Gyeryonsan

Gyeryongsan

Six months ago I stopped climbing mountains. Until that time I had gone up and down Bomunsan a handful of times, and hiked over Gyeryongsan three or four times. I loved it. However, my knees started hurting. I blame the martial art I was studying at the time, which I also stopped doing six months ago. The Doctor told me my knees would get better in two weeks, but it took a hell of a lot longer.

Today was the day. The weather forecast predicted a one-day cessation of the rain that has been dogging us throughout this summer. If I had known that I would have been climbing, I would have started earlier. A quick phone call gathered a couple of friends and we met at the bus stop at 2:30.

The forest on the slopes of the mountains are lush, rocky and during the rainy season full of waterfalls.

The bus ride was easier than I expected. I can now read Korean, so knew exactly which bus to get on. The bus arrived at the stop almost immediately after we did, and there was little traffic on the roads at that time. When I did Gyeryongsan last year it took us over an hour to get to the mountain due to the Chusok traffic.

The weather was cloudy and cool, perfect for a long walk up a steep hill, and we set off up the sloping road, which turned into a set of rocky steps after Donghaksa temple. Gyeryongsan is well paved. It's either gently sloping dirt tracks or, more commonly, steep uneven stone steps. In fact, the trail is more of one long staircase up the side of the mountain.

It's great to get out of the city and sit under a tree while we catch out breath for the next part of the climb.

The highlight of the climb was the brief exchange I had with a Korean father who was coming down the mountain with his two young sons. He said 'hi' to me, and with the best diplomatic intentions, I mumbled an 'anyonhasayo' in his general direction. As we separated, I heard one of the kids say quietly (in perfect, unaccented English) "Oh, he speaks Korean!"

The trail winds its way up and down the crest of this ridge, giving great views both to the left and the right.

The peaks were breathtaking. The air was relatively clear, and there was no low cloud. They were also empty of other people, which was unusual. Last time I went up this mountain there were so many people, they were forming a line to go through the narrow parts of the trail.

If you're lucky enough to get a clear, cloud-free day, the view is spectacular.

As we made out way down the other side of the mountain, we discovered why there were no other people on the peaks. The light was vanishing. The last half hour was spent stumbling through the rocks as we made out way towards Gapsa temple. It's a wonder no-one sprained an ankle,

As soon as we hit the road, a large SUV came around the corner, and the guy inside offered us a lift to the bus stop. Considering how sweaty and smelly we were, I'm amazed that he did, but I guess it didn't hurt matters that I was hiking with two tall blonde girls.

Depending on which trail you take you may find your way to the stone pagodas of Gyemyeongjeongsa temple.

The busses had stopped running, but the owner of one of the restaurants gave us a lift back to Daejeon for 40,000won, and as soon as I stepped through my apartment door, it started to rain. But that's OK; I managed to do something outside today without getting wet.

I'm still sitting here in my sweaty clothes. I need to take a shower. I'm stoked though; I've started climbing mountains again.

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