Life is a different Wave moving by Time and ending at Shore: Samcheok

1. Date and Time : Jan 29, 2019 10:00 ~13:00 (3 hours and 30 minutes including one hour break).

2. Location : Singi-myeon, Samcheok-City, Gangwon Province in Korea

3. Distance and Course : About 9.3km. Course is to start at Yesuwon Parking Lot => Three Way Junction => Gubusiryeong Gorge => Saemaegigogae gorge => => Samcheok Deokhangsan Summit (1071m Altitude) and back to the Yesuwon Parking Lot through the same ascending course. Please see “Gangwondo Samcheok Deokhangsan Mountain Hike - Yesuwon Course” and https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uYqc3bMn2Yk&t=78s

4. Overall Mountain Explanation.

Deokhangsan Mountain is 1,071m above sea level and covers parts of Singi-myeon, and Hajang-myeon, Samcheok City in Gangwondo Province in Korea. Features of the east and the west side of the mountain are very different.

The west side has a gentle slope while the east is continuation of sheer cliff. You can see an observatory if descending a little from Jaamjae Ridge to Jahagol Valley. Looking at Deokhangsan from the observatory reminds of a great canyon.

5. Detailed Hike Course Explanation.

I had tried to locate suitable hiking course at my room yesterday based on two conditions since I had to go back to my home in Seoul after Hike on Jan 29, 2019 as the same day, first is transportation from my lodge, KFS Galiwangsan Recreation Center less than 2 hours and second hiking time less than 5 hours for up and down. I found 1071m altitude Samcheok Deokhangsan as a good and suitable mountain tomorrow; transportation was not far from my lodge, about less than an hour and hiking time from Yesuwon. I took a decision to climb tomorrow last night. I was today tried to move to Yesuwon as early possible and arrived at Yesuwon village area before 9 o’clock and saw warning sign board at left on narrow hill road stating as “Only Relevant People is Allowed to Enter”. I thought a while and decided to go other hike course starting area near-by. But it took a longer time for hiking times, more than 6 hours and therefore I checked Yesuwon on the web site how to reach by car and learned I could ignore the warning sign board. I so made a U-turn and back to Yesuwon Village passing warning sign board and found it was about 15 minutes before 10 o’clock and tried to rush climbing up Deokhangsan Mountain, just behind the Yesuwon Village and walked freely through Yesuwon Gate and faced mountain transportation road after five minutes from the Yesuwon Village Parking Lot. I was continuously walking up on the mountain transportation road for a quarter minutes and reached three-Way junction and took a straight road. I started to feel hard take a breath due to severe and heavily steep uphill road and kept walking for about 10 minutes and changing wide mountain transportation to ordinary mountain hike road and forwarding through stream at the valley for less than a quarter minutes. I reached junction at lower hill area where I turned left and keeping walking on ridge road at steeper uphill. I climbed on this somewhat highly sloped hike road for a quarter minutes and reached junction again without any sign board and carefully checked which way I should take either turn left or go straight and found more colorful hike ribbons hanging on the trees at straight than left hike course as see at the Photo. Please note you should always refer to these mountain hike ribbons organized by each mountain group with each different color and shape for their group’s information. Anyhow I was just heading to the Summit through this junction for about 10 minutes and found junction mark at gorge stating as 1.1km to Deokhangsan Summit at right and 8.8km to Hanuiryeong Hill at left. I took short break and carried on going up on the sloped ridge road for 10 minutes more and reached landmark asking to turn left and going down to Saemaegigogae gorge. I followed the indication and remotely saw Deokhangsan Mountain at right on the way down from the ridge and reached the gorge after more than a quarter minutes down. There was landmark at the gorge saying as still 600m to the Summit at left and 500m to the Gubusiryeong gorge. I just followed the arrow at the landmark and continuously struggling against so difficult sloped uphill road at oak tree and latch forest for about 20 minutes. I finally touched down 1071m altitude Deokhangsan Mountain Summit as see at the photo and unfortunately see clear surrounding landscape because there were many trees around the summit, visual obstructions. Anyhow I was trying to take possible nice shot to surround mountains and taking back to the Yesuwon Village Parking Lot after one and half an hour from the summit including half an hour lunch break.

Yesuwon-One of Christianity Facilities

Walking on Mountain Transportation Road at Yesuwon

Three Way Junction at Mountain Transportation Road

Changing Mountain Transportation Road to Ordinary Mountain Hike Road at Gorge

Turning Left at Stream Junction

Junction Again and Go Straight crossing over Small Stream

Junction Mark at Gorge; 1.1km to the Summit at Left and 8.8km to Hanuiryeong Hill

Waling on Steeper Ridge Road at Oak Tree Forest

Landmark at Ridge; Turning Down and Going Down to Gorge

Remotely View of Deokhangsan Mountain Summit at Right

Somewhat Highly Sloped Down Hill Road

Junction Mark at the Gorge; Still 600m to the Summit at left and 500m to Gubusiryeong Gorge at Right

Walking Through Highly Sloped Ridge Road at Oak Tree Forest

1071m Altitude Samcheok Deokhangsan Mountain Summit

Surround Landscape around the Summit

Great Surrounding Mountains at the Summit

Back to the Yesuwon Village after one and Half an Hour from the Summit

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.