August 15- Trekking up Songni Mountain

Had a quick drop back to the national park office today since the ranger I was staying with had to be at work. I had left my wet stuff laid out to dry at the entrance and packed them back up so that the place was tidy once again. It was a good thing that most if not all of the national parks I visited was flexible about such things.

I got a drop up to the beginning of the trail, past Beopjusa temple. This was a great help as it was still drizzling throughout the morning. As I didn't have plans to stay in the region longer then I had planned, I decided to carry on with the trek. This was to be the day when walking trails would be mini waterfalls and I had fun taking shots of such instances.

The trek up Songni mountain was pretty relaxed except that it became a challenge to try to keep my shoes as dry as possible since water was  pouring down most of the way. The rain would occasionally stop ( At least till I would remove my rain gear), then pour again causing me to re-wear everything again.

 Came across this frog lazing on a rock as I trekked up and he was the perfect model for me. After hopping a couple of times, he decided I was not a threat and let me move closer. This shot was a result of that understanding.

The rainy weather was a good time to see the park in the 'wet' look and I definitely liked the mist forest look. Every path and board-walk seemed to be leading to someplace mysterious and again I was the only person on the trail, something I enjoy. Just forest and me.

Finally reached the point leading to Munjangdae and  made my way up the final stairway, steep and affixed to the huge boulders. The rain drops were pretty heavy by this time and there was one other person at the top.

Many koreans are very into trekking and even the older folk are reasonably fast on the trails. I would often mistake a much older man for a younger person, such was the agility and fitness of the koreans I met on trails.

I couldn't enjoy the view from Munjangdae, neither could I stand for too long at the top due to the rain becoming heavier but it felt good nonetheless and I had a sense of accomplishment. The top of the rock had like mini-pools due to the rain which had collected in the natural potholes.

Every mountain that I hiked up eventually taught me that it wasn't so much the end but the process that mattered (At least to me ) and this would be a lesson that would be ingrained in me by the end of the trip.

Made my way down while it was raining and stopped by a stall that sold snacks midway to munjangdae. The weather was cold and I decided to stop by to have ramen while I was here. On a cold rainy day, a hot meal tasted really good. I liked the way they cooled their drinks, using natural stream water. Seemed like a really good idea.

Making my way down after the ramen, I decided to visit beopjusa temple, reputedly one of the more famous temples in Korea. My DSLR died around this time, thanks to forgetting to charge and luckily I had my iphone to take pictures.

The huge statue of buddha at the Beopjusa temple was one of the largest I had seen and I watched a monk chant and pray before carrying on.

Making my way back to the park office, I decided to stay at a motel since the ground was still wet. The ranger attending to me said it was fine to camp out despite the weather being bad ( It was still forecasted rain) but I decided I'd take it easy.

By this time it was close to 6 pm and I got a lift to a motel nearby and the ranger helped me to check in. The rate was 40,000 won for the night and in the later days of my travel I was to find out that it was easy to find good rooms for 30,000 won. I was told by the ranger that at Songnisan this was the rate though I seriously doubted it even then. (Maybe he got a commission) Either way this was my first stay at a motel and it wasn't a bad one.

The view from my room

The room was clean and afforded a decent sleep and I was looking forward to moving on the next day. Somehow at Songnisan national park office, the only person I could really talk to was Park Hye Jin due to the language barrier and she'd be the only one I would keep in touch as well from Songnisan National Park office.