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Published: October 11th 2010
As we left Jeonju, it didn't look like it was going to be a scenic hiking trip. Just as we got off the bus in Jinan, the sky cleared and the sun started shining. The taxi cab driver did not want to drop us off at our destination. He stopped in front of a cow farm. As we started up the trailhead, the driver made one more effort at showing concern and left to climb up the hill with the sound of cows moo-ing from across the street. As previous blogs have shown, I am fond of doing cemetary tours, but I was a little surprised at the amount of gravesites going up the first hill. Korean trails usually have a rock wall stairs going straight up the mountain, so it was pleasant to find a wooded-dirt path with switchbacks going up the hills and mountains. The trail did require some minor rock climbing, but was of easy-moderate difficulty.
After an hour and a half, we could see the highest peak that we were to climb for the day. We could also see the metal staircase to the top. I was mentally preparing for the "Korean Stairmaster". When we got
to the base of the peak, we found it closed off with barbed wire. I guess this was what the taxi driver was trying to tell us. We took a trail that went around the peak and continued on our way. In Korea, there is a mass exodus of people heading to hiking trails every weekend, so it was a little weird that we met no one along the way. The trail was poorly marked, and we made several educated guesses along the way as to the best way to the park gate. We made it over several peaks with breathtaking views of the Maisan peaks. Ma-i is Chinese for horse ear and san is Korean for mountain. The two peaks look like horse ears. Finally, I could hear the monks chanting in the distance. Hiking through the woods with the "smell" of autumn and the sounds of the temple leading the way was truly a memorable and relaxing moment. As we reached the final peak, you could see the temple below. Usually there is a main temple with smaller builders higher in the mountain. The trail took us to a very interesting temple building. By far, it was the
most unique of temple buildings in Korea that I have seen. The monks had a little trolley line for supplies that followed close to the trail. It helped guide us through the last bit of trail.
After four hours of being alone, we had hiked to the entrance of the provincial park to an almost carnival-type atmosphere. We spent some time walking through the restaurants smoking and grilling ribs, by the lake with paddle boats and to the Tabsa temple. We headed back to Jeonju tired and looking forward to dinner!
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Trailhead
Nelson Clark
non-member comment
Great Photos!
Hi Alana, Some great pictures; I could almost feel my leg muscles getting sore on your hike! Good to see you again and keep up the wanderlust -- it makes us better people and the world a little easier to understand. Nelson