Hiking 2:35:00 [4] 5.54 km (27:59 / km) +802m 16:14 / km
shoes: New Balance FreshFoam Gobi
Recovering from the Hallasan hike was agony. First two days my calves were so sore going downhill or down the stairs was almost impossible and even third day it was still not easy!
By Monday my legs started to be okay and we spent the beginning of the week doing some touristing around Seoul. We definitely walked less than I've normally walked on holidays but I think because of the Hallasan hike + still walking maybe 10-15km every day my legs were getting more and more tired towards the end of the trip.
So what do we decide to do on my last day in Seoul? Climb the Mount Bukhasan of course!
Bukhasan is right next to Seoul. It's only 836m and the track to the top is only about 4km. Thats half the distance and the climb of the Hallasan. How difficult could it be, right?!?
Well, like I said, my legs had gotten more tired every day. Thursday was also the hottest day of my trip, +31 degrees and sunny.
Took the bus to the trail head and put on some sun screen. There were a lot of paths and the signs weren't great but we picked a route and off we went.
Straight from the beginning it became clear that wow this trail is a lot more technical than the Hallasan track was at any point!! There were really difficult parts where you had to almost climb up on all fours. It was nice knowing we wouldn't be coming down the same way.
I think it was the combination of the heat, tired legs and difficult track but I was struggling straight from the beginning. Just felt wrecked!
The trail up was really difficult and I was really tired but the views were really nice and there were also some parts with no climb so it was actually pretty nice strolling! It was also pretty quiet and we didn't see a lot of other people, just the two of us most of the time.
Then we got to the last bit.........
I had read about the hike beforehand. I had seen pictures. Somehow I had completely missed the fact that the last bit is pretty much like Half Dome in Yosemite....
The last 100m, when you actually climbed the top, was ... let's say challenging. It was really busy, lines of people going both ways. Most of the parts you couldn't really just walk since it was only rock that had been polished all slippery from so many people walking on it. There were cables on both sides of the "path" and you basically just had to hold on, try to pull yourself up and hope your arms/hands are strong enough.... Locals were smart enough to bring gloves but of course we didn't have any so hands were having a hard time!
Finally we made it to the top, 836m!
The top was basically just bare open rock. Not the type of bare open rock we have here where you still get cracks and moss and some trees which make it easier to walk on. No. This was just slippery bare open rock. And if you slipped there were no fences or not even cliffs to stop you. It was just a round slippery hilltop and if you slip .. well it's like a slide until the fall!
There was a smallish rock which is officially the highest point. We climbed that and then time for coke and some snacks. We didn't stay at the top for too long since it was hot and with no shade available you could almost here your skin burning....