When I arrived on Jeju, I knew that there was no way I could partake in the island’s main attraction: hiking up Mount Hallasan. But on the second day, finding the other attractions on the island cheesy (I was NOT going to Love Land), I decided that I had to do a little hiking while I was here. It’d be a shame not to.
That morning, I drove about an hour up the mountain to get to Eoseungsaengak Trail, supposedly one of the easier trails on Hallasan. Only 30 minutes to the top, they said. But at this point, I’d already worn myself out walking up stairs and hills in Seoul for a week. This activity was nothing BUT walking up a hill. As I reached the trail entrance, looking at the many wooden steps in front of me, I thought to myself that this was a stupid idea.
The first third of the trail was nothing but stairs. I had to stop several times just to sit down and catch my breath. I was nowhere near in shape enough to do any sort of serious hiking. Every time I sat down, I thought about turning around. Luckily, the next part of the trail leveled off, consisting of a boardwalk on mostly flat land. The last part of the climb was mostly steep hills with rubber mats to help you keep your footing. At this point, my legs were shot. I was so tired, and the only thing that kept me going was knowing I was so close to the top.
Finally, after about an hour of hiking, I made it to the top, and was rewarded with some amazing views. I felt so proud that I’d accomplished something that, before that morning, I’d never set out to do. It was an incredible feeling.
Would I do it again? Oh, hell no. Once was enough.