Gyeonggi Gapyung Myungjisan Mountain Climb in Korea

1.     Date and Time : March 31, 2018 09:00~18:00 (9 hours including break one and half an hour hours).

2.     Location : Gapyung at Gyeonggi Province in Korea.

3. Distance and Course : About 12.96km. Course is to start Ikgeunri Parking Lot => Seungcheunsa Temple => Myungji Water Fall => Myungjisan Summit (1,267 m Altitude) => Sahyeangbong Peak (1,079m Altitude) => Back to Ikgeunri Parking Lot.

4.     Access :

There is various ways to connect Subway Line No.2 which you are supposed to get off at Gangbyun Station and walking to Dong Seoul Bus Terminal through Gangbyun Station, Gate No. 2 changing to Inter City Bus bound for Gapyung Bus Terminal. You are requested to stay on bus about one hour and half an hour and get off at Gapyung Bus Terminal changing  to local bus No. 33-4 and get off at Myungjisan Entrance Bus Stop taking 44 minutes for 31 bus stop passing. Please walk to Myungjisan Entrance Parking Lot from the Bus Stop taking one minute for 47 m distance. Please refer more details at “Transportation from Dong Seoul Bus Terminal to Myungjisan Entrance”. You could on the way back take reverse way to your destination from Myungjisan Entrance Bus Stop via Gapyung Bus Terminal. I could estimate total transportation is about two hour and 30 minutes for one way which comes total 5 hours for round trip. But you would reduce this transportation time to 4 hours for round trip in case you use private car or rent car which you could save one hour for the transportation. 

4.     Overall Remarks.

It is located 18km north from Gapyung. It is 1,267m high and the second highest mountain next to Hwaaksan (Mt.) in Gyeonggi-do. The physical aspect of Myungjisan (Mt.) is vast and magnificent. From the top the peaks of Yongmunsan (Mt.), streams of Bukhangang (River), waters flowing through the valleys underneath are the most beautiful sights in Gyeonggi-do. Along the ridgeline toward the mountaintop, natural forests with oriental oaks, firs and other trees flourish and harmonize with valleys.

5.     Detailed Course Information

There are two major climbing courses at Myungji Mountain, the one climbing to the Myungji Summit through Myeogji Water Fall first and after that downhill through Sahyeangbong at ridge, and the other vice versa. The former course is to climb steeped summit first when you are normally energized at beginning and walking down through somewhat mild sloped ridge road when you are tired of hard climbing works. While the latter is to climb the summit through mild sloped ridge road first and latter that to walk downhill on very sharply sloped hill under tired situation. Therefore I selected the former course today. When I walked through easy wider road for about 10 minutes from the Parking Lot, I saw first landmark saying as 5.8km to Myungji Summit and kept following arrow for about 5 minutes more and met 2^nd landmark showing between direction to Myungji Summit and direction to Sahyeangbong Peak which I should meet again on the way back to Myungjisan Parking Lot (Ikgeunri) after touching down the Myungji Summit. As I walked for 10 minutes more, I reached Seungcheunsa via Main Gate and took a photo of temple as well as Mirukdaebul. The walking road was changed after passing Seungcheunsa temple to somewhat ordinary country road at mountain foot. I walked this road for more than half an hour and reached next landmark stating as 3.1km to Myungji Summit which I could separately walking down to the Myungji Water Fall, 60 m a part from the landmark. I came down to the stream and saw very beautiful Myungji Water Fall which is somewhat small but cute and well decorated as you see at the video attached. I returned to the junction and continuously proceeding to Myungji Summit for about 30 minutes more and reached 2.6km to the Summit landmark.  I continuously crossed over wood bridge and kept walking similar stone road for about 15 minutes and found next landmark stating as 1.5km to the Summit. I found road condition or status was completely changed as really rocky and so steeped valley stream road or log stairs and getting tougher and harder time by time. As I made hard effort to climb this road for nearly two hours, I reached landmark as 500m to the Summit. I kept climbing through similar rocky and hard road and sometime wood stairs for 45 minutes more and met next landmark saying as 100m to the Summit. When saw so sharply sloped wood stairs near to the landmark and decided to take a short break for recovery. I climbed this final so steep road for 15 minutes more and finally and hardly touch down Myungjisan Summit-1,267m Altitude and left memorable photo at Summit Indication Stone as you see at the photo attached. As soon as looking around the summit, I started to walk downhill through wood log stairs and kept walking through ridge road for 10 minutes and found landmark saying as 2.1km to Sahyeangbong Peak. I kept walking down on ridge road for 20 minutes more and reached landmark saying as 1.5km to Sahyeangbong Peak and continued to walk on the similar road for more than one hour and hardly touched down Sahyeangbong Peak-1013m altitude. I continuously waked down through somewhat sloped ridge road and sometime detour road on ridge for about more than one hour and reached landmark stating as 2.4km to Ikgeunri Parking Lot. As I walked down on the similar ridge road for about half an hour, I found landmark stating as 1.5km to Ikgeunri Parking Lot and kept walking downhill for 10 minutes more and reached Pie Nut Tree Forest where I could walk down easily through mountain road, easier and less sloped. When I walked downhill on this road, I saw very dense forest with various tree species which looks beautiful and took a photo. I walked for about 10 minutes more and met landmark stating as 400m to Ikgeunri Parking Lot and continuously walking down for about 5 minutes and reached junction indication 100m to Ikgeunri Parking Lot and finally returned to Myungjisan Entrance Parking Lot after nine hours struggling works at Myungji Mountain.     

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