This weekend marks the last of my mountain hiking in Korea.

I have to admit, this fact didn’t really impress itself upon me while I was doing the actual hiking and climbing, but sitting here now I can look back and realise that this is in fact the case.

After completing my two challenges in both Gyeryongsan and Songnisan National Parks, the final stamp I need to claim will be a much more sedate adventure involving a beautiful coastal walk.

And while I have loved every moment of my national park mountain hiking adventures, even the ones where I sweated buckets and did a bit of internal swearing like a trooper, I have to admit, I’m a smidge tired. A little worn around the edges. And truth be told, my final hike also included rather a lot of pain in my ribs.

I have been hiking regularly now for two months. I have climbed so many miles and mountains I have lost count. Touched so many summit stones I feel the texture is now permanently ingrained in my skin.

And it has been the best experience of my life.

Honestly.

I am so glad I made the decision to base my road trip around these absolutely amazing parks, but I am also ready to take things a little easier and move into a different mode as I approach the end of my time in Korea.

Each of my final hikes had their unique features. Gyeryongsan took me across a delightful ridge walk with expansive views and exciting rock climbing along the way. Songnisan had the distinction of having the most impressive temple out of all of those I visited in Korea.

Let’s take a gander at the first hike, shall we?

I experienced a little bit of apprehension with my plan for Gyeryongsan and that’s because, as with all my other hikes, I was following information that had been provided by other hikers. It seemed the trek in question, summiting the double peaks of Sambulbong (775m) and Gwaneumbong (766m), was described by some as very tough with some worrying rock climbing, including navigating along very narrow ridges. So here I am having flashbacks to my long steep hike with Jae and the knife edge we crossed at Sinbulsan. Still, it wasn’t enough to put me off, just enough to make me both wary and to make sure I was mentally ready to tough it out for the duration of the climb.     

As it turns out, either the people were just talking complete nonsense or I have really just become used to national park hiking and am now fitter than I give myself credit for.  

Yes, the hike was strenuous; it was a steep climb, especially the last push to the summit. However, it certainly was by no means overwhelming; the forest was lovely, in a state of leaflessness and with beams of sunlight shining through.

And as for the ridge walk over to the second peak, it was marvellous fun. The scenery was outstanding, made even better by the clear skies and perfect weather, and as for the rock climbing, well, the rock was at a rather steep angle sideways meaning you had to use the handrail to pick your way across the top of it, but it was nothing dangerous or worrying at all.

Overall, a thumbs up and a review from me saying it was a nice walk.    

   

My level of general tiredness was really apparent to me the following day as I prepared to set off for Songnisan; not quite exhaustion, but nearing it, and I had to muster the energy and enthusiasm for today to be enjoyable. A large part of the problem was that my ribs were really giving me problems this morning, so much so, that I had to find a pharmacy in the local town before I began my hike to buy some pain killers in order to start my walk. With a deep breath (which I then regretted as it turned onto a sharp intake from pain), I strapped on my pack and headed for the trail.

Even before getting to the hiking trail that takes you to Munjangdae peak, you have to pass by Beopjusa Temple. Even from a distance, I can tell that the complex is big and will be worth exploring, but decide to get the most demanding part of the day over with before ending with a decompressing walk around the temple.

Now, I don’t really know what happened during the hike up to the peak, but when I check back through my photos for the day, I found I took exactly 4 photos along the way, the most interesting of which was this…

Yeah. That’s a big boulder sitting in the woods. And while interesting in its own right (at least to me, cause I find that sort of thing rather interesting – how did it get there?), I usually take less mundane shots as I go. So I have no clue what happened here today. Or maybe I slightly do, I think I got distracted by the chap hiking in front of me and didn’t really notice my dearth of photography.

What happened was this…

Walking past Beopjusa this morning I made a bit of a decision to take a road hike rather than follow the signposted trail through the woods. Why? Well, to put it plainly, I was tired. And I hurt. I wanted today to be as simple and as easy as I could make on myself. Well, as simple and as easy as climbing a 1,029m mountain can be. And so my road walk began. It was still intensely pretty, I was walking through a lovely forest that was wide and open with a small lake set to the side, and I could see everything that I would if I was hiking the wooded trail, which was totally visible from the road. I also noticed that there was a chap in front of me, hiking roughly at my speed, maybe a smidge faster, and looking every bit a seasoned hiker. He seemed he looked like he knew what he was about, and when the road forked or there was a road verses trail decision, he kept taking the road without hesitation. And so I did too.

I can’t quite remember how it came that I spoke to him. It may have been that he stopped and I simply caught up and we exchanged greetings. But however it happened, for a short while at least, I had a bit of a hiking partner again. My new acquaintance didn’t speak any English, and so this gave me my toughest challenge yet of talking with someone. He was very gracious and patient when he would ask me a question and I would attempt to understand what he had said and then slowly respond in my very stilted Korean.

He asked the obvious questions about where I was from and about visiting Korea, but also if I hiked Songisan often and I explained it was my first time here. I also managed to ask him the same and he replied he was a frequent hiker here. I tried my best to explain about my national park road trip and how many parks I had been to.

Along the way we passed two older hikers sat on the side of the trail and as I walked by they kindly offered me a cup of coffee which I declined but thanked them for and they cheerfully waved me off.

The hiker chap had pulled ahead of me walking and I thought that would be the last I would see of him for the day, but about ten minutes later, I discovered a random little mountain café hut on the trail and low and behold I could see my hiker friend there at the counter and looking in my direction as if he were waiting. As I approached he waved me over and asked if I would like a coffee.

And here is where both my Korean weakness and general Britishness fail me. I smiled and very politely declined his invitation. Urgh. I’m still kicking myself now over this. Really. I could have potentially had another day of hiking with someone and making a new friend, and I was just too worried about my lack of ability to communicate, my dislike of coffee, and feeling awkward because of these things to grab the chance. And he seemed like such a nice chap too.

And maybe it was because I was kicking myself every step I took all the way to the top, that I didn’t take any photos or really notice the rest of the climb, except I remember there being a lot of natural rock steps and sweating a lot.

Still, I reached the top.

And oddly it didn’t feel like a summit at all.

The stone was placed on a rather open plateau with a further observation point above it. There were plenty of people floating around here, it was yet another Saturday. I got my summit picture before checking out the scenery from the higher rocks.

On my way back down to the platform I scanned the area looking for a place to plonk myself for lunch, and lo and behold spot my hiker chap off to the side on his own eating. I’m still ruminating over this, and wish I had the courage and language to go and say hello, but when he looks up and spots me, he simply waves and looks away.

So I find a rock to call my own instead.

I am just mid-munch when another person sits themself down next to me. I look over and discover a second hiking chap has joined me. And this one speaks English. He is actually extremely friendly and chatty, roughly my age, and we spend a good half hour discussing the hiking here at the park, the weather, England and Korea, and I ask him about his work. It turns out he works for a British company based in Manchester as their Korean distributor and has visited the UK before, hence his language skills. He’s also kindly gives me a packet of butter waffle biscuits to welcome me to his country. Well, this has turned out to be a good lunch break after all.

I also find I am fascinated by his lunch today, he has a boil in the bag rice dish. Now that in itself isn’t very unusual, but what is amazing is the bag is in fact boiling. I can literally see the bag vibrating and steaming from the effort of cooking. But all the chap has done is open the bag. It isn’t over a stove and he hasn’t added any water or form of heat. It’s a self-cooking meal and is obviously giving off a massive amount of heat. It’s amazing! I have never seen this before and he is quite amused by my intense interest in it.

As much as I have enjoyed my lunch, I am ready to go. I had been debating on whether to carry on and hike part of the ridge towards the highest peak, but I decide I have hit my limit today, aided by my lack of energy, painful ribs, and the fact I am still seething at myself for the earlier coffee incident.

Before I pack up to go, I try and decide whether I have the courage to ask hiker number two if he wants to hike down together, but I just don’t have it in me. I feel a bit of a loser, but just have to accept I need to work on my social skills and, more importantly, my nervous awkwardness that hits at the worst of times.      

Walking around Beopjusa Temple when I reach the mountain base makes me feel better. It is designated as a UNESCO sight and has a couple features that simply blow me away. Namely these…

And with that, I am ready to call time on my mountains.

Although, it’s not like I won’t still be walking a huge amount while here. And it’s not like I won’t see the mountains, they’re everywhere of course. But my last peaks have been conquered and now all that remains is to head off in search of the coast for my final stamp and the end of my national park adventures.

But that’s another blog of course…