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misher
Joined: 14 Oct 2008
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 Posted: Mon Jan 04, 2010 10:56 pm Post subject: Hiking without the hordes |
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I want to start hiking when the eather starts to warm up but I've been told that it is absolute hell as there is practically a line-up of people going up the mountain. I'm currently watching a Korean program on MBC which is portraying that exact situation. Are there any places farther from Seoul where I can hike and expect to see very few people? Jeolla? Kangwondo? Any advice would be appreciated. I don't want to battle for space with ajossis and ajummas waving those ski poles around.
misher |
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aishiii
Joined: 24 Apr 2009
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| Posted: Mon Jan 04, 2010 11:35 pm Post subject: |
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There's mountains all over the place with trails up to the top. Just don't go to the super popular ones at peak times.
You can even go to pukansan and find trails where you'll be the only one on the trail. It won't be the best, most popular path, but like I said there's lots of mountains and there's no way Koreans can be everywhere on a mountain.
Koreans love to flock together. Just don't do what they do and you'll be fine. |
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Dude Ranch
Joined: 04 Nov 2008
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| Posted: Mon Jan 04, 2010 11:47 pm Post subject: |
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| LOL, I love the title of this thread |
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KimchiExplosion
Joined: 01 Jul 2007
Location: Nowhere near Seoul
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| Posted: Mon Jan 04, 2010 11:54 pm Post subject: |
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| Bushwack straight up a mountain, staying of the path entirely. |
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redaxe
Joined: 01 Dec 2008
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| Posted: Tue Jan 05, 2010 12:33 am Post subject: |
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| aishii wrote: |
| Koreans love to flock together. Just don't do what they do and you'll be fine. |
Or you'll get lost in the woods and die of starvation
| KimchiExplosion wrote: |
| Bushwack straight up a mountain, staying of the path entirely. |
I feel like that could somehow get you arrested |
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aishiii
Joined: 24 Apr 2009
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| Posted: Tue Jan 05, 2010 12:45 am Post subject: |
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| redaxe wrote: |
| aishii wrote: |
| Koreans love to flock together. Just don't do what they do and you'll be fine. |
Or you'll get lost in the woods and die of starvation
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Oh yeah, because Korean 'mountains' are so huge and vast you can wander for days without coming upon civilization. |
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coralreefer_1
Joined: 19 Jan 2009
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| Posted: Tue Jan 05, 2010 1:19 am Post subject: |
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| KimchiExplosion wrote: |
| Bushwack straight up a mountain, staying of the path entirely. |
Actually, this is exactly what I spend much of my weekend daytime doing. Typically I just pick some random mountain on the horizon, and make my way through the woods toward the peak. Typically even if you are not following a trail, you will cross them, ...they are not so much often used hiking trails as much as they are trails that get used a few times a year when families go to the tombs of their deceased relatives.
On a side note and a bit of an interesting story..this past Sunday I had hiked up to the top of a peak, took my obligatory pictures, and decided to basically slide down the mountain on my butt through the woods. About 300 meters down while sliding on my behind, I startled a wild boar! The thing ran for a few seconds, and I sat there motionless listening to it run. It didn't run far, and in those quiet and dark woods..could hear the thing breathing and grunting.
It was only about an hour from sunset, already dark in the forest due to trees and the sun being on the other side of the mountain. If this thing had happened to have some babies nearby and come after me..there wasn't much I could do. The ground was too steep to even stand, much less run, and as I made my way down, I feared this thing may come up behind me, and I would not be near enough to a study tree to scramble up.
I love just making my own way up the mountains, and do it mainly because I am hunting for caves, and for the exercise, but be careful out there in the deep woods friend. The rocks crumble easily, and there are animals out there (wild dogs, boar) that could be dangerous if you are unlucky, and if something happens and you need help, it might be a while before it can get to you. |
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aishiii
Joined: 24 Apr 2009
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| Posted: Tue Jan 05, 2010 1:24 am Post subject: |
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| coralreefer_1 wrote: |
| KimchiExplosion wrote: |
| Bushwack straight up a mountain, staying of the path entirely. |
Actually, this is exactly what I spend much of my weekend daytime doing. Typically I just pick some random mountain on the horizon, and make my way through the woods toward the peak. Typically even if you are not following a trail, you will cross them, ...they are not so much often used hiking trails as much as they are trails that get used a few times a year when families go to the tombs of their deceased relatives.
On a side note and a bit of an interesting story..this past Sunday I had hiked up to the top of a peak, took my obligatory pictures, and decided to basically slide down the mountain on my butt through the woods. About 300 meters down while sliding on my behind, I startled a wild boar! The thing ran for a few seconds, and I sat there motionless listening to it run. It didn't run far, and in those quiet and dark woods..could hear the thing breathing and grunting.
It was only about an hour from sunset, already dark in the forest due to trees and the sun being on the other side of the mountain. If this thing had happened to have some babies nearby and come after me..there wasn't much I could do. The ground was too steep to even stand, much less run, and as I made my way down, I feared this thing may come up behind me, and I would not be near enough to a study tree to scramble up.
I love just making my own way up the mountains, and do it mainly because I am hunting for caves, and for the exercise, but be careful out there in the deep woods friend. The rocks crumble easily, and there are animals out there (wild dogs, boar) that could be dangerous if you are unlucky, and if something happens and you need help, it might be a while before it can get to you. |
Is your name John Locke? |
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coralreefer_1
Joined: 19 Jan 2009
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| Posted: Tue Jan 05, 2010 1:30 am Post subject: |
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No way man. I was a bit scared of the thing..quite shocked at how big it actually was. You get a whole new respect for animals when you see them up close and realize how big and wild they can be.
Mainly I was scared because since I startled the thing, I was watching my back and stopping every few seconds to listen to hear if it was coming around, which was seriously slowing down my progress wit the sun setting.
Locke would have killed the thing, cut a ham for himself, and had a happy night^^ I'm nowhere near that cool~~ |
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dbmctague
Joined: 12 Oct 2008
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| Posted: Tue Jan 05, 2010 2:05 am Post subject: |
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| KimchiExplosion wrote: |
| Bushwack straight up a mountain, staying of the path entirely. |
Don't do this, as it damages the environment and destroys a lot of vegetation. This in turn leads to erosion.
It's okay to veer off a trail a little bit, but don't set out exploring on your own, especially when the park prohibits it. |
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Forward Observer
Joined: 13 Jan 2009
Location: FOB Gloria
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| Posted: Tue Jan 05, 2010 2:27 am Post subject: |
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| aishiii wrote: |
| coralreefer_1 wrote: |
| KimchiExplosion wrote: |
| Bushwack straight up a mountain, staying of the path entirely. |
Actually, this is exactly what I spend much of my weekend daytime doing. Typically I just pick some random mountain on the horizon, and make my way through the woods toward the peak. Typically even if you are not following a trail, you will cross them, ...they are not so much often used hiking trails as much as they are trails that get used a few times a year when families go to the tombs of their deceased relatives.
On a side note and a bit of an interesting story..this past Sunday I had hiked up to the top of a peak, took my obligatory pictures, and decided to basically slide down the mountain on my butt through the woods. About 300 meters down while sliding on my behind, I startled a wild boar! The thing ran for a few seconds, and I sat there motionless listening to it run. It didn't run far, and in those quiet and dark woods..could hear the thing breathing and grunting.
It was only about an hour from sunset, already dark in the forest due to trees and the sun being on the other side of the mountain. If this thing had happened to have some babies nearby and come after me..there wasn't much I could do. The ground was too steep to even stand, much less run, and as I made my way down, I feared this thing may come up behind me, and I would not be near enough to a study tree to scramble up.
I love just making my own way up the mountains, and do it mainly because I am hunting for caves, and for the exercise, but be careful out there in the deep woods friend. The rocks crumble easily, and there are animals out there (wild dogs, boar) that could be dangerous if you are unlucky, and if something happens and you need help, it might be a while before it can get to you. |
Is your name John Locke? |
+1 post ftw |
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oldtactics
Joined: 18 Oct 2008
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| Posted: Tue Jan 05, 2010 2:49 am Post subject: |
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| Besides Seoraksan on weekends and holidays, I've never had to wait in line or hike with 'hordes' of people on any of the mountains in Gangwon-do. |
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ESL Milk "Everyday
Joined: 12 Sep 2007
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| Posted: Tue Jan 05, 2010 2:56 am Post subject: |
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It's hard to avoid all crowds completely, but it's possible to go so that you'll have sections of the trail to yourself... like it's already been mentioned, avoid peak times and you'll be okay... unfortunately, the main reason why there aren't so many people about during the non-peak times is because it's either really cold or really hot.
If it's a nice spring or especially fall day, though, chances are it's not going to be a very nice time. Pretty much all of the major mountains are packed around the holidays, and often weekends as well... but I would definitely recommend going in the heat of the summer.
A lot of people don't even have enough energy to pick themselves up and do much of anything at this time-- and if they do, they think the beach, not the mountain... but this is why the mountain is where it's at in summer.
If it's raining you'll get wet, but it's not so hot... and I've never had a problem with this. Get a good rain jacket with a hood and you're golden. You do have to watch your step a bit more, however.
If it's a hot sunny day, then even though the summers are super unpleasant, sticky and hot here, the mountains are noticeably cooler and you're usually out of the sun anyway. So it's actually a really good escape from the oppressive, oppressive heat. You'll notice it as soon as you step out of the bus/car.
And to tell the truth, all that sweating sort of flushes you out so when you're finished you actually feel fantastic... even if you are in desperate need of a shower.
If you're set to go in the peak season, then you could do is ask one of the locals about each of the hiking paths-- and then whichever one he says is the worst, go to that one. |
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Mint
Joined: 08 May 2008
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| Posted: Tue Jan 05, 2010 3:41 am Post subject: |
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Hey misher! What they said and... if you can manage to go in the middle of the day during weekdays there are substantially less people on the mountain [hagwon split shift, "going to the bank" in the middle of a PS deskwarming day, etc.]
Generally in the morning the mountains are filled with really old people swinging their arms around or walking solemnly with their arms behind their backs, and at night it's usually 40-50 somethings or young families, but around noon you can scream primal bloody murder on the less "popular" mountains if you feel the need. If you told us whereabouts you live some of us could probably recommend a few. |
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curiousaboutkorea
Joined: 21 Jan 2009
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| Posted: Tue Jan 05, 2010 4:16 am Post subject: |
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| Go very early in the morning. I was even able to get peace and quiet on a cool Autumn Saturday on one of the popular trails at Bukhansan (supposedly the most-visited national park in the world) and saw The Land of the Morning Calm. I started hiking around 8 am. On the way down however, I was still fighting against crowds who were headed up, but it wasn't too big of a problem. |
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