Choongbook Danyang Sobaeksan Hike in Korea- Sobaeksan Campsite Course

1.     1. Date and Time : Oct 1, 2018 09:30~16:00 (7 and half an hours including one hour break).

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

3.  3. Distance and Course : About 14.66km. Course is to start at Sobaeksan Campsite Parking Lot => Dalmagi Road => Birosa Temple Junction => Dalmagigol Junction => Birobong Summit (1,439m altitude) => Back to at Sobaeksan Campsite Parking Lot . please refer to . https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6tBvkfaaSpo&t=136s

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4. Access :

There is several ways to connect “Seoul Express Bus Terminal (”connecting at subway lines No. 3, 7 and 9) where you should get on Intercity bus line bound for Chooncheon Express Bus Terminal, non-stop and taking one hour and 30 minutes. When you get off at the Chooncheon Express Bus Terminal, you should walk to Chooncheon Intercity Bus Terminal taking about 4 minutes for about 258m distance and get on local Bus No 50 there taking 29 minutes for 13 bus stop passing and get off at Samaksan Bus Stop and walk to Deungseon Water Fall taking 2 minutes for 107m. Please refer more details to the “Transportation from Seoul Express Bus Terminal to Deungseon Water Fall”. You could simply take reverse course on your way back home but get on local bus No 50 at other side of Kyungchoon Road. I could estimate total transportation is about 2 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. 

5.     5. Overall Remarks.

Sobaeksan Mountain, National Park nominated in 1987 is grouping with Gukmangbong Peak, Birobong and Yeonwhabong Peak which are covering with alpine plants like silver grass and Yew trees normally growing above 1,000m altitude. Jukgyecheon Stream is start to run at the Sobaeksan Mountain which is joining to Gukmangcheon Stram and Nakdonggang River later. There is Yew Tree complex at higher level of Birobong Summit in Sobaeksan Mountain which was registered as National Monument No 244 and also Korean Edelweiss (Somdari) complex. There are some others like well-known historical monument like Guinsa Temple, Hiebangsa Temple, Buseoksa Temple, Ondalseong Fort Castle and Sosuseowon (Lecture Hall) registered as historical Landmark No 55. There is a National Astronomical Observatory in the Mountain. Sobaeksan Mountain is raked as 12th out of 100 ranking Korea Mountain which was nominated by NPS (National Park Service)

6.     6. Detailed Course Information

There are several hiking course at Sobaeksan Mountain like Birosa Course, Jukryeon Course, Hiebagsa Course and so on. I choose Birosa Temple Course which looks comparably easy and fast way. As I arrived at Samga Ticket Booth, I made an inquiry to man at the booth if I could continue to drive the car to further up and got his reply I could go up further as long as I could. But I commented he could not guarantee parking area near to Birosa Temple area. I kept diving up for some minutes and found there was Sobaeksan Campsite at left and parked the car at proper area at roadside and start to ascend through easy walking road at vehicle road for about 10 minutes and found Damagigil Deck Road where 4.2km to Birobong Summit landmark. That is break and rest area where I could see Hike Course Map as shown at attached photo herein. I walked through this deck road for a quarter minutes and reached Birosa Temple Junction and just short drop Birosa Main Gate and kept the gate at Photo. I continued to walk on paved road for about 20 minutes and met Junction where I could choose either to 3.3km to Birobong  or 3.1km to Choamsa Temple. I took a Birobong at straight and walked for about 2 ~3 minutes and found road condition changing from paved road to unpaved stone road looks like stair road. I kept going up through these stone stair road for about 20 minutes and touched break area which would be somewhere middle of the Birobong Course. But I did not take a break at this place and carry on the course for about 50 minutes via 2.7km to Birobong Landmark, steep sloped stone stair road and wooden stair road and reached landmark indicating 1,000m altitude and 1.9km to the Birobong Summit where I took some break and recognized climate at the sky becoming changing to dark cloud looks like possible rain. I made some rush to my mind moving a possible fast ascending. When I stepped for 2 to 3 minutes, I realized most tree around already starting changed their color to yellow or light red or brown possibly due to elevation high. I kept walking up this beautiful road for some more than half an hour and found landmark stating as 800m to the Summit. As I continuously ascend this color changing fantastic road for about 20 minutes and found landmark only 300m to the Summit. As I walked on steep wooden stair road for 20 minutes, I finally touched Birobong Summit which I could stay there long because of too severe wild and strong wind and sometime hail and sometime rain at top; even I could not record video around the Birobong Summit. Therefore I just stepped down to wind direction where I could protect this so strong wind and recorded video around the Summit   and hurry up descend the return road through the same road which I ascended this morning and back to Sobaeksan Campsite after 3 hours descending.   

                       

Gangwondo Wonju Chiaksan Climb in Korea- Hwanggol Course - Hike

1.     Date and Time : May 24, 2018 09:30~17:00 (7 hours and 30 minutes including break one hours).

2.     Location : Wonju at Gangwondo Province in Korea.

3. Distance and Course : About 13.42km. Course is to start KNPS Hwanggol Information => Iepseoksa Temple => Hwanggol Samgeori => Birobong Samgeori => Birobong Summit (1288m Altitude) => Birobong Samgeori => Hwanggol Samgeori => Iepseoksa Temple => KNPS Hwanggol Information.

4.     Access :

There are various ways to reach the Seoul Express Bus Terminal where you will take express bus bound for Wonju Express Bus Terminal, non-stop and taking one and half an hours. As soon as you arrive, you should walk to Wonju Intercity Bus Terminal, 118m where you should get on bus No 2-1. You will get off at Musan Cheolkyo Bus Stop after about 15 minutes and 9 bus stops. You should ask bus driver saying simple Musan Cheolkyo? He would say to you “Yes” and provably notice to you when he arrives at Musan Cheolkyo Bus Stop. As you get off, you should walk to KT Branch Bus Stop, about 71m and 1 minute where you should get on Bus No 82 which you get off at Myungsung Remicon Bus Stop, 31 minutes and 18 times bus stops. You would better ask the driver       as Myungsung Remicon? He provably answers to you “Yes” and notice to as soon as arrive at Myungsung Remicon Bus Stop. When you get off, you should walk to KNPS Hwanggol Information which takes about 27 minutes for 1.8km. On your way back, you simple take reverse curse as above. Please refer to the map of “Transportation from Seoul Express Bus Terminal to KNPS Hwanggol Information”. I estimate total transportation time from Seoul Express Bus Terminal to t KNPS Hwanggol Information 3 hour and 30 minutes for one way which estimate about 6 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 two hours for the transportation. 

4.     Overall Remarks.

There are five major climb courses which are Guryongsa Temple Course, KNPS Hwanggol Information Course, Gwaneumsa Temple Corse, Bomunsa Temple Course and KNPS Bugok Information as introduced at the “Chiaksan Climb Curse”. I chose the KNPS Hwanggol Information which would be shortest way to climb the Chiaksan Summit (Birobong). It was the hardest course from Iepseoksa Temple to junction at ridge, 600m which is really so hard and difficult to climb since so steep hill as well as stone and rocky road, not so easy keeping balance to walk. It seems I might spend my energy about 30% at this short distance. You would figure how hard and difficult through attached phot0.

There is interesting story at Juineommi Hill Observation which you should see after passing Iepseoksa Temple and above so hard ridge junction and Hwanggol Samgeori. There was small temple at the Observation area where one ordinary month lived old days. But there were so many rats lived together at the temple which he could not live any more due to rat’s disturbance. He decided to give off the temple and left. Thereafter the rats faced difficult to survive due to insufficient food and they also left the temple and climbed over the Juineommi Hill.  

Iepseoksa Temple is rather well known for Cheonseoktap Pagoda which King “Taejong” instructed to erect for Won Cheonseok. The Taejong was eager to see him and visited here but failed and decided instead to erect the Cheonseoktap Pagoda for his memory. Iepseoksa temple is remotely located at higher valley with transparently clean water stream, elevation about 740 m altitude.  

5.     Detailed Course Information

As seen at the photo attached, you could easily walk on paved road with asphalt at beginning up to Iepseoksa Temple for about 40 minutes from the KNPS Hwanggol Information. You would meet landmark saying as 3.7km to Birobong Summit on the way up to Iepseoksa Temple. But as soon as you pass the temple, you should bear in mind you must tackle over so steep and slippery rocky road from the temple to ridge junction for about 45 minutes. You would of course sometimes walk on wooden stairs but mostly climb such hard road or path and reached landmark saying as 1.9km to Birobong. I think remaining course would be better than before and no more such a so exhausting course. When I climbed on somewhat steep ridge for about 45 minutes, sometime on log stairs, I met landmark as 1.3km to Birobong. I walked up for about 15 minutes and reached Juineommi Hill Observation which story is explained at above article 4. It was somewhat dust level was high which I could not take nice photo around scenery at the Observation. But I found so beautiful Royal Azalea on the way up which blossom late and took a phot as closely as I could do. When I climbed sometime on square bar stairs for about 15 minutes more, I saw so nice view of Birobong somewhat remotely position and took a nice view at photo. I kept walking up the wooden and rubber stairs for about half an hour, I finally touch down Birobong. 1288m altitude after 3 and half an hour so hard endeavor. It is principally comparably easy from the Birobong to Iepseoksa Temple because all road are downhill in general. I walked down sometimes on wooden stairs, log stairs. oak tree forest and so on for about one 1 hour and 20 minutes and reached ridge junction saying 600m to Iepseoksa Temple, so hard and steep and slippery hill. I was very carefully moved down to Iepseoksa Temple after 25 minutes downhill. As I walked on easy and comfortable paved road after Iepseoksa Temple for about 30 minutes, I successfully returned KNPS Hwanggol Information.