Coming up the valley in the bus gently breaks you into the Seoraksan experience…lumps become mounds, which turn into craggy hills which unmistakably become rugged mountains. The enormous amount of traffic along the road to Seorak-dong meant I had plenty of time to appreciate the views. This most-popular of national parks certainly lives up to the hype and it’s easy to understand why Koreans flock to it in their droves. I can’t imagine it’s not popular with foreign tourists too, but perhaps more likely during the summer months. I remember seeing about 3 Caucasian people in Seorak-dong – the tourist village situated on the Eastern edge of the park.
After some light refreshment and jettisoning my computer and other unnecessaries at the luggage depot, I set off on a gentle stroll to warm myself up for future exertions. The Two Waterfalls walk is relatively easy-going and gives you a full appreciation of the beauty of the valley scenery. The autumn hues (my main reason for visiting Korea) were not disappointing and the falls themselves had a fairytale appeal…a theme that was to arise repeatedly on my treks.
By the time I got back to the village, I was certainly feeling the weight of my pack in the glorious sunshine (25C). I took the opportunity to refresh myself again (yes, two cans of beer does count as refreshment…in Australia at least). Whilst sitting in the shade, I became aware of the number of people staring at me and my pack. I must admit, I’ve never really been one to notice how much smaller than me other people are…but it certainly wasn’t escaping the locals’ attention. Several came to talk to me about my plans and ask me how big I was and how much my pack weighed. The Koreans, renowned for being keen on their outdoor pursuits, are in fact totally mad for it! They wanted to know where I got my boots from, how much my rucksack could hold, what equipment I had with me. Withdrawing my Leatherman from my pocket brought much pursing of lips and whistling. I began to notice how many of them wore North Face and Berghaus gear…and how new and shiny much of it was. To top it off, there were more leki poles on display than on a Bank Holiday Sunday in Windermere. There certainly seems to be a large element of competition and fashion parade in the Koreans’ weekend escapes to the hills. After posing for a few photos (one lady insisted on returning the favour!) with various vertically-challenged and awestruck, would-be alpinists, I tired of the attention and decided to go and investigate some more of the locality in the hopes of finding a camping spot for later. I must tell you that camping in the National Parks is strictly forbidden…but that’s never stopped me before, and those who’ve camped with me will know that I’m an eco-friendly camper and that I always leave everything exactly as I’ve found it. Korea is such a rule-based society, so conformist, that I don’t think it would ever occur to the Rangers to look out for campers if it’s forbidden. I identified a couple of spots, not too far off the beaten track for later.
Last activity of the day was to take the cable car up to the top of Gwongeumseong. This vantage point and the cable car are ideal for capturing the stunning local scenery, without exerting too much effort. I still wasn’t entirely ready to get stuck into any serious hiking with my pack - and hoped to catch the sun setting over the mountains as an incentive to my coming exertions.
It was insanely windy on top and, while the views back over Sokcho and into the mountains were incredible, none of my photos quite did them justice. In the growing dusk, the jagged peaks and darkening valleys took on a surreal, enchanted aspect. Strings of lights identified the pockets of civilisation hunkering down for an evening round the television or karaoke box…from this I felt very remote, immersed in the mountains and their magical atmosphere.
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