Hallasan Musings

Halla from the Eorimok Trail

I am forever spoiled by Halla Mountain. Throughout the year, I am awe-struck and inspired again and again by this thumbtack-like mountain.

Some days, her royal Majesty refuses to deign us with her presence, rising above the low-hanging clouds that hug the ground. And on others, her magnetic force pulls in the few clouds, caching her face beneath a veil. How shy she seems.

Feeling above the clouds up on Halla's Yeongshil Trail.

And yet, then come those days where she bursts forth, crown and scepter for all to see, as though her timidity was only a passing phase. A brief memory to be forgotten. On those days, that first glimpse of Halla is always like an arrow to my chest; it stops me in my tracks, my breath hitching in my throat. I wonder if my eyes grow the longer I stare. Pulling them away from her peak is hard and I guess it's not only clouds that feel her magnetic pull. And on those days, I seek constantly for that next glimpse--for that better vantage point. How can others go about their mundane tasks so calmly? How can they not stop and stare?

"Have you seen her?" I want to ask. "Have you looked at Halla today?" I want to shout.

Maybe I'm crazy for feeling such elation from the sight of a mountain, but is it so wrong to find joy in nature?

Someone else's snowman, chilling beside Halla's crown.

With that glimpse in the distance, I'm done. If there's a hiker's anonymous, sign me up now... I'm sure I'll be in good company. It's like a hum in my bones or a poem in my soul. I can hear Maria singing, "climb every mountain" and I long to be off and away.

"The mountains are calling and I must go." You'll find me somewhere out there.

Love and Hugs

Size is relative.

Climbing Mount Halla: Gwaneumsa

I used to think that they were giving you a bit of cushion room when I heard it took about 9 hours round trip to the top of Halla Mountain. They were, I thought, accounting for people who were out of shape or who planned to take longer breaks--or maybe people who planned to climb in the snow or other strenuous conditions.

I've gone up the Seongpanak trail (click for blog post) 3 times now in different seasons and at my weakest, I've taken around 7 and a half hours. When I heard that the Gwaneumsa trail was finally open again, I was ready for a different perspective. And now I know why they say 9 hours.

The Facts for Gwaneumsa (관음사 코스):
Distance: ~8.7 km (sources vary, even on the trail)
Vertical Climb: 620 m start to 1,950m summit
Campground available at base: Sources paid max 6,000 to park, rent site and use shower facilities

Compared to Seongpanak (성판악 코스):
Distance: ~9.6 km
Vertical Climb: 750 m start to 1,950 summit
No campground at base

Conclusion:
Yes, Gwaneumsa is technically shorter (by 2km in the round trip), but you are climbing up an additional 130 m which makes for a whole lot more stairs. Seongpanak is definitely a gentler beginning with the most difficult part at the end. Make sure to bring lots of liquids and snacks for the climb. As of right now, the check point does not sell any food and I don't know if it ever will.

Still, when you finally get out of the trees and can look back toward the coast, it is so worth it.

Panaramic view toward Jeju City. If you can see the small building, its the Check Point about 6km in.

I doubt I will ever climb Halla in better weather conditions. Not only was it an ideal temperature (started with 12° and worked up to about 22°) and sunny, but the day was so clear. I could see islands off the coast that I had no idea existed.

I never knew you could see Gapado and Marado through here! 

That big white half moon shape (Right side close to sea) is the Jeju World Cup Stadium.

Ignoring the lucky weather, I think the highlight of the Gwaneumsa trail in comparison to Seongpanak is that Gwaneumsa weaves more into Halla on the way up and as a result has better views (IMO). Both trails are mainly in the woods until they arrive at their respective check points, but afterward is where the big difference lies. Seongpanak takes you around the dome as it climbs, which is nice, but it's basically looking back at the same parts of the island the whole time. Gwaneumsa takes you into a folded valley and has a switchback, giving you an alternative perspective on the mountain in addition to the distant hills and towns way below AND then the same views as Seongpanak from the top. There was one side of the mountain that reminded me of the hills I trekked around in Somerset. I almost expected a couple of goats or sheep to pop up amid the grass and rocks. Gwaneumsa also has a nice big bridge and some cool caves along the route which again makes it stand out from Seongpanak.

With my sore calf muscles, it's too soon for me to say I'll head up Gwaneumsa again. I still want to summit when there's snow, but who knows what route I'll choose then. Who knows, maybe I'll go up one and down the other when the time comes.

I spy Udo and Sunrise peak~~~

If you're contemplating climbing Halla and are determined to summit, I would recommend Seongpanak if you are not top physical form, but if you would like more of a challenge, hit up Gwaneumsa. If you don't care about going to the summit, hands down I say skip both and do Yeongshil instead. (Or up Eorimok and down Yeongshil; click for Yeongshil in the winter). ㅎㅎ

Happy Trails!

Love and Hugs.

Winter on Halla

... comes faster than I guessed.

Nearly two weeks ago, the heavens gave Hallasan white highlights.  While pretty from a distance, one of my coworkers told me that the Yeongshil (영실) trail leads to a stunning view of the peak and especially in the winter.  Naturally, I decided I had to go and on Friday morning, I set out.

Note: As with any of the trails that go up Halla, there is a time constraint and you can't start going up after a certain time (depending on the season).

Before I add my pictures, let me explain that the weather on Jeju has been around 10˚C (50 in Fahrenheit) and that all the trees around my school still have all their leaves.  While it's no longer short weather, the days are still nice.  And so going into my hike, I wasn't really sure what to expect on the mountain.  Sure, there was snow, but from my school, I can't tell how much--nor am I totally sure how high up it starts.  Plus, with it sweater weather down here, how bad can it be a couple hundred feet higher?  (Ha.)

My first warning came from another man at the bus stop.  On vacation from Seoul, he was all geared up for the hike.  After looking at mine and my friend's clothing, he asked if we would be okay on the mountain.  At that point, I honestly didn't know.  And then we got to the entrance.

This is the road leading from the parking lot to the trail head.

Snow.  Lots of snow.  More than I expected considering we were still a long way from the summit.

Shortly after starting up the main trail.  The surrounding woods were stunning.

It was also colder than I thought it would be. I wasn't freezing, but by the time we were done, my fingers were numb and all I wanted was a warm bath.  Too bad I don't have a bathtub...

As we climbed higher, the white world only continue to dazzle.  It was as though someone dumped paint on everything and huge globs clung to the bushes and trees while the rest fell to blanket the ground.

Close up of one of the bushes.

Looking up the trail and out over the snow-covered shrubs.

Me, a little cold, but happy to be in a winter wonderland!

This was my favourite tree from the climb.

 As the wind blows across the mountain's face, it sculpts and molds the snow covered statues into its own creation. My friend turned to me around this time and said, "Look at all the snow flowers!" and his description is so accurate.

The wind blows the snow into these petal like-shapes and they surround the rope like a flower chain.

While it was still a beautiful hike, the weather wasn't the best for the view.  Clouds clung to the mountainside like peanut butter on bread: thick and impossible to see through.  I felt as though I had jumped into the pages of an adventure story.  Sort of a strange mix between the trekking from Tolkien's LoTR and the Dark Island from Lewis' Voyage of the Dawn Treader.  It was both surreal and humbling.  As we broke the tree line, the wind began to blow something fierce and visibility only got worse.  Without the string running along the trail, we wouldn't have been able to go much farther.  As it was, we didn't stay on the top ridge for long and decided to turn back due to wind and cold.

The cloud cover lifted slightly on the way down.  Here are two pictures of the same tree.  The first was taken on the way up and the second on the way down.

View from a lookout on the way up.

View from the lookout about 1.5 hours later.

I long to go back sometime in the next couple of months better prepared and hopefully with clearer weather. Until then, other adventures await.

Love and hugs!

Mount Halla & Photographs

Me, standing at the trail entrance.

At 1950 meters, Hallasan (한라산) is the tallest mountain in South Korea. It is a dormant volcano that is now a popular tourist attraction for hiking enthusiasts and other travellers.

The tour books and websites will tell you that it is a 9 hour round trip to the top of Mount Halla and back again.  This might be true depending on your walking speed and the current weather--it will most definitely take longer when there is snow on the mountain.  But on the whole, if you are an avid hiker or in good physical fitness, you can do it a lot faster.


This past Monday, it took me 2 and a half hours to climb to the summit of Hallasan.  This was followed by a 45 minute break at the summit to enjoy the view and have a picnic, and then another almost 3 hours back down the mountain.  In total, I was 6 hours on the volcano.

If you don't reach this point by 12:30,
you can't continue to the summit.

The trail is only accessible between certain hours, depending on the season, and the park workers refuse passage to those who reach the last check point too late in the day.

Sheltered by a rich forest of spindly-trunked trees and thick, verdant bush cover, the trail rose steadily up the mountain side for the first stretch.  Then, the last couple kilometers switches to a more rigorous stair climb with a mixture of stone steps and wooden stair cases.  By the time I reached the top, my legs were like red bean paste: all mush and shaking from the effort.

It was so worth it.

I made a new friend while climbing.  Here we are at the top.

Even though it was a pretty clear day, the distant ground looked shrouded in fog.

Back down the path.

Me and the sign.  Gotta pose with the sign.

This is the "summit." At this time of year, it's more dry, but in the spring, there is a small lake/pond here.

 And, some of the other highlights from my vacation week include the following images.  Today I am back to work.  To all my friends and family in the world, Love and Hugs. ;)

Olle Trail 14-1: I found some horses on one of my many hikes. No petting allowed.

Olle Trail 14-1: I love looking out over the farmlands.  They can be so colourful at times.

Olle Trail 9: Daepyeong (대평)

Olle Trail 9: Me and SanBangSan (산방산)

Olle Trail 9: Panorama of SBS and the sea.  So beautiful!