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Published: April 5th 2013
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Hiking.
It happens in Korea. A lot. And for the waygooks who come to this land there is no way to avoid being propositioned to go on a hike at some stage. This year, I’ve pulled out the big guns and gone hiking of my own free will. A few Saturdays ago, I really stepped things up a notch and headed to the now infamous in my mind Jagged Ridge Hike on Sa Rayang Do Island.
To call this hike the ‘Jagged Ridge’ hike is to put it mildly. It should be called the Wickedly, Tremendously Jagged Ridge hike of Doom (and possibly Death if you fall off the mountain once you reach the top!).
This particular hike is well-known in the Korean hiking community, but little known in the foreign community. It’s been described by several bloggers as “one of the best hikes in Korea”, along with being commended for its “incredible views”. The Island is 40 minutes away from Tong Yeong. Tong Yeong is about an hour and a half from Busan.
The journey is a little time consuming but obviously necessary. We touched down in Tong Yeong and
made our way to the ferry terminal. The ferry was full of Koreans young and old, and already bottles of Soju were being passed around. Arriving at the Island, it didn’t look like much was happening at first. We spied a few older Korean women selling sweet potatoes, some stores selling Makkoli and Korean pancakes and a few lonely looking tug boats. Looking around though and the notion of paradise did kick in. There were huge green mountains on both sides of us and the deep blue ocean stretched out beyond the horizon.
The hike began with a rather steep climb. In hindsight, this was nothing compared to the adventure we were about to be taken on. The trail carries on like normal until you suddenly stop at a line of people anxiously waiting for ‘something’. It’s only then you look up and realize what’s in front of you: gigantic boulders that epitomize the name of this hike. They are giant mountains with such a mass of jagged rocks you wonder how you’ll make it to 4000 meters. You also realize that the only thing standing between you and certain death is your ability to remain upright
as you attempt to climb the jagged and increasingly steep rocks.
The hike then stops being a hike and becomes a glorified mountain climb. And to add insult to injury, there were only about three places on the climb where I actually saw a rope to help you maneuver your way down.
This climb is certainly a challenge. But it is one that is made easier by the breath taking views you get to see when you reach the top. In between plotting your way over incredibly jagged rocks you will find yourself looking out to the endless sea and being happy you did it. The views from the tops of these boulders are incredible and you can see far out past the Island. You can see small villages that look like Lego towns, as well as a sprawling mass of ocean with many petite little Islands in the distance.
The hike continues with the jagged mountains for some time. And each time you finish one huge mountain, there is another mountain in the distance. We chose to do the four hour hike that included three mountains. It was astounding to watch Koreans
push past each other, moving as fast as they could, completely unbothered by the whole experience.
A highlight of the Jagged Ridge Trail is the bridges connecting two mountains together. A friend of ours thought this was the perfect place to do her next great handstand – which she did in record time.
For people with a penchant for adventure, I would suggest the Jagged Ridge Trail this spring. The boulders are intense, and I’ve never quite experienced a hike like this but for the sake of the views, and the sense of accomplishment you have afterwards I would say go for it. When we finally got down the mountain our knees and legs were aching like mad and it was time to go. Also, the last ferry leaves the Island at 6pm and a word of warning you must catch this one, or you’ll find yourself spending the night on the island!
Once the hike is over, there are plenty of restaurants offering all kinds of seafood, noodles and pancakes to refuel. For us however, we had a ferry, two buses and a subway to catch home so it really
was time to go. It was a long day, but it was also a funky new way to spend a Saturday. It’s Jagged Ridge Trail, and I recommend you give it a go…if you dare.
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