Life is a different Wave moving by Time and ending at Shore: Gangwondo Donghae Dutasan Mountain Hike in Korea- Dutasan Daedje Hill Course

1. Date and Time : Nov 13, 2018 09:00~16:00 (7 hours including one hours break).

2. Location : Donghae-si and Hajang-myeon (Town), Miro-myeon (Town), Samcheok-si (City), Gangwon-do (Province).

3. Distance and Course : About 13.83km. Course is to start at Dutasan Daedje Hill Parking Lot => Tonggoljae Hill => Dutasan Summit (1,352.7m Altitude) => Back to the Daedje Hill Parking Lot through the Same Ascending Course. Please refer to Donghae Dutasan Hike Course Mao and https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HmjFhU-nQFM

4. Access :

There are various ways to the Dong Seoul Bus Terminal where you could use subway or bus or taxis depend on your situation. You could take Samcheok Intercity Bus Terminal at Dong Seoul Bus terminal and get off at the Terminal 3 hour. But there is no proper public transportation from there to Dutasan Daedje Hill which takes about 40 hour only by taxi for more than 25 km. Therefore it would be too long way to take a taxi for the trip as well as heavy cost for booking taxi on the way back to the Samcheok Intercity Bus Terminal. So you would better take rent car instead.

5. Overall Remarks.

Dutasan (Mt.) forms the shape of a Buddha lying down It stands in front of Cheongoksan (Mt.) face to face with Bakdallyeong (Ridge) in the middle. Thick forests and old pine trees take deep root into extraordinary cliffs of Dutasan (Mt.) and it is designated as national tour site No.1 of Gangwon-do.

The word Duta means dismissing all agony and train for Buddhism. This leads to the conclusion of Dutasan (Mt.) being strongly related to Buddhism. Although there remain only 3 temples such as Samhwasa, Gwaneumam, and Cheoneunsa now, Mureunggye seems to have been the center of Duta where Buddhism flourished considering historical records that says there were over 10 temples before.

By going about 4km into the southwest from Samhwadong, the entrance of Dutasan (Mt.), there is a huge rock where more than hundreds of people can rest. This rock is〈Mureungban (rock)〉, from which the famous Mureunggye is unfolded. Upon the Mureungbanseok (rock) are carved the writings of Anpyeongdaegun, Han Ho (Seokbong), Kim Gu and Yang Saeon, one of the 4 greatest writers of the Joseon dynasty.

It's interesting that they are praising Dutasan (Mt.) with 12 letters which are 'Mureungseonwon Jungdaecheonseok Dutadongcheon (武陵仙源中臺泉石頭陀洞天)'. Mureunggye of Dutasan (Mt.) originates from the term 'Mureungdowon' (Paradise) in <Dohwaweongi> of Doyeonmyeong in the Jin dynasty of ancient China. It means that this place is a whole new world separate from the world. There is a site of a fortress, over 2Km in girth, at the entrance of Dutasan starting form Mureunggye. Inside Mureunggye exist famous rocks such as Mureungbanseok and Hoam, Beteulbawi (Loom Rock), Haksodae, Byeorakbawi (Thunder Rock), Byeongpungbawi (Folding Screen Rock), Daegweolteo (Site of a Castle), Munbawi (Door Rock). 3-tier Yongchupokpo (Waterfall), Ssangpok (Waterfall), Chilseongpokpo (Waterfall), Bakdalpokpo (Waterfall), Sangpok (Waterfall), Gwaneumpokpo (Waterfall) add savor to the scenery. These outstanding sceneries has lured poets and artists to Mureunggyegok of Dutasan (Mt.) since time immemorial. The peaks of Dutasan (Mt.) are overlapped with those of Cheongoksan (Mt., 1.403m). Although Dutasan (Mt.) is 51m lower than Cheongoksan (Mt.), people call the whole mountain Dutasan (Mt.).

About 6-kilometer-long ridge connecting Dutasan (Mt.) and Cheongoksan (Mt.) looks like a giant clothes rack, earning the nickname of Euigadeung (meaning hanger shaped peak). By following the ridge which connects Cheongok and Duta, you can realize the praises of old poets.

6. Detailed Course Information

As I was staying at Galisan Forest Recreation Lodge, not far away, I could come over to Daedje Hill early in the morning before 9 o’clock and parked the car at Daedje free parking area. I found foggy was deeper and heavier than yesterday at the Parking Lot. But I expected this foggy would be clear or lesser at afternoon in reflection to sun rise. I first of all checked Hike Course Map at the parking area and took a Course No. 1 which takes 3 hours for going up to the Summit which means 6 hours for round hike. But I personally estimated about 7 hours for round hike taking into account my age situation, well senior. Daedje Parking Lot was already elevating 800m altitude which means I could climb over 537m elevation in fact. But distance to the Summit was a different story which was nearly 14km for round hike, up and down. Anyhow I started to walk on easy and wider mountain transportation road from the parking lot for about 20 minutes and found this road was blocked with wood branch or log and opening narrow hiking path at right as see at the photo. I just followed indication and started to walk on slightly sloped uphill ridge road for about 10 minutes and reached first junction mark stating as 5.2km to the Summit at left and 500m to Haedaeddeung at right which I walked for about 900m from the parking Lot. This junction was situating on ridge road which was comparably soft and at pine tree and larch and oak tree forest. I generally could not feel so hard to walk up on this ridge road and walked on this ridge road for some more than a quarter minutes and met next landmark; 4.8km to the Summit at straight and 1.3km to the parking lot backward. I kept walking on the similar ridge road for about three quarter minutes without break, only photo and video and met next landmark; 3.9km to the Summit at straight and 2.2km to the Parking Lot at backward. I started to realize this foggy was getting deeper and heavier which was situating or moving to other direction than I expected before at the Parking Lot. But I was continuously walking on the road for about half an hour and faced next landmark stating as 3.3km to the Summit at straight and 2.8km to the Parking Lot at backward. I kept walking uphill and found Dutasan Summit was remotely revealed in front on the way walking which looked quite far there at that time as see at the photo. When I made somewhat hard walking for about 40 minutes and reached Tonggoljae Hill which was the most hard and difficult course today. The landmark was figuring as 2.1km to the Summit and 4.0km to the Parking Lot at backward which meant I walked more than half at complete hike course. I decided to take a short break there and carried on walking up the most hard and difficult uphill course and struggled for some more than half an hour and reached next landmark; 1.4km to the Summit and 700m to the Tonggoljae Hill which meant I came over here 4.7km from the Parking Lot. I started to recognize foggy getting worse and worse depend on time by time which were completely opposite direction from my expectation at early in the morning. As I pitched up to the Summit, I found it was not only dense foggy but also light hail around the Summit which made me a scare or concerned since there was nobody I met up here so far, even becoming somewhat darker. I was wondering for a moment if I would continue to climb the Summit under such scared situation and finally took a determination going up and touch the Summit goal that day and made last struggle for about three quarter minutes and finally touched down Dutasan Summit 1,353m altitude as see at the photo attached herein. But foggy was so deep and heavy I could not see around and quickly took a picture around the Summit and descended the Summit and back to the Parking Lot through the same course after 3 hours from the top, total 7 hours for up and down which I took this morning.