The first time I ever climbed a mountain in South Korea was in the winter of 2005. It was a memorable experience, memorable because something went wrong! At the peak! Of da mountain! I have told only a few friends about that climb, and they all laughed when I told them what really went wrong.😓
I was so excited before that climb. I bought a winter jacket and ski pants from the sportswear shop on the ground floor of our building when they had a sale and the rest of my hiking gear from Namdaemun Market.
Yes, I prepared like I was going up Mount Everest. I got myself a headlight (that small light strapped on my forehead), a walking stick, spikes for my boots, ski goggles, and winter gloves! We left Seoul for the Taebaek Mountains around 11 the night before and it was -20'C when we started our climb at about 5:30 the next morning.
I remember during our ride to the jump-off point, the windows of the bus were icy and freezing. But since I came prepared, I was able to hike comfortably with 30 other climbers from the office. That was my first and last climb during winter in Korea, though my other winter trips, later on, were only limited to ski slopes and the arenas of the Winter Olympics. But in the following years, I also got to climb the third highest mountain in South Korea - Seoraksan (read blog about it here)!
Then came Inwang-san.
Inwang-san is a mountain in the Seodaemun District of Seoul that I always saw when I was standing at the edge of Gwanghwamun Square. All those years, I had always been interested in going up there since it's close by, just sitting on the northwest side of Gyeongbuk Palace.
Inwang-san means 'mountain of a generous king' and at 340 meters tall, it affords any climber a different view of the city landscapes. As I said, if you're in Seoul, stand at the edge of Gwanghwamun Square right in front of Gyeongbuk Palace and look to your left. You'd see a peak; that's Inwang-san, or Mt. Inwang.
Since Inwang-san is in the city (read blog about Nam-san here), it's accessible from different corners, and on one cool, autumn morning, I gathered my friends Wendy, Abigail and Ingrid at Exit 1 of Gyeongbuk Palace Station (Orange Line, Line 3). We then walked west and entered a the Hongjae-2-dong neighborhood, trying to reach the mountain's southern foot by meandering the neighborhood's alleys full of interesting cafés, shops, restaurants, and residences.
(We're happy that mountains in Korea got stairs!)
(The shortest way between two points
is a set of stairs)
But as we got to the clearing, free of apartment buildings, we followed the hilly way up, but somewhere, somehow, we got lost! We were stopping all the time to pose for photos and we probably missed a sign!
Luckily in the middle of a forest, an ajussi came from nowhere and directed us to the right path, including one that required us to rappel up the mountainside on a rope! What fun!
And although we spoke limited hangeul, we got to communicate with him and he ended up being our photographer as well! And we were glad it was an ajussi that showed up in the middle of the forest and not a wild boar! Ha-ha-ha! Yes, there were warning signs about wild boars! 😱
(The kind ajussi took our photo and
pointed us to the right trail!)
pointed us to the right trail!)
We stopped at a ledge for a photo shoot, we posed while rappelling, and we took breathers to literally smell the forest and its cool autumn breezes. If you also live in Seoul, you'd know that this was part of the enjoyment while living in this city: mountain and nature were always a subway or bus ride away!
(My turn to hoist my body weight up
this side of Inwang-san)
(You don't get to do this at Nam-san: Embracing the city)
(Look to the northeast at the foot of
Mt. Pug-ak is the Presidential Blue House)
Aside from the views, the trails, its ecology, and flora (and luckily without the wild boar and wild fauna!), the other interesting character of Inwang-san is the Seoul Fortress Walls, the reconstructed old walls surrounding Hanyang, the old name of Seoul, that snake around the city. It was an 18-kilometer ancient wall that protected the ancient city but was destroyed during the Japanese occupation.
("I can name that building from where I sit!")
(At the northwestern side: The expressway that goes
through the Hongjae-dong neighborhood
of Seodaemun District)
Over the years, the Seoul Fortress Walls were gradually reconstructed. Parts of it you can see snaking around Nam-san, and in teh neighborhoods of Junggu and Dongdaemun, usually on some hilly neighborhod like the Ihwa Village, that's visible from Dongaemun Design Plaza area. And if happen to be at Sanmootonge, a Coffee Prince drama location, you can see part of the Seoul Fortress Walls on the eastern side of Inwang-san.
When we finally reached the top of Inwang-san, we joined other Korean hikers as they posed at the peak they just conquered. There, we felt 'underdressed' compared to them as they all looked like they were geared up for Everest while we, well, looked like we were geared up for lunch at Tong-in Market. Ha-ha-ha! 😜
(Pausing and posing near
the Inwangsan peak!)
And after posing on that huge rock at the peak, it was time to descend. Walking down the eastern trail, we met more hikers going up. We didn't really keep track of time; we only kept track of enjoyment and fun.That morning, we met up at 9AM at Gyeongbuk Palace Station and by 1PM, we were back at the main road waiting for the Green Bus 7212 that brought these starving hikers to Tong-In Market for lunch (read blog here)!
(Defying gravity on top of Inwang-san!)
(Gingko trees lining up and turning yellow at the main road at the foot of Inwangsan)
(At the main road on the northeastern side,
this monument stands for the hero
policeman who died thwarting an
assassination attempt in 1968)
assassination attempt in 1968)
If you're into hiking and live in Seoul, discovering Inwang-san is a must-hike. While Nam-san is very touristy, complete with a cable car, electric buses, and a thousand other tourists, Inwang-san is about nature in the city, quiet and cool, and offers a different view of Seoul!
Have fun and do wear proper hiking shoes!
(Rock & roll: sitting on a rocky
ledge of Inwangsan)
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