Seoraksan National Park, Day 3

On the morning of my third day in Seoraksan National Park I was awoken at the ungodly hour of 4 AM by a Gangneung University student who had befriended me. He was keen to view the sunrise from Dae-cheong-bong - the highest peak of Seoraksan. The sunrise could be expected at 5:20AM; we were at the peak at around 5.

The lowlands were thoroughly veiled by a sea of clouds. The East Sea/Sea of Japan, the city of Sokcho, the North Korean territory nearby - all were there somewhere below the clouds.



We had brought a portable boombox with a tape of Strauss's 'Also Spake Zarathustra' and, as the crimson sun pierced the cloud bed, we blasted the opening piece into the heavens, the timpanis blaring. The spirit of Kubrick's 2001: A Space Odyssey lives on in South Korea.


On the way to Ma-deung-ryeong (마등령) Pass. This was a tough slog. Not recommeded for the faint of heart, as the course involves at least 6 extreme descents and ascents. 'Ma-deung-ryeong' means 'Dinosaur's Back' - so I was told.


Back in Sokcho. The Sam-ho Park Hotel owner had allowed me to store my baggage in the hotel stairwell. Here is a small glimpse of his rock collection. The lobby is full of interesting finds from the seashore and the slopes.

Seoraksan National Park, Day 2.2

The Sari Pagoda, on a rock ledge above Bong-jeong-am. Sari is a Korean Buddhist term for the white rocks that are found in the cremated ashes of enlightened monks. The sari are said to form in the brain, and are considered holy relics, to be enshrined within pagodas or stupas. 

This primal rock is typical of the Seorak mountains.

A typical vista of the park.

One of the mountain god (san-shin) shrines. The mountain god can be recognized by the tiger that is always by his side. The worship of mountain gods dates back to the days of Korean shamanism. Tigers are now extinct in South Korea, though rumor has it that a few are still alive in the North!

Seoraksan National Park, Day 2.1

This pinkish-orange fungus seemed to be in season.

A view of the eastern approach to Bong-jeong-am (Bong-jeong Hermitage), in the central heights of the park. The jutting rise behind the hermitage is Seok-ga-bong - Sakyamuni Peak -, so named because of what looks like a human face in profile on the side of the cliff. The face looked more Apache than Indic, but who knows? Perhaps it really is the Buddha's likeness?

On the way to Baekdam Temple. 

Wall of a Korean seon [zen] hermitage.

Encounter with a serpent.

Seoraksan National Park, Day 1.5

Korean hospitality always seems to be at its best on the mountains. The man in the left of the picture - a veteran public school teacher - invited me to join for dinner. Considering that we were near the highest peak of the national park, they did a pretty good job of brewing up some kimchi-ji-gae (kimchi soup), with plenty of side dishes. As always in such situations, flavor was the best sauce.

The twilight view of the geoids on the hill.

In the fading light of the ridge, I took a few experimental shots of the grasses blowing in the fierce wind. The inspiration came from a particular scene in Werner Herzog's Grizzly Man.

Seoraksan National Park, Day I

Seoraksan National Park is undoubtedly the most spectacular national park in South Korea, and is only rivaled by the Geumgang Mountains in North Korea, which are part of the same range and are very close to Seoraksan. The two mountain clusters are rather unnaturally separated by the demilitarized zone (DMZ), separating the north and south Koreas, and splitting Gangwon province into a north and south section.

Seoraksan National Park is accessible from the East Sea city of Sokcho. Most people enter Inner Seorak from the west, and pass by a cluster of grave monuments for ancient Buddhist monks. Here is a detail from one of these.

Some classical graffiti. 

A protypical Seorak view.

WARNING: DROP/FALL!

The summit of Dae-cheong-bong, at around 1700 meters. Dae-cheong-bong translates as 'Wide Blue Peak.' The hiker who reaches this marker stone has braved a brutally steep climb. With luck, there will be a sea-of-clouds view, or (rarely) a view of the East Sea/Sea of Japan; or, perhaps a view of North Korea.