South Korea Pt.3 "Mt. Hallsan"

  Mt. Hallasan was a hike for an individual who was experienced. My girlfriend and I had hiked many mountains and trails before but Hallasan proved difficult, especially if hikers travelling together are not on the same level. It was certainly a full day experience for a regular average paced hiker. An experienced hiker finds the hike easy with proper footwear and decent amounts of water. The park opens very early but the path to the summits (Gwaneumsa Trail and Seongpanak Trail) do not fully open until there is substantial light in the sky. Hikers must hike to the Samgakbong Shelter or Jindallaebet Shelter before 12:30pm which was about 3-4 hours from the parking lot. We arrived later in the day to attempt Hallasan due to the fact that people were unable to make it out before 7am. We had hoped that the online schedules and recommended times of visit wouldn’t lead us astray, alas we ended up at Hallasan late with ideas of how to arrive to the campgrounds and what not as well. The original plan was to camp at the foot of Hallasan in the Gwaneumsa   Campsite with rental gear that can be arranged through a friend of the Discovery Expedition Store in Jeju-Si. But due to the busy holiday time in Korea, the stores were hard to get to and from in the little time we had been in Jeju. Life would have been a lot easier if we had our international driver’s license to rent scooters or a vehicle. With the day spent taking public transportation to the Jeju National University which we walked through heading south (towards the mountain and Seogwipo-Si), we realized that the best thing to do after learning of our misfortune was to continue over to the other side of the island from Seongpanak Trail entrance for a tasty stewed fish meal from the fish market and some coastal scenery photography (taking bus 780).

In hindsight we had no way of knowing that the Gwaneumsa Trail was closed due to a rockslide; nor did we know that once at the National University, the cabs would not be travelling there because of the holiday. What is quite possible is actually getting on bus 780 or getting on the main road to a trail and hitch hiking. We were at the bus stop for 780 when a nice hiker had asked if we needed a ride when I merely inquired as to how far the trail was up ahead.

  The day was spent and we made arrangements to arrive at the mountain very early (leaving HK Jeju at around 7am), well before 9am. We learned we had wasted a lot of time walking the long way around to Hallasan. We could have made it easier and less tiring for our team if we had simply just taken the cross island bus 780 (516-Jungmun Gosokhwa). We read online about different routes, and possible shortcuts. The research led us to the National University of Jeju which should have been continued by taxi to the camp or climbing site if it were accurate enough to provide that the taxis don’t travel that way during the holiday.

  Sure enough the hike was a note worthy one, and required a lot of patience from the irregular hikers. There was not a lot of beautiful sights along the way or random little shops that you can walk into and take a short break looking at little knick knacks. But the hike was testing and rewarding for the purpose of knowing one’s own limits. Pushing ahead always seemed to be the hardest after a short rest. As long as a person makes it to Jindallabelt before noon, they would have basically completed the hike requirements. There was instant coffee, porridge and a couple small snacks that were available for purchase in the Shelter but obviously they were quite expensive. There are not many bathrooms along the way (it is recommended you use the facilities before climbing). Once hikers are near the top, the rock terrain and almost non-existent path clears and turns into semi completes rock slabs in a stacked like stairs. There are cables along the sides (sometimes lying on the ground) that are handy for helping one pull oneself up the mountain when they feel they are losing their footing. One at the top of the mountain there is a gorgeous view of the sun, not much area to sit around and a rather disappointing view of a dirty pond in the bottom of the crater. Yes, the irony of climbing so hard and so far to simply get a glimpse of this heaven height oasis can prove to be a disappointment for folks who have climbed more difficult trails but would like to see a volcano crater lake. I recommend just smiling and saying “we did, we made it to the top.” The unfortunate part is for inexperienced hikers, they need to climb back down the entire trail. There are no gondolas, campsites,  helicopter pads, absolutely nothing except your own two feet. The fortunate part for everyone is that the perception of the climb down is that it is faster than it was on the way up. From there, it is home you go for a rest before a tasty celebratory dinner.

  Later after dinner, given it is not too late, it is recommended to work off the meal with some walking through the Jeju Jangang Shopping Mall. The Shopping Mall is underground and located on the same street as the Dongmun Traditional Market and the Jeju Dongmun Fisheries Market. There is everything from unknown Korean brand clothing to famous brand name cosmetics and Clothing. ATM’s are available inside, it is not unheard to find places in there that take Visa or Union Pay debit Cards either. The Shopping mall is a great way to end your time in Jeju (picking up souvenirs so they are not carried the entire duration of the trip).