Day 20: Attempting to Climb Mt. Inwangsan via the Shamanist Hillside Walk

Sadly, Day 20 was my last day for sight seeing as tomorrow I was going back home to Canada. Like my trip to Tokyo, I deliberately bookmarked both ends of my trip with closer attractions so that I could get use to travelling around Seoul slowly at the beginning and then to give myself a break from travelling long distances towards the end. I wanted to do some sort of hike in Seoul and my guide book had several listed in and out of Seoul, one of which was at Inwangsan Mountain. Inwangsan, being relatively close by, was a daily sight for me from the balcony of my aunt’s condo every morning and evening.

My aunt mentioned that she had gone up the mountain before and that the road to Inwangsan can get confusing. I decided regardless of whether I got anywhere near to reaching the top of Inwangsan or not, I wanted to attempt to climb it for myself. I think I really would have regretted not doing so if I hadn’t. Even though I really like my big city modern amenities, I do enjoy nature very much and a physical challenge like hiking.

By this time, I developed a daily routine of waking up later in the mornings now (probably closer to 9AM) and having my banana, cereal, yogurt (sometimes all 3 mixed together) and an ice cream if I was in the mood. I was buying Yoplait brand from the supermarket early in my trip but my aunt switch over to buying Yakult brand (which was supposedly healthier) from a Yakult uniformed ahjumma who toured the neighbourhood selling products from her insulated cart. It reminded me of those Dickie Dee bicycles I use to see on the streets that sold ice cream and popsicles when I was a kid. To alleviate some of the weight from my backpack, I decided to leave my Seoul City Guide book at home and take snapshots of the directions which dubbed the route the“Inwangsan Shamanist Hillside Walk” using my cell. Looking back, I doubt it made any real difference, especially when I compensated for that loss in weight multiple times over by stopping at the convenience store on my way to Inwangsan to stock up on water, Gatorade, Chilsung Cider, chips and chocolate bars. Considering I was leaving before lunch time, I wasn’t sure if there would be anything to buy and eat on the way up. I kind of pictured that there would be like a gimbap stand somewhere halfway up the mountain.

Inwangsan was located beyond Dongnimmun Station which I went to every day and getting to the Entrance Gate to the Shamanist Hillside from there was relatively easy to find following the instructions off the Seoul City Guide book. It also helped that there were a few people ahead and behind me dressed up in hiking gear which gave me confidence that I was heading in the right direction. At this time, my Aunt called and advised that I shouldn’t be going left towards the Shamanist Hillside but right instead. Her direction seemed counterintuitive though as going right lead away from the direct route to the mountain and it went against the directions from my book. Instead of listening to my aunt, I headed left and towards the Entrance Gate and to the temples beyond.

Walking past the gate brought me to a neighbourhood built on a really steep incline amongst the hillside and rocks. The way the houses were all gated made it seem like it was a more affluent area than most but I couldn’t say for sure. I thought to myself that walking daily to and from my aunt’s condo which was located at the top of a long and steep incline for close to 3 weeks would have been good hiking prep but I soon discovered how out of shape I was. I kind of learned that at the start of my trip going to and from the condo where I would be sweating and dying to tear my clothes off while people around me would be walking up the hill with full coats on, not even breaking a sweat like it was nothing. Amongst the houses there was an oddly located and small convenience store and a temple and off in the distance I could hear the soothing repetitious knocking of the 목탁 (moktak is a wood block that is repeatedly knocked to set the rhythm for prayers or chants).

As I got beyond the houses and temples and more in to the mountainous terrain, the directions from the guide book seemed more difficult to follow and so too did the actual hiking of the land. Where there were steps going up, they were carved from the rocks of the mountainside.

I began to loose my bearings just a little bit, uncertain whether I was indeed going up the right path. I could see some of the landmarks in the distance such as the zen rocks of Seonbawi, where my book stated women still come to pray for a son and where I could see that there were at least 2 women praying at that moment.

Even though I felt like I had come some distance, I was reminded that I still had quite a ways to go every time I looked up and to the top.

It still felt satisfying though that whenever I stopped to catch a breathe, I could see how far I had already come whenever I looked back down from where I came.

The weather was gorgeous, rotating between sunny and partly sunny skies. With the higher elevation, there was always a cool breeze that was very welcoming for someone getting a workout from the hike. There weren’t a lot of hikers around and perhaps I should have saw that as a sign. There was one lady ahead of me who I eventually caught up to and when I asked whether I was heading in the right direction to get to the peak of Inwangsan, she said that this route to the top was actually closed due to construction. She stated that if I wanted to head to the top I had to detour and head east, essentially back down the elevation I had already climbed and then go around the mountain and approach it from the entrance on the East side. D’oh! I should have listened to my Aunt. I didn’t try and go any further up to the Shamanist altars or ceremonial areas not knowing if I could even reach those areas. Despite having to detour, I still enjoyed the attempt and the distance that I did hike and cover. I viewed it as the perfect warm up to eventually getting to the top.

Heading back down the mountain and detouring around to the East, I came across the Seoul Fortress Wall and some military and police presence where I confirmed the directions once more. Walking around the mountain seemed to take longer than I expected but it was at least aided by a cushiony and spongy sidewalk which my feet were certainly thankful for.

Here are a bunch of clips I took on my way up and then back down the detour.

If you are interested in heading up Mt. Inwangsan, I outlined the route I ended up taking eventually to the top, starting from Dongnimmun Station, Exit 2 (blue line), the detour (red line) and ending with the hike up from the East Entrance (green line). If you do intend to go up via the Shamanist Hillside from the South, check before hand to see whether the path is now open. If it’s still closed, then I would recommend going straight to the East entrance (where the green line starts) and going up from there which is what I’ll talk about in my next post. Until then, see ya!

Toggling to Map view for some reason throws the route off just a little bit.

View Hiking Mt. Inwangsan in a larger map