So far in my adventure in South Korea I felt like I didn’t really get to experience the nature of this country. In order to fix that I wanted to go to Seoraksan National Park and do the hike around the uniquely named Dinosaur Ridge. From the information I managed to find online in English, I got the impression that it would take me the whole day, especially as I’m not a very experienced hiker, so I took the first bus I could find and around 7:17am I was behind the gates of Soeraksan. I sat down to have the small breakfast that I packed and then started my hike.
As the information center was closed at the time I had to rely on the signs along the way, and thankfully, there were quite a few of them. Knowing I first needed to get to Biseondae Rock, I followed the signs. Leaving the entrance of the park behind me, I found myself in a forest. I walked in the center, along a very comfortable and easy trail with trees on both sides. To the left there was a river, and I could hear the flow of water all along the way. Every now and then there was another sign in the forest, not showing directions, but rather talking about life in the forest. The animals, creatures, and trees, and how they all live together. I didn’t stop to read every single sign, but I thought it was a nice idea.
Eventually I got past the forest and onto a stone road, which was still pretty easy. Then, after passing a couple of bridges, I finally made it to Biseondae. Being on yet another bridge, I could look at the water rushing over the rocks and creating a unique scene. As this wasn’t the main reason I went in this direction, I didn’t bother sticking around for more than a few moments. But when I crossed the bridge I was on I encountered a problem. There was a split in the road, and while as far as I understood from my basic research I could’ve chosen either path, one of them was closed. Moments later, a few travelers came down from the open path, and one of them managed to tell me that due to a fire that occurred in the area, the way to Dinosaur Ridge is closed.
Not really sure what to do at that point, and curious to see where I’ll end up, I kept going forward along the open path, a very steep path full of stair-like stones which I assume were supposed to make the climb easier. One stair after the other, I climbed up without knowing how long it would take or what’s waiting at the top. As I went up, the sound of the water flowing over the rocks became faded and more distant, and the sounds of the birds became more clear. And at least at this time of the day, there was no one else around to disturb the peace.
After what seemed like a long time, when I was hot and sweaty, I finally finished the steep climb, and got to another split in the road. To the left, another closed path, which meant that not only I can’t go to the Dinosaur Ridge, but I’ll also have to come back down exactly the way I came up. With that discouraging thought I turned to the right, walking along the path to Geumganggul Cave.
The stone stairs were replaced by a metal bridge, and although I was still climbing up, it was easier to make progress that way. It didn’t take long to clear the bridge, and for a moment I was confused, as I didn’t see any cave. It took me a couple of moments, but I looked around and spotted a steep metal staircase, which once again, seemed to go up quite a bit. I stayed at the base of the stairs for a while, taking a look at the dramatic view, and then I resumed my climb, determined to take a look at that cave after going all the way up.
A little while later, and I was finally there. The cave was a lot smaller than I expected, and there wasn’t much in it. Other than the sign that told me to take my shoes off, pretty much nothing else was in English, but I got the impression that this is a place where people can come and pray. After taking another look at the view, I started my climb back down, passed the metal stairs case, onto the stair-like pile of stones, and eventually I got back to Biseondae. From there the path became a lot easier, and it didn’t take me long before I was near the starting point of my trail.
As it was still early in the day, and I didn’t feel very tired (although my knees needed a few moments to recover), I decided to head over to Ulsanbawi Rock. After a brief stop at Sinheungsa Temple, I started walking along the path. It was pretty much a constant incline, but as there were no stairs it wasn’t much of a challenge. And then there were a few stairs, which I wasn’t happy about, but I climbed them anyway, and found myself at Heundeul Rock, next to yet another small cave that is used as a place of worship.
As I didn’t really plan to go to this area of the park, I didn’t do any research about it and had no idea what was waiting for me. At that point, there was a sign which stated that Ulsanbawi was one kilometer away. Thinking that it wouldn’t be long until I got there, I passed Heundeul and the cave, and discovered yet another set of stairs, from both stone and wood, which seemed to never end.
With an internal sigh, I started climbing. Along the way trees covered both sides of the path, although at this point I didn’t find them particularly special. As it wasn’t so early in the day, I also saw more hikers as I went on, some going up, while others already started their descent down to the starting point. There were no rest stops along the way, but every now and then people would step out of the path, or just rest on the path itself, making it a bit of an inconvenience for other people.
I felt like I’d been climbing for hours and the stairs simply refused to end, and all of a sudden there was a gap in the trees, and I was able to get a look at the view for the first time. Something about that sight made me feel a burst of energy, a much needed boost to keep me going and stop me from giving up. Around that point the improvised stairs of stone and wood blocks were replaced by a proper wooden staircase, which was easier and more comfortable to climb, although it still required a lot of effort.
I pushed on, taking one step after the other, getting glimpses of the view behind the trees. I was getting higher and higher, able to touch the treetops and eventually getting beyond them, and the view was finally not obstructed by anything. I gave myself a few moments to take it all in, and catch my breath, but I still wasn’t at the top of Ulsanbawi, so I had to keep going.
At long last, after what seemed like forever, I got up the final stairs and I was at the top, along with a few other people. In the small area, which had railings all around it, people sat down to rest, eat, and look at the very dramatic view in front of their eyes in every direction. And at that altitude, the clouds seemed so close they could almost be touched as they were shifting their position in the sky, hiding one view and revealing another.
Trying to pick somewhat of a more quiet spot, I sat down next to the railing, my feet just about over the edge, tired and awe-struck. The steep climb was brutal, but it was absolutely worth it.
When I finally took a look at the clock, I was surprised to find out it took me less than an hour to climb all the way from Heundeul to Ulsanabawi. After I had rested long enough and felt I was able to do so, I started my descent down to the ground. It still took some effort, but it was easier, and faster. Going down instead of up, I also didn’t feel the need to take any breaks along the path. All I wanted to do was get down to a flat ground as fast as I could, so that my knees would not be in pain anymore.
Even though my original plan didn’t happen, I still enjoyed that day quite a bit. Part of me felt like it could’ve (and maybe should’ve) been better, more grandiose, but there wasn’t much I could do about it. It was a true taste of South Korea’s nature, and I would be happy to see more of it.