Halla Halloween

Halloween started at 8:00 in the morning with my first attempt to catch the 5.16 bus. An hour later I arrived at Seongpanak trailhead where Naomi was waiting and having a cup of coffee with the parking attendants. Mt. Hallasan is South Korea’s highest peak, but fortunately for my leg, the climb is not terribly treacherous. My Korean friends had told me that it would be a rainy day, but when Naomi checked the forecast it said, “Sunny and delightful.” I would have to agree - we couldn’t have picked a more lovely day for the hike.

During the first part of our hike we were occasionally paralleled by a strange tractor which climbed a track and carried a large load of ramyeon noodles. The first half of trail cuts through the forest where the path is a combination of boardwalk (perhaps to cut down on erosion - I’ve never seen so many people on a trail) and large rocks whose appearance are a constant reminder that you are on a volcano. Some sections of the trail are rather steep and as people climb at different paces, these areas are quite congested.

We eventually made it to a large rest area where dozens of Koreans sat eating noodles and preparing for the final section of the hike. At this point we were out of the forest and could begin to see the peak of the mountain, shrouded in clouds. We named the next part of the trail “death-stairs, because over a kilometer of staircase was under construction and boards (where there were boards) sat unsecured on their supports. While earlier we were both sweating like a couple of westerners, we appreciated the jackets we brought as we neared the top.

A passed through a large crowd of hikers as we made our way to the rim of the volcano. We had a good long sit and a celebratory drink of Hallason Sojo. I couldn’t stop smiling when I realized I was being hit in the face with clouds.

I haven’t asked much of my left leg for a while so it was pretty sore after the ascent, but the descent torched both of my legs. We were making good time and good conversation when we came upon a couple who were excited to hear English behind them. We walked with the pair for a good half an hour. The man turned out to be a 56 year old professor of special education and had studied in Utah, receiving his doctorate in the States. I was blown away when this random stranger on the other side of the world told me that he had spent some time in Lawrence, researching with a professor!! Almost as surprising was this 56 year-old’s ability to match my pace - I hope that I’m still able to hike like that when I’m 56!

A snow-covered Hallasan is going to be beautiful, but I’m not sure if it can beat the beauty of the autumn leaves.

Halloween night was just wacky. It was my first night in Jeju City where there is quite a night life and the Korean women are much less shy than in Seogwipo. At dinner I sat next to a giant, orange squid and saw a lot of new faces. I had dressed up as fan death (which I will explain in a later post) under the assumption that we were just going to be going to a party. I was concerned that my costume might appear a bit insensitive, but everybody seemed to enjoy it.

There was a Halloween party, and while it was no Harvest Moon (the best frisbee tournament / halloween party ever), I had a great evening and made a lot of new friends. The festivities ran a bit late for me to get back to Seogwipo, so a friend of mine and I searched for a good bargain at a nearby hotel. I was happy to have found somewhere to sleep (and it was only ₩15,000) and was climbing into bed when the phone rang. We thought the woman on the phone said she was going to bring something up to us. As it turned out someone else had offered to pay the full price for the room, and rather than consult us, the owner had decided to give our room away... hilarious!