Meetup & Seoraksan

"Swim against the tide of opinion: Decide that happiness is an essential part of a life well lived." -Hugh Prather

As I'm planning ahead the next three weeks in Korea, one very important decision was made- I had to get to Soraksan and do a fall hike. It was on my To-Do List from the beginning but never quite made it to the top. Thanks to my good friend, Lauren, I was introduced to the wonderful world of Meetup. It's a great way to find activities and groups with similar interests especially f you're new to an area (or a country). 


I joined the Climbing in Korea Meetup group and I'll be embarking on a 'high endurance' hike of Mt. Seorak in the Gangwon-do region. This will be my farewell Korea hike- the perfect way to end the year that re-invigorated my love for hiking and all things outdoors. 

The itinerary is as follows:


SATURDAY
----------------
3:00am - Arrive at Osaek (Trail head)
6:00am - Arrive at Daecheoungbong (the highest peak in Seoraksan)
6:30am - Arrive at Jungcheoung Shelter (Break time and Split up into two groups)

Gongryong(dianosaur) ridge group
7:30 - 8:00am Arrive at Hoiungak shelter (Have breakfast)
8:00am - 1:00pm - ups and downs Gongryongneungseon with a fantastic view (Have lunch on the way)
1:00pm - Arrive at Madeungryoung
3:00pm - Arrive at Biseondae (rock platform in a stream) and have dinner
5:00pm - Arrive at small park (Shinheung Buddhist temple).& head home
9:30pm -Arrive back in Seoul.

My camera had a little accident during Chuseok but thankfully my parents left me with one, so I'll be taking lots of pictures. On a funny note, I read online that Seoraksan is one of the most beautiful areas of Korea, according to Koreans. JUST as I was reading that, my Korean coworker said, "Oh, Seoraksan is the most beautiful part of Korea!" I guess that website is legitimate!