The drizzle seemed like a constant, albeit intermittent, coming in spurts every few minutes or so. But compared to when we first started our hike up Yeongsil Trail, the hike down Eorimok Trail was much friendlier, so we could afford to stow our raincoats away and take a leisurely stroll, so to speak, largely pretending there weren’t droplets raining on our parade, so to speak. Because isn’t that what we all should do? Keep walking, keep moving, forward, until we reach our destination.
It’s so easy to be comfortable inside the Shelter, sharing the scant warmth with the other hikers that sought some refuge from the not-all-that-fair weather outside. But we were fully aware we had to start going down from Hallasan.
Because this is as far as we can go. There is another trail leads a bit higher up, although not the summit, but it was closed that time. I think the trail was already closed to the public, actually.
At 11:45AM…
…we said our goodbyes to the Shelter, took one last longing look at the fog-shrouded direction of Hallasan’s summit, the Baengnokdam.
And then we set off.
Eorimok Trail in the northwest side of Hallasan is a trail that is frequented by beginners, and we immediately understood why that is. In fact, elderly hikers – those that cannot handle much impact – seem to favor this course, even as a back trail, because the paths are much feet-friendlier and easier on the knees.
Eorimok Trail is slightly longer than Yeongsil Trail: 6.8 km to Yeongsil’s 5.8. Accounts online say that it’d take 3 hours on average to complete one way.
Wooden trails, mostly
Once again, I got to truly appreciate and even marvel at the workmanship that went into constructing this trail. Stone paths, with wooden platforms interspersed at various parts, were solidly built, with steel cable tires lining both sides, clearly marking where hikers should stay and where they shouldn’t venture out of.
I must say, this effort to keep foot traffic away from the flora surrounding the trails was very effective, since they were clearly untouched and untrodden upon.
As we were going down, the clouds were lifting some. Or maybe it was our imagination. Or maybe it was the elevation, as is mostly the case in high areas like these, where it’s all sunny and shiny down there, but as you go up the mountain, the weather can actually become foul.
Now we started seeing snatches of the blue sky here and there, and even felt the heat of the sun. And it still looked pretty to my eyes.
Apparently this is a popular trail during springtime, when flowers are in full bloom, and the panorama can be clearly seen.
We decided to be relaxed with our pace, considering how we weren’t completely relaxed during our ascent, having to battle with rains and wind. It was just a time to have fun, and we made stops numerous times just to take photos and videos of each other.
We met other hikers along the way, going up via Eorimok Trail, and other hikers from Yeongsil Trail also passed us as we were just taking our sweet time.
It was 12:20…
…when we arrived at a wide raised platform that was essentially a viewdeck, perched atop Mansedongsan Hill. The signboard said it is called the Mansedongsan Hill Observatory.
The view was great, even then. In fairer weather, I’d bet the view’d be spectacular. The photo on the signboard showed that, from this observatory, you can see Baengnokdam’ on the other side, the rolling slopes of the Eorimok Trail, and then again on another side, the surrounding, lower oreums.
That, right there, is a real bird. At first we thought it was a carved figure, because it was unmoving. Then it cocked its head slightly to the side, betraying its actual form, haha!
Oh, interestingly, that orange box right there is filled with knick-knacks that seem useful for emergencies, like a small torch, some batteries, ropes and even bandages, if I remember correctly.
I’m not sure who it’s for, or who put it there, but it definitely comes in handy during emergencies for hikers.
Maybe this box was strategically placed here, which was marked as an area that was burned into ashes back in April 24 2012 because an irresponsible climber discarded a cigarette butt carelessly. This resulted to thousand-year-old trees being burned to the ground.
There’s a water stop, a natural spring, where you can drink or refill your water bottles. Springwater has this distinct taste to it that just screams “fresh!” and “clean!” and this was no different.
I like that there were also dippers provided for you to drink from, provided you wash it thoroughly when you’re done, in consideration of the other hikers.
That water stop also seemed to mark the end of the gently sloping trail, because what followed were trails that reminded us that we are actually descending the mountain now.
Some parts were steep, but no less safe, since the trails were still well-constructed. This time we were walking under tall trees and much thicker foliage, instead of the wide open spaces on all sides.
There is a lot of thrill in clambering over rocks and rough terrain during a hike, but there were none of that to be had here because hikers are spared from doing that with these wooden bridges that went over those rocky terrain.
One part of me was disappointed, but another found it to still be a novel idea. Also, it gives you more opportunity to enjoy the walk and the view at the same time, instead of focusing solely on your footing.
Even without looking at markers, we kinda sensed that we were getting closer to the end of the trail. This was 0.5 kilometers from the entrance (or exit, in our case).
Finally, at 1:50PM…
…we arrived at the exit of Eorimok Trail!
It took us 2 hours, tops. When they said it’s supposed to take 3. Maybe we took the trail too quick? Not quite sure, but time sure flies when you’re having fun.
Somehow, while we were hanging out at the entrance, I kinda felt cheated. Why?
Because from the way the sun was shining down here, it’s hard to imagine that it was raining sleets earlier that morning.
As you can see from the photos of the Parking Area below, which was far from empty, there was still a significant number of hikers that came here. And somehow I took comfort in the fact that we weren’t alone in going at it.
So what did I take away from this experience?
One: Once again, I was impressed by the passion for hiking of South Koreans that, despite the foul weather, they still continued to climb the mountain.
This is not my first time climbing in bad weather. I still remember that stormy climb where we had to hike up a path that literally turned into a raging mini-stream up Mt. Bulusan (read about it here) and it was definitely much worse than this weather. The only thing we had to contend with here is getting wet, and having to brave the strong wind that at times lashed out at us.
Two: About 75% of the hikers we encountered on both trails were elderly, men and women who are well past the age of 50, and were still going strong on the trails. Some of them even overtook us, which we gladly let them because we were taking photos.
And they were well-equipped, too. Again, I felt myself going green with envy at how nice (and colorful!) their hiking garb looked, all the way to their shoes and backpacks. And hats.
And clearly they were there for the hiking experience, and the exercise, I assume. Because there were no cameras in sight. In fact, the only cameras I spotted came in the form of mobile phones (or handphones, as the Koreans call them) and they were owned by the younger hikers.
Three: It made my desire to go up to the summit or Baeknongdam much intense. Granted, if I come back here (scratch that, when I come back), I may not take Yeongsil Trail or Eorimok Trail again, because I’ll be gunning for the Seongpanak-Gwaneumsa Course to reach the summit.
All that being said, I am still glad that we went through with this, and I’d like to thank my BFF and travel buddy Rog for going with it. I know hiking is not her thing, and I was the one to suggest this as part of our itinerary, and she agreed.
And I admit to starting to feel disheartened after that Seongpanak Trail hike went bust that I just didn’t know what to do, but she gave that push and said we should do Yeongsil-Eorimok instead, even if it meant having to take a bus and cab ride that will take another hour, and more KRW to spend…. She pretty much indulged me, and I lufff her for that.
I do believe this won’t be the last hiking/climb adventure that I’ll be dragging her to, and that she’d agree to. *fistpump* Yasss!
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