Jirisan, oh Jirisan

At 1915m (6280ft) Cheonhwangbong is the highest point in mainland Korea and also my excuse for visiting Jirisan National Park last weekend. Not that I needed much convincing; when it comes to hiking "it is there" is usually a sufficient reason. ^^ Fortunately, many of the people I went with felt likewise.
The plan was this:

* Depart Seoul Friday night and travel overnight to the trailhead.
I went with a group of likeminded hikers - expats like me and locals, all of whom I happily met through Meetup.com - who are so dedicated that not a one balked at our 11:45pm departure. We had to leave so late because, as you can see, our destination was a bit of a ways from Seoul:


* Leave at daybreak and head straight up to the highest peak, making camp only after summiting the peak a few hundred meters further down.
So we did and I have to tell you, I am still not accustomed to the Korean style of hiking. Switchbacks are all but nonexistent here so the incline is intense and, worse still, riddled with stairs - natural and artificial. It was an incredible but tough hike going up and completely unlike anything I had ever attempted before. About halfway up, as is the custom here, was a temple. A charming temple, to say the least. It offered a lovely rest and - bonus! - the most delicious apple I've ever eaten as well as a stone pagoda more than a thousand years old.

Weary but rested we continued on to the summit - resting more and more frequently, I am a bit ashamed to say - and by the time we reached our goal the visibility was almost nonexistent.

Oh well, it's the journey not the destination, right? ^^ Plus, the journey was't over. We'd reached the top but still had to make it to our base camp and then down the mountain. Easier said than done, you know?
Well, actually, one part was easy: going from the summit to the campsite. Less easy was actually overnighting it there. See, the park service kindly offers hikers heated shelters in which to sleep en masse. See we, a group of more than thirty in all, had reserved eight spots. Yep, that's right, eight. So, short story long, a lot of us ended up sleeping outside. The rain gods more or less played nice, though, and although it came close the temperature never actually went below freezing. The consolation prize - because there is always a consolation prize! - was something almost unheard of in Korea: a sky full of stars. It was so wonderful to see stars for once - with the air clean and clear and without the neon technicolors of Seoul you could see so much. It was magical. Just me, the open sky, and the guy snuggling next to me for warmth snoring away.^^

* Break camp and head back home the long way.
We broke camp somewhat later the following day than the day before - I mean, it was fully daylight this time - and headed down. Sort of. First we headed over, then down. The air was clearer today and the views better.




In short, it was breathtaking. My camera did not - does not - do it justice, but the sheer rawness of the beauty was fantastic. The way down was no easier than the way up, although a quick dip in a waterfall was exactly as soothing as you would expect. In sum, was a lovely time with lovely people and I would go back again in a heartbeat.