Seoraksan Part One

Time: Friday, 9:00pm
Place: In bed, under the covers
TV: The Devil Wears Prada
Feeling: Warm, relaxed, and cozy
Sound: beep, beep, beeP, beEP, bEEP, BEEP, BEEP!!!

"Ugh ok, ok I'll wake up to turn you off!"

What was I doing waking up from a peaceful slumber at 9PM on a Friday night?

No, it wasn't a disco nap. Well, I guess it sort of was. Maybe I could call it a mountain nap.

I was waking up to grab my back pack, throw on my hiking boots, and head into Seoul. You see, I signed up for a weekend trip to Seoraksan & Sokcho with Seoul Hiking Group, and we were leaving at 11:30pm. I almost backed out. I was sleeping so good, and did NOT want to get up. And The Devil Wears Prada was on. But, no! I put my big girl panties on and got moving.

Why were we leaving so late?

Because we had to get there by 3am to start hiking to see the sunrise, that's why!



So, we all met outside the bus stop around 11:00pm. I met a few nice girls, and was feeling great about this weekend trip. I had a rough week, and was really looking forward to a break. I managed to sleep on the bus, so when we arrived at 2:30am I was pumped and ready to go.

Then the bus door opened.

"Whoa!" X about the 40 people on the bus...it was freakin' cold outside.

But, still...I was ok. I just added my hoodie underneath my jacket, and threw on my sweats over my frog legs and shorts. So we all congregated near the coffee tent before starting, and took a few pictures.



And then we were off. Now, before I go any further I should explain what my expectations were before starting. I signed up for the 11 hour hike. I know that sounds like a long time, but considering breaks and lunch, and the fact that I can walk forever, it didn't seem that bad. I was expecting a gradual climb. My mind saw switch backs and dirt paths. Like the kind I have hiked on in Colorado, Montana and England.

NORMAL HIKING TRAIL


KOREAN HIKING TRAIL

I took the above picture later on in the day, so the part of the hike I'm referring to doesn't even have proper photo documentation. I guess it was really more like this:

Ok, so maybe not JUST like that.

Anyways, the beginning of the hiking trail was stairs. I'm sorry, did I say the beginning?

I meant the first FOUR hours.

Rubber stairs, metal stairs, rock stairs, rock "stairs", and rocks. And rocks.

And rocks.

"Shit, what did I get myself into?" I thought. We weren't just hiking up one big mountain. We were going straight over smaller ones first. No switchbacks. Just straight up and over.

And it was dark and freezing! Yeah, I had a flash light...but it just made it harder to CLIMB up the rock "stairs", since both hands were needed so as not to fall off the side of the mountain.

I ended up sticking with 4 people: Kelly, Erica, Tim, and Faina. Kelly and Tim had been hiking in South Korea before, so they knew what their trails are like. But, Erica, Faina, and I had no clue it would be like this. We were a happy bunch, let me tell ya.

I could go on forever about those first 3-4 hours, but nothing will illustrate how difficult it was for us. Oh wait, there is one thing that might.

About 3 hours in, we were finally on a less rugged trail and we passed by a Korean man laying on his back with people all around him. And he was not breathing.
We kept walking, but about an hour later, an emergency rescue helicopter flies right over our heads in the direction of where the dead man was.

mmmm...anyways...

It was obvious we wouldn't make it to the optimal spot for sunrise, so this is the best I could do:




We were only about an hour away from the first shelter, when we made it to one of the mountain's peaks. The clouds were flying over us, and the wind was seriously testing my balance. But considering I would have fallen off a mountain if I lost my balance, I made sure to keep my yoga skills in check.



After a few more eternities, I saw it.

SHELTER!!! A BATHROOM!!! WATER!!! A PLACE TO GET OUT OF THE WIND!!!

Yes, ladies and gentlemen, we finally made it to the first stop. And just writing about it has worn me out.

Stay tuned for Seoraksan Part Two!