate a healthy Korean lunch before embarking on the bus ride home. As I sat in my seat, I wiped the condensation off my window and watched the raindrops drip slowly down the foggy glass. Along with an energetic group of expats, I thoroughly enjoyed Seoraksan’s daunting peaks, calm waters, and expansive views covered with bright fall foliage. Seoraksan’s outer and inner trails are among the better treks that I’ve undertaken in Korea. Even in the rain, I would gladly climb them again.
