Choongbook Danyang Keumsusan Climb in Korea- Course 1 to Course 2

1.     Date and Time : June 17, 2018 08:30~14:30 (6 hours including break one hours).

2.     Location : Danyang District at Choongbook Province in Korea.

3. Distance and Course : About 7.45km. Course is to start at Sanghakdong Parking Lot => Phallus Park => Break and Rest Area => Keumsusan Summit (1016m altitude) => Keumsusan Samgeori => Back to at Sanghakdong Parking Lot .

4.     Access :

There is several ways to connect “Dong Seoul Bus Terminal (” by means of subway lines No. 2 at Gangbyun Station) where you should get on Intercity bus line bound for Maepo Bus Stop, non-stop and taking two hours and 10 minutes. When you get off at the Maepo Bus Stop, you should walk to Pyungdong Bus Stop taking about 5 minutes for 362m distance. Please take bus bound for Pyungdong and get off at Pyungdong Bus Stop taking 28 minutes for 6 times bus stop passing. You should walk to Keumsusan Climb Start taking about 25 minutes for 1.65km. Please refer more details to the “Transportation from Dong Seoul Bus Terminal to Keumsusan Climb Start”. You could simply take reverse course on your way back home. But take local Bus at other side of the Road. I could estimate total transportation is about three hour and thirty minutes for one way which comes total 7 hours for round trip. But you would reduce this transportation time to 5 hours for round trip in case you use private car or rent car which you could save two hours for the transportation. 

5.     Overall Remarks.

Geumsusan is located between Danyang and Jecheon in Choongcheong Bukdo Province in Korea which is 1,016m altitude. As you climb at the Summit, you should see great scenery about Choongju Lake twisting Keumsusan at South West, Sobaeksan Mountain at East and nearly vertical cutting rock of Wolaksan Mountain and Malmoksan Mountain at South which they are so well harmonized each other and making so spectacular and fantastic scenery. Geumsusan was originally named as Baekamsan which Mr. Lee Hwang changed as Geumsusan while he was assigned to Danyang District Governor taking into account there were so various different color and shape of rock and especially these rocks were well matched to colorful dead leaves like yellow, red, yellow red and so on. Basic shapes of Geumsusan are looks like woman lying on Geumsusan Mountain with head or face features which give different image depend on season change. There was a story most women live at villages around Geumsusan were so energetic that most men living at these villages used to die early death provably due to women’s too energetic force.  Therefore people took decision to install phallus sculptures at the Geumsusan so as to protect the men from women’s over energetic force. Thereafter most young men lived with normal life times. If any new marriage couple stayed overnight at Poomdalcheon village where closest from Phallus Park, they would succeeded to take healthful boy. If any woman did not take baby, they would come to the Phallus Park and pray for baby and would succeed to take baby soon. Original Phallus was made and installed at the park in Joseon Dynasty and was destroyed since then. Local Government installed again referring to history records at the present park area.            

6.     Detailed Course Information

When I parked the car at Sanghak Parking Lot, I went up to the Sanghak Road and turned left to walk through Sanghak Village. There was an old beautiful pine tree at the side of the road which was well harmonized with Geumsusan Mountains as see at the photo. I kept walking on the asphalt paved road for about 15 minutes and found first landmark saying as 2.3km to Geumsusan Summit standing at the junction between Course 1 and 2 where I shall return after climbing the Geumsusan Summit. As I walked for some more steps, I reached one more junction, the one to 2.2km to Geumsusan Summit and the other to Daebisa Temple. I walked on well-made road with squared stone lined with good looking maple trees and heard so distinct several bird singing on the road and made a video as attached herein. I thought this beautiful scenery shall be higher upgrading when I could come again at autumn season, colorful dead leaves at the maple tree and others. I met Phallus Park after about 20 minutes walking through maple tree tunnel road and saw sculptures of Phallus and Genital showing indistinctive shape. There was landmark stating as 1.8km to Geumsusan Summit near to the Park. I could comparably easy walking road for about half an hour from the Park and found the road changing to slightly rougher and tougher and reached landmark saying as 1.2km to the Geumsusan Summit. As I climbed on really rocky rough road for about 5 minutes, I met the steel stairs and walked up for some more minutes and took a rest short while and found white magnolia blossom at the mountain which was distinctive beautiful figures. As I climbed over the rocky and tough road and sometime stairs for half an hour more, I reached junction saying as 300m to the Summit and 1.6km to Mangdeokbong Peaks. I turned left at the junction and started to climb on very sharply sloped steel stairs arranging as zigzag installation for about 20 minutes struggling effort and finally touched down the Geumsusan Summit as 1016m altitude and looked down spectacular view of Choongju Lake and elegant features of Mangdeokbong Peak, not so far sitting from the Summit. I started to downhill through sharply inclined hill road with dangerous rocks for about 15 minutes and reached longest steel stairs standing on very sloped hill and walked down on the stairs and oak tree bushes about 20 minutes and reached junction, the one to Danyang Sanghak and the other to Jecheon Sangcheun. I followed to arrow to Sanghak for about 15 minutes down through ridge road, stairs and oak tree bushes and 1.8km to Sanghak Parking Lot. As I downhill through oak bushes for about 20 minutes, I met landmark stating as 1.3km to Sanghak. I just some minutes walking down through tamarack forest and reached junction to mountain road, easy walking, no severe slope, winder and no obstacles. I turned left at the junction and kept walking on the same road for 20 minutes and reached junction between Course and Course 2 which I passed on the way up this morning and just continued to walk down about 15 minutes and eventually return to Sanghak parking Lot.