One day. 54 Kilometers. Sound crazy? Yeah, I think so too.
What better opportunity to hike around the perimeter of Korea’s second largest island, Geojedo than Buddha’s Birthday, a three-day holiday weekend here in Korea. Tomorrow night we’ll head south with South Hiking Group to attempt what seems impossible.
Have a fantastic weekend!
xx
On my most recent trip to Jirisan National Park, I opted to solely take my Lomography Supersampler. Typically, I take three cameras on every hiking excursion: DSLR, Holga and Supersampler. To streamline both my editing process and my backpack, I wanted to try traveling light.
Some bad things happened. I dropped my camera down the mountain. It started taking bites out of film. I had communication problems / I made a mistake when dropping my film off to be developed. All in all, this roll of film is confusing. If anyone has any insight into why this roll of film is all a bit exposed / milky / sepia toned / sad looking, I would love to hear it! I thought this was a role of slide film to be cross processed, but now I’m thinking… no. Not so much.
Digital and details coming soon.
Flanked by three national parks, Danyang is a small town nestled in a beautiful valley southeast of Seoul in the North Chungcheong Province. We headed to Danyang in search of an epic hiking weekend (shocking, I know). Two days, two national parks. Our plan was to hike Woraksan National Park on Saturday followed by Sobaeksan National Park on Sunday. Waking up to a never-ending downpour bright and early Saturday morning put an obvious hitch in our plans. With no end to the rain in sight (and English tourism maps in hand), we headed to the next best thing.
Only a hop, skip and jump away from Danyang, Gosu Cave is an attraction worth a visit. Entrance to the cave is only ₩5,000. The cave has a well-designed system of walkways and staircases that lead you through a leisurely 45-minute tour. As with every tourist attraction in Korea, there are awkwardly placed, makeshift photo studios complete with stone-faced Korean families that make for good entertainment along the way.
To get to Gosu Cave by foot from Danyang, walk across the river on the red bridge and continue straight for a mere 10 – 15 minutes to the entrance of the cave. You can’t miss it! Alternatively, a cab would cost about 3,000 and take less than 5 minutes.
Up next: Danyang Part 2: Woraksan National Park.
Nearly a month ago, on March 31st, I headed to Songnisan National Park with Seoul Hiking Group. Songnisan had been at the top of my mountain bucket list since last fall, when my beau and I had a travel mishap and couldn’t locate our bus that was scheduled to take us to our destination.
This was one of the most physically challenging hikes I have experienced. The terrain was not particularly challenging, but I had an absolutely horrendous hike. I’m not sure what caused my muscles to feel like black liquid was oozing out of them with ever step I took, but for the duration of this hike, I seriously struggled. I was thankful for wonderful, supportive companions that were patient with me (when they would have been better off gently nudging me off of the edge).
Despite not being physically up to par, Songnisan did not disappoint. We began our hike in the Janggakgol Valley, welcomed by an emerald waterfall. From here, we followed a series of rural backroads flanked by fields until we reached the unassuming trail head. To be honest, independent of an organized hike, I’m not certain how accessible this route would be by public transportation. We ascended (struggled) to Birobong, the second highest peak in the park and then continued across the mountain to the highest peak, Munjangdae. A single rock perched at 1,033 meters, Munjandae offers impressive (and gratifying) views in every direction.
After briefly basking in our success, we descended to Beopjusa, the temple that houses the stunning gold Buddha. If possible, I would highly recommend this hiking course. Finishing at Beopjusa was a fantastic reward at the end of a 6-hour hike. The quality of light as the sun was setting also added to the incredible ambience and allure of the temple.
Songnisan National Park is a must-do for anyone who loves to hike in Korea.
For another take on Songnisan National Park, check out Tigers and Magpies guide to the park. This map from The South Korean Travel Guide is also extremely helpful (and in English!).
I am swamped in photographs to edit from all of the amazing adventures the coming of spring has brought over the last few weeks. Expect loads of posts to roll out in the coming week (and weekend)! This photograph was taken this past Sunday at Woraksan National Park. Absolutely incredible!
Loads more photographs are on their way. Happy spring!
More details to come with the digital shots of Soyang Dam, Chuncheon. Off to two (yes, two!) national parks for the weekend for some mountain magic. Armed with cameras and film a-plenty, I can’t wait!
I’ve alway been a huge fan of Muuido, the small island off the coast of Incheon. It’s barely outside
of Seoul, but operates on a completely different pace. One convenience store, a few bathrooms, a handful of restaurants and, of course, the “rustic” huts, make for a great breath of fresh air from the city. To ring in the supposed arrival of spring (perhaps I was a bit too optimistic), we headed to the island with Seoul Hiking Group. Armed with food, refreshments and, foolishly, our swimsuits, we
set up camp for the weekend. It was a bit too icy to truly enjoy, but the fantastic sunset made it totally worth it. Muuido was a wonderful escape.
