August 7- Trekking up Mt Chiaksan

Everyday as I started out my plans changed and this was something I would eventually get used to and even appreciate at some point of time. The unpredictability of life was something initially frustrating but eventually exhilarating. Today was the day to hike up Mt Chiaksan or the birobong peak as it was called. Every national park has several peaks though the highest one is the best known and the dominant trekking peak. I gave my two companions a wake-up call but left after they wanted to sleep a little longer. 

I picked the right path - intermediate :)

The walking path up Chiaksan was rather rocky and this remained consistent throughout the way up. Lots of stairs were fixed along the way especially at steep points. The stairways at all the national parks are also affixed with rubber strips that are nailed to the wood, ensuring some friction between the soles of the shoe and the plank.

 Lots of mini waterfalls dot the walk to the summit and it was soothing to hear the sound of these as I slowly made my way up. My concept is to enjoy the mountain as I walk up and I stopped by ever so often to take pictures or just to enjoy the lush green mosses all along the way. Ever active squirrels ran along beside me almost like they were running a relay, and at every section there would be a squirrel, reminding me of ice-age.

Occasionally I would walk across a bridge build across the stream and  these were the best moments to savor the surroundings.

Some of the way is composed of steps made up of logs on the ground. These I presume would be more slippery on a rainy day but seemed perfectly good on the day I went. Having a clear path means that few people would stray off the path and disturb the beautiful forest. Besides these, most of the way was composed of jagged rocks. It did get tiring after a bit going up, up and up and especially since it was the first mountain after cycling. I decided to put a bit more thought into how much rest I would need; since I was trekking and cycling, both working on the legs.

My constant companion or rather companions ( since they all look alike). These guys were pretty active almost all the way and rather nice to watch whenever I took a break. All I had was a tub of peanut butter for snacking and the squirrels or paramji as they were called in korean would run around me sniffing the air. Quite cute and I did grow fond of the active furballs, at times stopping just to look to see which one was escorting me :)

The path along the way has periodic maps and signboards and the national park office also offers maps. It is possible to get an english map though I would recommend asking for one just to ensure a korean map is not given. Maps are relatively easy to read and follow and I never really referred much to the paper map I had, preferring to follow the one along the path.

 This is the view of Birobong at Chiaksan as I made my way up and it was definitely worth the hike up. Chiaksan has 3 very unique stupas built by a single person. The motivation for this was a dream with a divine commandment. There is a board at the top explaining this. These stupas have been knocked down by lightning before and rebuilt by the national park. Besides the stupas the view was also stunning and on a clear day, breathtaking. Having been to mountains where the terrain was tough but with absolutely no views at the top, korean mountains are low in altitude but offer beautiful sights, both along the way and at the summits.

The board in the picture above shows the view of the mountains in front as well as the name of the various peaks seen. There are a total of 3 stupas built for 3 different gods though it was difficult to take a picture showing all the stupas. The stupas were built using a ladder.

The picture on the left shows the size of the stupa. This one was built for the mountain god. I spent a good 30 minutes at the top, drying my clothes on the rocks thanks to the hot sun and having a few spoonfuls of peanut butter before making my way down.

View of 2 of the stupas

After a tiring trek, here I am enjoying a cup of tea made by my two friends who rejoined me much later. The rest of the day was spent relaxing and chilling by the stream. I decided that my routine at a national park would be at least 2 days, one day to rest after reaching and one more day after trekking to the peak, very much in line with my personal belief that life is about enjoying every bit and not rushing from point to point for any reason :)

After some time chilling and saying a goodbye to my two korean camp-mates it was time for a good night's sleep. One lesson learnt was that it wasn't necessary to pack all my items and carry them for the trek as the campsites are very safe.

The night was unusually quiet after a night of talking and cheerfulness before. Tomorrow would be movement again...