Hallasan's is the volcano that made Jeju Island and is also the highest point (1950m) in Korea--definitely a big tourist attraction. The trail we hiked was a gradual altitude climb, so much so that it took 4hrs up and 3hrs down. This post will be easier if I break this up into time slots....
Ahppa is a civil engineer with his own design or development company. When the family went to Pyosan for a family gathering, he showed me the stone walk along the beach, which is pretty nice. After we left, he then told me that he designed it. Out of all the family members, I see him the least. Like Ohmma, he also doesn't speak English, which limits our conversation abilities. But you don't need to know Korean to hike!
7:00am: Family breakfast. I've not yet gotten used to squid, especially for breakfast, so I don't eat much.
7:20am: I ask what I should take. Camera? Of course. Water? For sure. I think I'm set, but not so fast. 옴마 (ohm-ma) is asking about pants, gloves, a sports towel, and a jacket (I'm in shorts, tennis shoes, and a tshirt). I put all of the above in my backpack. Both she and 아빠 are in serious hiking wear: pants, long-sleeve shirt, hiking boots, hats, backpacks, and food.
7:30am: We drive to the trailhead.
8:00am: Arrive at the trailhead. My best guess is that we started the hike at 300-500m elevation. 아빠 (Ahppa)'s friend fro Jejusi is waiting for us. The two men start walking fast, leaving Ohmma behind. Not quite sure what's going on, so I keep up with them. It's foggy and damp, not too hot, but I start sweating. Remember, I'm in shorts and a shirt--they're in pants and long-sleeves. I think their clothing is more for protection from the sun the temperal comfort.
10:30am: We reach a resting point and stop for food. The food turns out to be a meal: cup o'ramen, fruit, soju, juice, crackers, and chocolate. 15min after we arrive Ohmma shows up. We all eat together and then split. Ahppa, Ahppa's friend, and I head for the top of Hallasan while Ohmma goes back down. It is prohibited to start hiking past the rest point after 12:3opm, so if you want to make it to the top, get an early start.
11:00am: A little bit later, while taking a short break, we talk to the other hikers resting. Turns out the other foreigner (the only one I've seen so far) is a Frenchwomen from Avignon. She's come to spend a month in Korea all by herself--pretty gutsy for not knowing Korean well. She's the first native French speaker that I've conversed with in months...and the first in Korea!
11:30am: We've reached the top (after 10km hiking)! The top of Hallasan is above the clouds. Unlike the forest at the beginning of the trail, we're now basking in the sunlight. I was actually hoping for no clouds and a clear view of the island, but no such luck. It's still pretty though; it's hard to see what's the ocean and what's the sky past the sea of clouds. And Ahppa has more food, kim bap, to eat. Way more food than I'm used to for a hike. We spend maybe 30min at the top, then it's time to head down...12:20-2:50pm: All the way down Hallasan. For me, going down is always much harder than going up. At this point, I feel bad for wearing my running shoes; their cushions are getting ruined. The path is made of uneven rocks, so not only am I ruining my shoes, but I have to be careful of my footing or else I slip. We passed tons of people hiking up, almost a constant stream of people, who just made the 12:30pm cutoff time. On the whole way down I see maybe 10 causcasians, which is maybe 3% of all the hikers I saw that day (do the math....it was crowded!).
2:50pm: When we reach the bottom, Ohmma's there waiting for us. I'm surprised she waited and didn't take the bus back (less than $2). I more sleepy tired than sore. Once we get home I take a good nap....
Monday dinner: Ahppa tells me that next time we'll take a different course....next time.
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