Bulamsan - Second Hike of the Year

I'd been to Bulamsan a couple of times before, and always considered it a fair and enjoyable hike. Lots of boulders, which I'd prefer over dirt paths any day, and a reasonable walk of only about 2 hours. If I were hiking solely for the incredible view I would definitely go for Bukhansan, but that mountain always has me completely wiped out and the way up to the peak is just so long and exhausting. Which is why for my second hike of the year, I chose Bulsamsan, which is only a little over 500m high and full of only good memories. I figured I'd prepare myself for Bukhansan by conquering all the smaller mountains first.

So Evan (my new hiking buddy) and I met at Sanggye station, which is where my brief research told me we should start. To be completely honest, I didn't have any set trails in mind; I thought we would just follow the colorful flock of ahjussis. Surprisingly, however, there weren't any hikers in sight when we left the station, which I found very strange since it was a weekend. We had to walk around a bit and eventually found a map and a sign that led us to an entrance into the mountain.

We found the Seoul Trail mark again, not surprisingly. I should put it on my bucket list - to walk the whole trail someday!!!

There's also a temple located near the base of the mountain, which explains the lanterns that were lined up along the first paths. After a few minutes we came to a fork in the road: left led up to the temple while the bridge on the right would take us to the official start of the hiking trail.

3 kilometers from this point, to the peak!

Some weird looking mushrooms

Stone steps are my favorite kind. They're so irregular and seem like a part of nature, although they were probably placed there for our convenience. When I'm walking up this type of trail, I feel like a kid all over again, playing some sort of game, deciding which one to step next in order to avoid falling into a lava pit or something. Well, I don't imagine things like that, but the excitement is still pretty much the same. I just really like that they're not all the same, unlike boring wooden stairs which we would run into eventually.

Just like last time, we ran into a gym in the middle of nowhere. How they maintain all this equipment I have no idea, but I took it as a sign to take a break. My breathing was labored by this point since I'm still pretty much out of shape. I felt blood pumping in my face, if that makes any sense, and waited until I felt relaxed before taking off again. Which you're actually not supposed to do, I heard from a climbing teacher a couple of years back: the best way to hike is slowly, at a comfortable pace, but without taking any rests. That way all your pores open up and... some sort of spiritual/pseudo-scientific information that I can't remember. It makes sense, although I never seem to be able to actually carry it out.

Anyway, this was an important break because shortly after we ran into an impossibly long flight of stairs that seemed to lead to heaven itself. I'm guessing this part is the steepest and most difficult part of the hike - short, but tough and not exactly very interesting. Which is why I'm sure the stairs were built, for our safety, so I shouldn't really complain. On the bright side, the one good thing about wooden staircases while hiking is that I can use the handrails for support to pull myself up. That way, I'm hiking with my whole body and not just my legs, which helps a lot.

Only 420 meters left until the top!

Funny looking rock which looked like a pretty interesting bouldering challenge. Not that I'd be able to pull it off, obviously, but from a spectator's point of view... :P

After the endless flight of stairs comes the really fun part - you need to hike up these huge boulders. Some sections have metal handrails, and some don't. I think it's especially important that you wear proper hiking shoes (though Evan seemed to manage okay without) that adhere well to the rock so that you don't slip.

Dilapidated restaurant/shop near the peak

The view at the top was, of course, as beautiful as I had imagined. It's 200 meters higher than Achasan/Yongmasan, which is a considerable difference. Imagine how awesome the view from Bukhansan would be! Or Seoraksan. Or Hallasan! Damn... so many mountains to hike up before I die.

The day was pretty dusty, so I didn't have a clear view of all the surrounding mountains.

I took a shot from different angles at the peak, and this last shot is by far my favorite. It's great to see the whole city below my feet, but there are just SO many apartment complexes it almost disgusts me. Or sometimes make me sad - to think of all the measures people take to squeeze themselves into this limited space of a city called Seoul. Anyway, I just prefer the view with more nature. It makes me feel more... free. And makes me think outside of my daily routine, my work, my home, and instead clear my head with views of something so incredibly larger than myself. I probably say this so much, but mountains are one of the best parts of Seoul. I can't help but love this city every time I get such a view!

After chilling at the peak for about another hour, munching on some snacks and stretching our legs, we took a different path down the mountain, which eventually also led back to Sanggye station. The hike down was a lot more difficult, actually. I've no idea which path we took, but a lot of sections didn't feel like a legitimate trail at all, and were covered with small pebbles and dead leaves that were quite slippery. It did leave me feeling a bit more adventurous, although I slipped once and bruised myself!

And now I'm just looking forward to tackling the next mountain... preferably one just a teeny bit higher. Where to head next?