Having enjoyed my time spent in the northern prefectures of Honshu island in Japan, I knew that taking a trip to the north-eastern province of South Korea, Gangwon-do, couldn't be a bad idea. Gangwon-do is bordered on its Eastern side by the East Sea (Sea of Japan), with its long stretches of sandy coast and crystal clear turquoise water and the DMZ (demilitarized zone) to the north.
For the trip, planned to last six days, I met up with my friend Brent in Daegu and proceeded to take an early morning six hour train ride northwards to the seaside town of Jeongdongjin (정동진). I'd been here before in the summer and it was worth another visit, particularly because we could take a fairly easy bus ride to our first main destination of Sokcho from there. In the summer I had gone swimming in the brilliant surf at Jeongdongjin beach, though of course all we could do now was look at the waves. The train station is practically located on the beach, and it's possible to be walking through sand less than a minute after disembarking.
After eating a lunch of fish and walking about the town, we grabbed a bus for the small city of Sokcho further on up the coast. We didn't arrive until after dark, and so it was only the next morning when we say the jagged, towering mass of the Taebaek (
태백) mountain range cutting into the sky just beyond the limits of the city, our day's destination, Seoraksan, being the highest among them. I've seen and climbed plenty of mountains in Asia, some far taller than those of the Taebaek range, but the sheer stony and snow frosted ruggedness of the view from Sokcho felt new to me. Brent commented that they reminded him of the Rockies, though (perhaps ironically, as a Canadian) I've only seen the Rockies distantly from the window of the Vancouver airport.
There wasn't much of a hike involved in getting to the summit of Seoraksan (
san, while pronounced
shan in Chinese, means "mountain" in the Korean, Japanese and Chinese languages, deriving from the character
山). Following a steep cable car ride to a building where snacks and drinks were sold, we hiked easily up sets of stairs to the rocky, windswept summit. This place had an undeniably raw feel to it--there were no guide ropes here and climbing with feet and hands to the absolute apex put one in a position where a badly timed misstep could conceivably lead to a very quick death on the rocks far below. This seemed to deter very few people (
don't look down, don't look down, don't look down) from climbing up to this peak. We snapped some photos and took in the breathtaking view. Sokcho sat distantly on the plain, and valleys that looked as if they'd been hewn out of the earth with an ax cut away on multiple sides. Believe it or not there was a even a man at with a table set in the shelter of a large boulder, equipment strung up on climbing ropes set behind him, who would engrave your name in a
faux gold medal for making it all the way up.
After deciding we'd seen all we could see, we climbed back down and explored a temple at the base of the mountain before taking a walk along a trail that wound itself through some of the scenery of the national park. That evening we returned to Sokcho to find some dinner and see the night lights. Sokcho is a great little place. A river runs down from the mountains and widens into somewhat of a small lake around which the bulk of the city is set, before narrowing back and flowing into the sea. The place has a comfortable coastal feel, with a harbor, traditional market area (like many Korean villages, towns and cities) loaded with fish both fresh and dried, as well as plenty of hotels for the summer tourists and a downtown filled with all the modern amenities one could need. We didn't see any other foreigners there during our whole visit and judging by some of the shy stares and giggles from girls around the town, there may not be a whole lot living up there (that and at one point an old man leaned out a car window on the street giving us a thumbs up and calling "Hey! GOOD!")
 |
| View from the apex |
 |
| Some type of ray with a nasty set of teeth hangs in a Sokcho dried fish shop |
.
 |
| A stone Buddha gazes towards nearby Seoraksan |
 |
| While the snow had by late February melted in many parts of the country, a final layer remained upon some roofs in northerly Gangwon-do. |
 |
| An interesting ferry ride. After being surprised at the incredibly low cost of the ride, we learned to our amusement that passengers provide the man power for the short trip. Using metal hooks to latch onto the coiled steel cable running over the floor of the raft, we pulled ourselves across the water. |
After eating a lunch of fish and walking about the town, we grabbed a bus for the small city of Sokcho further on up the coast. We didn't arrive until after dark, and so it was only the next morning when we say the jagged, towering mass of the Taebaek ( 태백) mountain range cutting into the sky just beyond the limits of the city, our day's destination, Seoraksan, being the highest among them. I've seen and climbed plenty of mountains in Asia, some far taller than those of the Taebaek range, but the sheer stony and snow frosted ruggedness of the view from Sokcho felt new to me. Brent commented that they reminded him of the Rockies, though (perhaps ironically, as a Canadian) I've only seen the Rockies distantly from the window of the Vancouver airport.
There wasn't much of a hike involved in getting to the summit of Seoraksan (san, while pronounced shan in Chinese, means "mountain" in the Korean, Japanese and Chinese languages, deriving from the character 山). Following a steep cable car ride to a building where snacks and drinks were sold, we hiked easily up sets of stairs to the rocky, windswept summit. This place had an undeniably raw feel to it--there were no guide ropes here and climbing with feet and hands to the absolute apex put one in a position where a badly timed misstep could conceivably lead to a very quick death on the rocks far below. This seemed to deter very few people (don't look down, don't look down, don't look down) from climbing up to this peak. We snapped some photos and took in the breathtaking view. Sokcho sat distantly on the plain, and valleys that looked as if they'd been hewn out of the earth with an ax cut away on multiple sides. Believe it or not there was a even a man at with a table set in the shelter of a large boulder, equipment strung up on climbing ropes set behind him, who would engrave your name in a faux gold medal for making it all the way up.
No comments:
Post a Comment