Seoraksan National Park

My day began at 5 a.m.  

I needed to catch the 6:40 a.m. bus to Sokcho, and then get on the #7 bus to get to Seoraksan National Park.

Entrance...

I arrived at the park at about 9:30 a.m.  My first order of business was to change clothes and apply some sunblock.  I knew it was going to get warmer and warmer throughout the day.  I didn't want to be looking like a little cherry tomato by the time I left. 

After a quick snack, I knew exactly where I was headed.  I had been wanting to hike this mountain for months and figured that the summer time would be the best time to do it.  I had done my research and found pictures of Ulsanbawi Rock.  Now it was time to climb it.  

Yhep! That's the Rock I wanted to climb.
This was near the entrance of the park.

It's said that this rock is one of the hardest hiker's courses in Seoraksan National Park.  The top is 876m high.  It takes about 4 hours to complete the hike; 2 hours up (3.8 km) and 2 hours down (3.8 km).  It was  definitely a challenge.  

Directions to the rock...these signs became my bff.
Anyone who knows me, knows my sense of direction
is horrible!

I first saw a picture of the mountain on the cover of my tourist book that I bought before coming to Korea.  The picture shows nothing but stairs and more stairs.  All of the pictures that I found show the same thing.  I was surprised when I got there only to find that before you get to the stairs there are nothing but rocks.  For a minute I thought I was going the wrong way and I even back tracked and stopped to ask (I wrote down the name of where I wanted to go in Korean...just in case).  The lady pointed me in the direction that I was already going.  

As I got closer and closer to the top, the stairs began.  

Headed up...
Notice the rock right in the middle.....

Then there is a sign that says...

Getting closer to the top, looking down....

Before I knew it I was at the mile marker to the top of Ulsanbawi!  It was here that I started re-thinking my "mission" to get to the top.  Looking back down I thought that there was no way I would be able to make it all the way back down (let alone the top!).  The higher you go the steeper it gets.  What changed my mind?  I saw kids, small kids and women twice my age and older continuing up the mountain.  If they can do it, surely I can too!  I also told myself that I didn't come all this way to stop and quit 1 mile from the top.

Maybe 30 (or so) minutes later....I reached the top of the mountain!  It was worth it!  I had actually gone at a very good time too.  On the way down there were way more people, so many that they had to wait in a line to get up.  This would be scary because the path gets very narrow only allowing one person to pass at a time. 

After soaking in the top, taking videos, and pictures, I slowly began the journey back down.  This is what I witnessed....

Rock climbers.......

I thought going down would be just as tough as it was going up, but it wasn't that bad.  I felt like I was on the Amazing Race.  

With my great hike completed, I left the park kissed by the sun, and headed back to the bus station headed for home.  I know my legs are going to be beyond sore tomorrow, but it was worth it!