Climbing Bulamsan

This past Saturday morning Nate and I set out in full hiking gear to conquer our neighborhood mountain, Bulamsan.

Although I gaze at this gentle giant each day from my icebox of a Native Room, I have yet to tackle more than the first hundred meters of trail leading up her side. Even this I only did once, in search of a bit of solace from the uber-urban Eunang intersection. While Nate has summited once before, getting lost on his way back down proved that his knowledge of the mountain was far from complete.

Putting on enough layers to battle the Siberian winds we anticipated encountering, I made to sure to leave no room for the elements to get close. Luckily, my heavy hiker Smart Wool socks were just thick enough to almost keep my foot from sliding around in my half size too big boots that I refused to let my parents take back to the States after waiting so long to get them!

A couple hundred yards down the street we veered right behind the post office and set off towards the mountain. The first part of the trail was almost entirely uninhabited as we followed a winding dirt path up through a heavily wooded foot hill. The only person of note that we encountered was a man making our same trek at half the speed, presumably due to the stack of five meter boards he delicately balanced on one shoulder. A further up the hill and we found the pagoda-in-process that was likely to be the boards' final destination. While it wasn't incredibly far, it sure was a long way to haul supplies by foot. . .and shoulder!

Though paths veered off in every which direction, we continued climbing steadily until reaching a very distinct intersection. The path to the left led to a small lookout over Junggye where I once sat pretending that I had the self control to meditate. This would go well for about a minute until my curiosity overtook my patience and I would open an eye, just one, to peak around for a bit before returning to the dark. I rinsed and repeated this process for about 15 minutes until I decided I was better off bringing a book next time. . .haven't been back since!

As the only other hiker in sight took off for a dirt trail to the right, Nate pointed us straight ahead following a rocky path that soon turned in to rocky stairs. While at first it simply appeared to be the rough way up, I realized that the mass amount of seemingly natural rocks were in fact at one point intentionally placed in the shape of a path, and, eventually stairs.

Rocky Road

As Nate barrelled ahead I began to wonder if he was super determined at losing me on the mountain or if he had munched one hell of a Korean power breakfast. Turned out he knew that there was a pretty good look out (read, rest area) just a little ways ahead! Phew, I was thinking we'd be running straight up to the summit the way he was moving!

Where the rocky road leveled out we were treated to quite a view over the greater Junggye/Nowon area. Marked by two stone mounds on either side, I can only imagine that this lookout holds some significance to someone somewhere for some reason. . . .either that or they were just left over rocks that never made it on to the trail. Either way, it was a great place to catch our breath and grab a couple snapshots.

Mounds of Fun

Junggyedong

Ready to Rock

Continuing our climb, the trail beneath or feet slowly changed back into leaf covered dirt. Seems as though the higher we got, the bigger the rocks became. Eventually they were just too darn big for anybody to make a path out of. . .so, I took their picture instead.

Rock Steady

Not entirely sure where to go, we ended up getting stuck for a moment at a particularly interesting rock. Nate thought he remembered being lost at this same point and someone pointing for him to go up and over. So, he began climbing. Turns out, that was definitely not the way as he was quickly back on solid ground and we were off marching in another direction.

How does one not know the way 'up' a mountain you ask? Well, there ain't exactly a direct route, ya hear!? From what we considered the main trail, there are dozens of smaller paths snaking off in every direction, some that often appear just as 'main' as the one we were following. To make matters even trickier, every few minutes we'd look up to see another hiker ambling through the woods where it looked as though no human belonged. . .should we be following them!?

Holy Rock!

(There're a lot of pics here which means creative subtitles will likely start to go down hill)

As the woods closed in around us I began to feel like I had been here before, when all of a sudden. . .

No, just kidding, I mean, it did feel a bit like Whitehills Woods, although the grade of the path assured me it was not.

Frozen stream. . .it was not warm outside, I'll tell ya that!

Stepping into a small clearing Nate grew excited at what he recognized as the infamous rock face that I had heard so much about. Now apparently the first time Nate climbed Bulmansan he wound up at this same spot but in the presence of a good number of other hikers. Trying in vain to get solid enough footing to make it up the front of the rock face, Nate noted dozens of other hikers simply standing up and walking past him. Of note was the couple who watched him struggling while the man kindly pointed out that 'even she can do it.'

As Nate always said to me, 'the pictures don't really do it justice.' While this face may not seem that menacing, we both found it simply impossible to conquer outright. I didn't have the privilege of being embarrassed by throngs of Korean hikers but I did get a good appreciation for their ability as I too tried walking up this rock and didn't make it more than six feet before sliding down backwards! To be honest, we might have been able to make it up had the fear of sliding down not been to present. It's simply not a pleasant feeling to be groping at rock as it slides by your face, not knowing when you're foot breaks will decide to kick in and stop you!

That's one mean face!

Climbing Bulamsan
Part 1: Facing Reality

Well after a couple attempts each we both conceded that there was no way either of us was getting up the front of that rock. The only problem. . .we had to get at least half way up to pick up the trail that led onwards. So, down on all fours I went! Well, not quite, it ended up being more of a bear crawl that helped me up but in the end, I got to where we needed to be. It was at this point that I decided wearing flip up mittens was a bad idea! Sure they keep your hand warm but when you need grip it's either that of a mitten-ed hand or that of my bare expose fingertips. . .needless to say, my fingers took quite a beating and I'll be laying off the guitar for a few days while they heal!

Bear Crawling

Made it to a plateau!

Climbing Bulamsan
Part 2: The Plateau

Well, we tried to make it up a bit further and did in fact get a little higher. Nate even showed me a small ridge where a family of three shimmied up towards the top of this face. Somehow, he managed to convince me to try it out too! I got about 10 feet or so up it before I decided that any further would certainly seal my death once I started to slide back down (which felt inevitable). Thus, I began the terrifying journey back down the ridge backwards. This is not nearly as easy as it sounds or seems. Trying to lodge my feet in a tiny crack while not being able to look back enough to see them was not too pleasant. . .sliding down the last few feet I found solid ground again and we took off for the far side of the rock.

Just under the plateau where we caught some rest runs a ridgeline that takes you to the opposite side of the rock where the path again picks up. So, we followed it! I'm sure it would end up saving time if we found a way up and over but, for now, I'm totally satisfied with taking the safe way out. . .maybe next time I'll give it a go. . .though I can't imagine why I'd try!

That which we left untamed. . .

Before deserting the face entirely however, I was able to grab at least one decent shot over looking what I believe would be towards Nowon Station. We would have been able to see a lot further had the sky not been so smoggy. It hasn't precipitated at all here for at least a couple weeks which means the air is ripe with pollution. Though it's hard to describe how gross it looks, take a gander at the 'sky' just above the mountains in the picture below. What should be a bright blue (as there wasn't a hint of could, or moisture, in the air) is hardly distinguishable from the dirt grey of the high rises below it. . . this can't be good to breath each day!

Can you say 'Smog?'

While the air off in the distance was nothing to sit and stare at, the immediate scenery was quite impressive! It sure felt great to be up and out of the city, especially on such a nice day (albeit freezing cold). The two pictures below should shed a drop of light on the mountain's beauty. What's also nice is that I needn't ever have to work at framing unsightly objects out of the shot. The entire mountainside was pristine and clutter free. Perhaps due to Koreans viewing mountains and hills with a sort of religious purity. This is extends to the point where it's frowned upon even to smoke on a hillside, which, in Korea, says quite a bit. . .

All Natural

Ooooommmmmm. . .Ooooommmmmm

As we neared the top of the first climb (Nate informed me that what we end up doing is climbing one mountain, dip down, then climb the final peak to Bulamsan's summit) we took another breather on top of a huge boulder perched delicately over a huge drop off. This appeared to be the thing to do as other hikers, whose numbers steadily increased as we climbed, plopped down on rocks all around to chat, stretch and refuel. We didn't hang out for too long though as our dangling position made neither one of us feel all that comfortable! Check it out. . .

Hanging Out

Climbing Bulamsan
Part 3: Cliff Hangin'

Before turning back to the trail I grabbed another couple shots of the city below as the sun's angle highlighted the absurd tessellation of residential high rises below. Realize that those buildings below, lined up like dominoes, are actually 15+ story buildings that house thousands and thousands of people. . .it's likely that the majority of my students' residences are contained within this shot. . .

Dominoes

Here we have an up close shot of DYB Junggye branch. Sorry for the haze but I'm zoomed in 12x here! If you start at the bottom, directly in the middle of the picture and slowly move up, you'll come to a white-ish building with what appears to be a triangular roof. The building immediately behind that one, and just ever so slightly to the left, is DYB, the top floor being our Native Room. The building itself looks like a 'V' with a flattened point facing towards the bottom of the picture. . . not that it matters, but, two points to you if you can spot it!

DYB Junggye Branch

Oh boy, now we're getting close to the top of the first 'hill,' which is what you primarily see when looking out from the Native Room.

Razor wire?! Looks like they don't want you going that way!

Couldn't tell ya what it says but at least we made it to the top. . . of the first part! Actually the bottom hanging sign says something about Bulamsan. . .but that's all I can decipher.

Finally arriving at Base Camp II* we decided to plop down for some water and snacks. . .I was just about ready to dive in to my emergency Pocari Sweat (see Climbing Bulamsan, Pt. 1) so it was a good thing we came across the Base Camp II Diner*. While water satisfied our thirst, an hour or so of hiking had put quite a dent in my early morning cheese rabokki. So, Nate and I decided to split an order of snacks. . .well, kinda. We ordered up a bottle of makoli (a super sweet but ultra delectable low proof rice wine) as we new it would be accompanied by snacks, having first been exposed to this Korean hiking treat while wandering the slopes of Namhansamseong.

Grubbing at Base Camp II Diner


Climbing Bulamsan
Part 4: Base Camp II

Mid-mountaing Makoli Munchies

Part way up the first mountain I questioned Nate as to whether there would be a place to buy water up ahead. He reassured me that, yes, there would be. I inquired as to how someone would get water this far up the trail and brushed off his response about a heli-pad as a sarcastic remark. Well, looks like I should have paid closer attention to what he was saying!

Base Camp II Helipad

After finishing our snack we put away the rest of the makoli (which apparently, after a good deal of searching, wikipedia spells both makkoli and makgeolli) and hopped up to keep moving. Even in our short break I cooled off quite a bit as the sweat I had accumulated throughout my body quickly began evaporating into the dry icy air! Yes, I know I should do a better job of regulating body temperature but my primary thought when setting out from Dootvill in the morning was retaining warmth, not water!

Moving past the encampent we were forced to head downhill as Nate had suggested. Though it felt a bit counter productive, it sure was fun to get a running start and just leap down the trail ahead. . .though I can't imagine it being the safest thing in the world to do. . .as we would eventually learn. As the path bottomed out the trees opened up offering me a nice shot of Bulamsan's summit before we moved too close to see the peak.

On our way!

A little ways on we were back even with BCII and able to look out towards where we had come from. Though the sun was a bit blinding, it was nice to see the progress we had made!

Back even with Base Camp II

A bit higher up the final peak we came to the final shelter: Summit Base Camp*. Warned by Nate about the narrowing path ahead, we paused only long enough to grab a photo, not wanting to get stuck behind a heard of hikers who were close on our tail.

Summit Base Camp

From SBC we immediately came to a line of enormous boulders on which no 'correct' path was laid out. Whether is was the presence of other climbers around or simply a few hours getting used to our footing I can't say but we managed to make our way up those rocks without having to resort to the tried and true bear crawl that was so neccessary earlier in the day!

Boulders? No Problem!

Bouldering!

After a fun run upwards the boulders eventually evened out to smoothe stone that again turned quickly verticle. This time however the rocks were much steeper and offered no real opportunity to bound accross. Instead, a series of ropes were mounted into the rock with steel poles that offered climbers the only means upwards. If anyone was able to get past this point without the ropes I sure didn't see it!

Roping it in. . .

After the rope section the mountain again flattens out, but only for a moment. Nate took the time to point out Camp Charlie* as I snuck in a candid shot of our fearless leader.

Look, Over There!

A bit higher and even the trees began to lean into the mountainside for support!

Lopsided

"Now here's where you actually have to climb," Nate warned me. Not that I wasn't already a bit shaken up by the Korean couple who had passed us on the way down warning us to be careful for the final ascent was 'very dangerous.' Oh, well, thanks for the confidence!

Anyways, I flipped over my mittens, dug my already sore finger tips in to rock and began the climb up the Final Assault*.

The Final Assault

Getting Close!

After a bit of verticle climbing and a few meters of bouldering, we made it to the top! Not of course before leaping from one rock to another pitched at a steep angle that dropped off to a ravine below! The final climb, as you'll shortly see, involves a relatively simple, but nonetheless scary, hand over hand maneuver up a small face with a miraculously convenient finger crack. It seems a lot harder when you do then when the 12 year old boy right behind you does it. How he got there in the first place though is simply beyond me!

But, as I told you, we did eventually summit at 507 meters!

V for Vicory!

Looking down off the summit towards Camp Charlie



Climbing Bulamsan
Part 5: Summit (Take One)

Nate made it too!

Climbing Bulamsan
Part 5: Summit (Take Two)

Geting ready to billy goat from rock to rock like a true Korean hiker!

When we could no longer feel our noses or toes at the summit, we decided to head back down. Having come all this way we decided that we should at least check out Camp Charlie before turning our attention towards the decent. On the way over to CC however I stopped to offer my services as a photographer for a group that had posed on the rock that we stand in front of below. The woman who was taking the picture readily agreed and hoped in with the two men she had been photographing.

No sooner had I taken their picture did she then usher Nate and I into the shot with her buddies. From there, one of the buddies insisted on taking a picture while she joined us. This went on for at least a couple minutes and everybody rotated turns taking pictures and posing with the foreingers. As long as we were in a photo shoot I decided to toss my camera out there and we landed the blow shot of us and two friendly hikers. . .didn't catch anything about them but there sure seemed nice!

Making Friends

At Camp Charlie Nate took the opportunity to relieve himself while I surveyed the vastness of Northern Seoul. . . as indicated in Climbing Bulamsan, Pt. 3, we really are at the northern tip of the city as there isn't much out there beyond us. Not quite ready to turn down yet we popped a squat for another makoli break.

Bulamsan Summit from Camp Charlie

Properally refueled, in the Korean fashion, we turned our attention towards getting off the mountain before sundown. Not wanting to deal with having to go back up and over Base Camp II, we decided to just shoot down the center of Galt's Gulch*, the seemingly most direct way. With two older women leading the way down, Nate and I alternated between running and jumping down the flatter parts while creeping cautiously down the inclines. As you could imagine, we blew past our decsent team while running and were subsequently passed every time extreme traction was required. It really is fascinating how Koreans just stick to the side of these mountains like it's nothing!

Climbing Bulamsan
Part 6: The Decsent

We did stop at one point to enjoy the setting sun over Nowon. This pleasure didn't last long however as Nate slipped on the final grade and managed to slice a good chuck off the tip of a finger on his way down. Of course he had only just removed his gloves exposing the skin that was otherwise protected throughout the day. Oh well, lesson learned, we'll bring a portable first aid kit that I have left over from Ghana next time!

Rockin' the Sunset

Shadows are growing longer. . .

Despite the minor mishap on the final leg, we both made it down fine and Galt's Gulch ended up shooting us out just before Sanggye Station. A brisk ten minute walk got us back to Dootavill where I retired for a halfhour hot shower before working up the energy to make it downstairs for dinner.

All 'n all it was a great way to spend a day! Racked up a number of excercise, nature and culture points all in one day. To top it all off I slept like a baby afterwards, although I still ache a bit and it's already mid week! Not sure if I'll be headed back up any time soon though I'd like to make it a few more times before I leave. . .then again, I might just need a shot for my application for the 'best job in the world,' . . . but that's a story for another day!

Bulamsan, Check!


*All nomenclature used to describe stops, eateries, camps and the like are wholly the product of our imagine. While they might be fictional however, I strongly suggest that the city of Seoul look into adopting such labels and posting them in a multitude of languages so that international photojournalists may have a consensus as to where they visited.