We started out at about 2:30 am on Saturday morning, trying to time it so that we reached the peak just before sunrise. It was dark out, but a full moon was shining brightly in the sky.
I had picked up a head lamp the night before, thinking that it would come in handy for trekking through the woods in darkness. Muggs, Rob, Marian and myself all had some source of light with us, making it easier to avoid twisting our ankles on the rocks.
We were making good time as we reached the first rest stop only after an hour. As we neared the more challenging part of the course, Muggs spotted a deer hiding in the bushes. We had a good opportunity to check it out, as it was blinded by our head lamps while we stared at it.
As the trail started to climb higher and higher, we could start to see the first light on the horizon behind us.
There was time enough to snap a few quick pictures before continuing our hike; we had to press on if we were going to make it to the top before the sun came up.
We came upon the second rest stop and thought to take a quick break indoors before continuing, but after some inspection, we discovered that there was someone watching TV inside the small outlet. Rather than alarm him, we decided to just cuddle up and have a snack on a nearby bench.
At this point comes the most difficult part of the trail. It gets progressively steeper and the protection the trees provide from the wind quickly disappears. Normally, if you reach this point past 12:30 pm, they won't let you continue to the summit, because you won't reach the bottom of the trail until after dark. Thankfully, we didn't have to deal with that problem as we were the only ones on the trail.
Around 9.6 km in length, Seongpanak takes on average four hours to climb, plus an additional four hours to descend. Chances are though that you'll be a lot more tired coming down, so that you'll want to plan ahead so you have enough time to do both.
With only about another 150m to climb before reaching the 1,950m summit, we were witness to a breathtaking view over the tree-line. The sun was slowly lighting up the sky, creating a rainbow across the horizon.
Oreums came to life, as their tips pierced through the haze and clouds. Our small city of Seogwipo was a sprinkle of lights on the coast.
The wind picked up, my legs started to seize and despite how tired I was, all I could think about was how perfect this moment was.
The sky turned the ground red and it reminded somehow of Mount Doom. I could picture Frodo trudging alongside me, exhaustingly trying to reach the crater to destroy the one ring.
While my goal wasn't as crucial, I was nonetheless motivated to keep going and reach the top before the sun did.
As I scaled the final 50m, I started to hear voices. At first I thought the wind was playing tricks with me, but starring harshly at the summit, I saw something moving:
Over 50 soldiers dressed in camouflage were cheering and posing for pictures. It was as if we had just finished a marathon and they were cheering us on. I think they were as surprised to see us and we were to see them, but it was such a happy moment, filled with smiles and an exchange of greetings.
We took a moment to pose for pictures as we all stood there in the freezing winds; everyone seemed to come together in the spirit of the moment, it felt fantastic.
The sun began to creep up over the horizon:
Taking it all in, it was worth every ounce of pain to get to see such a sight; few on the island have done it, but those who have, know the rewards of such a journey.
It's one of those moments that you think, "This is what it's all about."
After spending a good 30 minutes at the summit, my hands were beginning to go numb. The soldiers had already started their descent and it was time to start ours.
The trail on the way down looked completely different in the light; I could actually see what we were walking through. Not that there is much to see because the trees block most of the view, but it was still interesting to see it for the first time.
Having walked for almost 7 hours, the appeal of the trail was starting to wear off...fast. We were feeling quite fatigued when we were met by a group of kind strangers who offered us nature's finest: fruit and soju.
With a little help from my ipod and a cup of ramyeon noodles, I made my way back to the bottom in one piece.
We completed the journey in just under 9 hours. The second half was definitely longer, we were just about to collapse by the time we finished.
With the sun beating down on us, we decided rather than try to go straight to sleep, and mess up any chance of sleeping later in the night, that we would just relax on the beach.
In all, it was probably one of my most memorable moments here on Jeju. Not since New Year's have I had such an enlightening and embracing experience.
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