The Story
As part of our Jeju Olle Hiking vacation in 2024, we included a climb up Hallasan, or Mount Halla ('san' in "Hallasan" means mountain in Korean).
"Olle" is a word in Jeju language which originally means the pathway from the streets leading to the house. But today the term refers to a series of hiking trails connecting different areas of Jeju Island together.
Hallasan climb was first suggested by Fern when we were on a group hike on Mount Faber to check out the Keppel Bunkers and Reservoir. She is a regular visitor to Jeju. I thought it was interesting as I'd never heard of Hallasan before and so I started doing some research on it via Google. The more I read, the more I wanted to uncover information about the mountain and Jeju island. That was how I found out about hiking on Jeju Olle Trails.
I was hooked. So I decided to plan for a group hike on some of the Olle trails with a climb on Hallasan. We had not done any overseas hiking since the Covid pandemic.
Being the tallest mountain in South Korea, Hallasan stands at 1950M above sea-level. It is a shield volcano located in the centre of Jeju Island. It is not however, rated as the most challenging to summit, with the titles awarded to its cousins - Seoraksan and Jirisan - both located on the mainland of South Korea. Hallasan is designated as a nature reserve and park, and certified as a World Geopark in 2010. There are many trails in the nature park that offer different experiences for visitors of various interests and fitness levels. Hallasan's last eruption was in 1007 AD, making it a dormant volcano though I have read that this status is debatable.
Our plan was to tackle the summit. However it is by no means, an easy feat. Though not a technical climb, summiting Hallasan requires a good level of fitness and strength as the trails are marked by numerous steep steps. We had learnt our lesson climbing Mount Rinjani. Hence, as part of upping our fitness levels and muscle strength to tackle the challenge of reaching its top, we trained ourselves for nine weeks prior to our travelling to Jeju, doing our own designed circuit at the Bukit Timan Hill in Singapore.
The highlight of the summit would be Baengnokdam Crater Lake (Korean:백록담; Chinese:白鹿潭) which translates to "White Deer Lake". It is formed after the top ridge of the mountain collapsed. Legend has it that a deer descended from the heaven to drink from its lake, hence its name. The view of Baengnokdam changes with seasons and weather conditions.
We had chosen our trip at the end of May/ beginning of June corresponding to the the Summer season, promising good weather conditions and higher chances of clear green views of the mountain, and hopefully the lake.
Only two trails lead to the summit.
Via Seongpanak: The trail is less steep but longer. And there is a better chance of reaching the summit before the cutoff time (Yes there is!) at the final checkpoint at Jindallaebat Shelter. This route spans about 9.6km and is the less strenuous among the two. However, there are less interesting sights. Sara Oreum (a parasitic volcanic cone on Hallasan) however, is located along this side of the mountain enabling hikers to make a detour for a refreshing view of the highest Oreum found in Jeju, before turning back to continue with the summit climb. Alternatively, this could be the destination instead of the summit, and hikers could actually spend a longer time here admiring the nature and scenery. One has to come down by the same route however. The trail consists of wooden stairs, rocky steps and some flat wooden platforms. The average duration of taking this route to summit is about four to five hours, depending on one's fitness level. Some hikers may need to dedicate a longer time. It is to be noted that the trail leading to the summit will close by a certain time (depending on the season). This is to ensure the safety of all hikers that they descend the mountain in time and safely. There is also a timing for all climbers at the summit to start making their way down for the same reason.
Via Gwaneumsa: This trail is more scenic and varied in terms of features and sights, but steeper and more difficult although shorter. The trail also tends to be closed when the weather is bad. The distance to cover is about 8.7km and takes about five hours or more. However Gwaneumsa trail supposedly consists the best views of Hallasan's beautiful landscapes and mountain scenery. It is on this route that the Guringul Cave is located - the highest cave among all caves on Jeju island.
It is usually recommended to go up by the the Seongpanak route and down by Gwaneumsa trail, and this arrangement was planned for the group.
A permit is needed for the summit climb via either of the trails in advance. This is because only a limited number of climbers are allowed on each trail, each day.
The links below provide good information on Hallasan, the various trails and access for the application of the permit, as well as the cerificates for having summited the mountain:
https://jeju.go.kr/hallasan/index.htm
https://visithalla.jeju.go.kr/login/login.do?retUrl=https%3A%2F%2Fvisithalla.jeju.go.kr%2Freservation%2FfirstComeStep.do#
Our guide Pippi had warned us way before our trip, that climibing Hallasan's summit requires a moderately fit body condition and should our fitness levels be not up to mark, we would just go up to 1700M above sea-level via the Yeongsil trail that promises lovely views of nature and seasonal flora. Our fitness levels would be assessed based on our "performance" on the Olle walks the days before the climb.
Well the verdict .....
Our speed of walking was deemed too slow by Pippi!
The day before the climb on Hallasan, we were put to the test on the challenging Olle Route 9 with about 11.8km of ups and downs with hills to cross. This was my favourite, amongst all the trails we did in the week-long vacation. With such interesting scenery, landscape and wonderful nature to take it all in, how could I, or we walk so quickly? We had never realized the need to walk briskly, as we were very used to leisurely hikes in Singapore, taking our time in the precious nature after stressful work and lives amongst the concretes. In addition, our humid weather does not favour nor prompt us to walk fast, unless we are after our public transportation to work! 😦😜
Anyway, we were rated as potential failures to summit Hallasan and we were advised to just take the Yeongsil Trail.
This was met with strong protests by most of the members of our group - especially the Hub and Sheil - and naturally so as we had been training for nine weeks and our slow speed probably due to not knowing we got to walk fast. Our habitual practice was to relax and enjoy views, snap pictures, joke, walk and talk. So we felt that this was an unfair judgement of our abilities! Moreover, how could we give up without a fight?! So we decided that we wanted to try. We would start much earlier in the morning to try and make it. And if we really couldn't, so be it. At least we have tried and put ourselves to the test and the training would not have been in vain. And so to the much dismay of our guide, we pushed for it and set foot on the Seongpanak trailhead the next day.
We had an earlier dinner around the Seogwipo Market the night before. Before we walked back to our hotel, we bought breakfast from a convenience mart as it would be too early to have breakfast served to us by the hotel. (We sacrificed our hotel Buffet Breakfast for the peak of Hallasan! This was another motivating factor to push us towards our goal of summiting the mountain!) I tried to sleep early but the excitement, as well as anxiety were a little too much for the heart and body to settle down. We packed our gears into the hiking backpacks. The group chat buzzed repeatedly as we texted one another in encouragement for the next day's impending challenge - and presumably victory - before lights out finally.
Climbing Day
It was a cold morning. All dressed and prepared, the Hub and I took our luggage down (We were to check out and change accomodation after our climb) and had our Samgak Gimbap (triangular shaped Gimbap - rice roll) and instant cup coffee we bought the night before. The rest of the group gradually came down and waited at the lounge. Once we were all ready, we set out on the car and were driven to the trailhead with excitement, a little fear, and some sleepiness. We had set off much earlier than previously planned. The time was about 6.30am. Surprisingly it was already bright, but very cold.
Breakfast that Hub and I got from the minimart the night before.
We finally reached the Seongapanak Visitor Centre. Seongpanak Trailhead starts at an altitude of 750M above sea level. First to the toilet, then Pippi gathered us to do some warm ups. It was foggy and cold.
We then needed to use our passports to verify our permits at the checking point right at the entrance of the trail and then off we started! The time was 7.18am.
The first section of the trail is graded easy and Pippi prepared us that we were to move really fast here, so as to avoid any delay to counter the difficult sections lying ahead. This prompted me to give a "no-give-face" command to the team:
"No Talking. No Photos. Just Walk."
And we all duly did so - though I occasionally snapped a picture here and there for us to record down this part of the journey for memories 😜
Preparing our gears. And after this, Pippi gathered us to do a warm up sequence that is similar to our very own Great Singapore Workout - for those of us who are familiar with it.
Excited, fresh, prepared - and cold - before the climb.
Easy Part 1
The grading system of the trails on Hallasan is colour coded: Yellow for Easy; Green for Normal, and Red for Difficult.
This yellow section would take us through about 5.8 km before the shelter stop.
The trails on Hallasan are well-marked with information boards at designated points informing hikers about their current location, distances and difficulty levels of the sections and at some points, the elevation. This easy first part however was no flat terrrain. There were gentle steps and inclinations to deal with. We walked as fast and quietly as possible so that we could quickly pass this section. I had only started climbing into the first kilometre on the trail or so, before I needed to peel off my windbreaker. I was perspiring much! There were quite a number of people hiking with us, many of them Koreans too. Sokbat Shelter near the end of the yellow trail was our aim. The beginning of the red trail would be awaiting us after that. Finally we stepped onto a longer boardwalk that led us to what resembed a rest station of sort. Pippi called for a rest-stop at the Sokbat Shelter. She said we were really good with our timing and phew ... we relaxed a little. Had our toilet and water break before we resumed with renewed energy to hasten our pace once more so that we could reach the summit in time!
The beginning...
Information Board
Easy trail?
Some flat wooden platfoms as well
Elevation marker
Celebrating our good timing at the Sokbat Shelter.
The Challenging Trail And Sara Oreum Lake
Before long we entered the most challenging part marked red. Steep stone steps greeted us and sometimes the hiking poles got in the way as they tended to get stuck between the rocks, especially when I wanted to quicken my steps. Some 1.7km later, Pippi halted us and pointed to the diversion route up to Sara Oreum.
"Oreum" is a word in Jeju dialect and it refers to the more than 360 extinct parasitic cones that surround Jeju island. Jeju itself is a volcanic island, and along with it small volcanic hills were formed. Sara Oreum is one of these cones surrounding Hallasan Mountain. Located at an altitude of 1,324M above sea level, Sara Oreum is the highest oreum in Jeju. If there were recent rainfall, we might be able to see the crater filled with a lake.
Pippi suggested that those with slower pace not add this part to the climb as it may lead to the pitfall of a delayed opportunity at summiting. The diverted visit to the lake before returning and rejoining the main trail would take about 20 minutes.
All except two of us decided to quickly walk up to see the oreum. Nemo and Sheil decided to continue with their ascent, while the rest of us with Pippi took the diverted route. Flights of wooden stairs greeted us - up and down and finally to a platform that extended to surround a lake.
We had reached the Sara Oreum lake. It looked peaceful and serene. There was an observatory and on a clear day, one could look out to the surrounding area that includes Seogwipo City and the sea in the distance. We did not walk round and explore the area as we would wish. We were afraid to take up too much time. Our prize we had in sight on that day after all, was the Baengnokdam Crater Lake on the summit of Hallasan.
We took some worthy photos and retraced the route we came from to rejoin the main Seongpanak Trail and hopefully to catch up with Nemo and Sheil.
The next part of the trail in my opinion, was not technically difficult. I would describe it as "up, up, up", and relentlessly still more ups on rocky terrain. Some steps were wooden staircases while some were rock steps. While they were well-defined and marked, one requires good energy to keep climbing fast, and with the restricted space sometimes shared with the other climbers, it was tiring. Many times my hiking poles got stuck in between the rocks. Some parts were steep, and I had never climbed at such a fast pace in my life before! However my rests were short and few, as I really wanted to make it to the Jindallaebat Shelter located at 1,500M above sea level, before the cut-off time which at this time of the year was 1pm. The group had dispersed according to our individual level of energy and speed. Sometimes we crossed paths, sometimes we separated again.
But all made it in good time at the Jindallaebat Shelter! We managed to reach way before 1pm.
Pippi called for an earlier lunch. And we had Gimbap which she had ordered and collected early in the morning. Yummy!
Rested, ate and had a toilet break, we set off again, endeavouring to continue on the next part of 2.3 km "normal" section to reach 1950M above sea level to see the Baengnokdam Crater Lake.
Though marked green, the remaining section proved to be tough as well. More stone steps, jostling with others for speed to climp up before eventually and finally, reaching a normal stretch.
Way up to Sara Oreum
Sara Oreum Lake
Continued on rocky path up on Seongpanak Trail
Monorail used by rangers of the park.
The "control gate" after Jindallaebat Shelter that checks that hikers are within the allowable timing to continue with their ascent.
The Last Stretch To Baengnokdam
The very last stretch to Summit was much easier - in fact I think easier than the first "Easy" section. The vegetation seen here became scarce, sparse and dry. This section is well paved with wooden steps and occasionally some platforms. Less climbers and more space to breathe and take in sights, finally.Into about 20 minutes of walking or so, I spotted another board - Last 800M! And indeed in the distance, I could make out a stretch of faint line of humans making their way up to the summit. It seemed so near yet so far. Some fellow climbers took a break here at the platform, from which one could already see in distance, the surrounding the mountain views and down to the faraway fields of agriculture and houses. I also took a short break and photos of the views.
After my short rest, I met Ping and we headed to the summit together.
There wasn't any vertical nor frightening drops at this last stretch. However, as now the view was open and vast, and we were making the trail up to the summit, one could see spaces that dropped down the sides of the mountain. With the vast openess surrounding us, we sometimes felt dizzy with excitement and trembled a little as well!
Looking backwards down the trail
Faint line of humans making their way up.
Dry shrubs amongst some greens
Distant view from the summit.
And finally we made it - in very good time! We had started our first steps on the Seongpanak Trail at 7.18am , and reached the Summit at about 11.30am!
Ping and I couldn't contain our excitement and we congratulated ourselves expressing disbelief mixed with great elation!
The Hub was already there, resting and waiting for us. Beside him was a snake of queue taking turns to snap pictures with the the rock that read the words "白鹿潭" on it. We climbed up a few more stone steps and could see the Baengnokdam Crater Lake below the rim of the mountain.
In my opinion, it was not as beautiful as Lake Segara Anak on Mount Rinjani. Some of who did that climb agreed with me as well. However, Baengnokdam Crater Lake has its own beauty to boast.
The snake of queue did not stop. As more climbers reached the summit, they joined in the line. An interesting-looking dome roofed structure looked out of place on the mountain. I read that it is a ranger shelter. There were a few sign-posts that indicated the summit point, around which climbers excitedly waited to take photos with. I decided to skip them.
Instead we chose to take pictures of these spot-markers in the distance, and focused more on the crater lake, whose colour was amber green and sometimes blue.
Took this photo before the next summiter in line took up position 😜
Look at the long queue behind!
Group photo with our guide standing behind us.
The weather was burning hot when the sun shone through the cloud covers.
The three of us took selfies. No sign of the rest, nor Pippi. So Ping texted Pippi that we had reached - in pride that we had proven her wrong!. Finally we saw more and more of our mates and Pippi. We spent another good half an hour or so snapping pictures, admiring the scenery and having more food all in sheer delight at our achievement before deciding to start our descent sooner, so that we could make it down before dark. Descending is usually our weakeness (Sounds funny but there's the fear amongst us in descending that we might trip and fall). We started our descent at about 12.41pm.
The signboard says "Gwaneumsa" on the other end of the arrow of the signboard and down we went.
Descent
The scenery was indeed much more beautiful and varied on this part of Hallasan.
The vegetation was green as most of the spring flowers were giving way to summer colours.
On this trail, we could admire more of the valley views.
The initial stretch of wooden steps was really well-maintained and easy to navigate, though marked red as it was a constant down-climb with some steep, narrow steps.
About half an hour down before the trail map appeared again. We had reached the end of the red part of the trail and beginning the yellow section.
Interestingly the first 1.3 km marked red didn't feel difficult. Perhaps full fatigue had not yet set in, and the emotions of conquering the summit were still intense. In addition, the open views of the mountain and valleys provided much worthier attention to be paid.
This next yellow section was still the wooden steps, some flat parts and then more steps. We would be about to cross a bridge soon. Some other interesting sights included a former shelter that was destroyed in disaster, a cave I spotted in distance on a cliff face, a stream, some well-like structure and steps up that eventually led us to the next the rest stop -- Samgakbong Shelter, so named because of the triangular shaped peak that one could see while seeking respite here. At 1,500M above sea level, we could also see the "flat" peak of Hallasan which was a part of its crater rim. We had about 15-20 minutes toilet and hydration break. More food for some of us as well.
And from this point forth, things got tough.
The next section is marked red and rightfully so, as the never ending steep stone and wooden steps really would test one's remaining power and strength in the legs. It didn't help that we used up more than half of our power climbing furiously and quickly up to the summit in the morning.
The wooden well-built stairs were not bad - we're used to it in our training in Singapore. It's the natural rocky terrain that tested our limits and endurance. Some parts could be slippery.
The hiking pole proved useful now to help with balancing the weaker body, and to distribute weight as we tried to be fast yet careful not to slip and fall. Again the group separated - each using our own ability to descend fast and well.
Along the way I heard sounds of birds, but I could barely see them.
I reached the Gaemideung section which was featured with steep descent of rocky steps, dirt paths and some wooden planks that could be slippery and tricky.
Next I saw a memorial signboard indicating an accident that took place in 1982. I later read that a military helicopter had crashed into the pine forested area here.
There was also a bench with signs that informed about the distances to the next toilet stops.
After some time, I met Sheil and Nemo and then Nemo as usual excellent with descending, charged ahead.
The Hub was long gone, no trace to be sighted.
Sheil and I descended together. With Sheil walking in front of me, we chatted and complained about the terrain. Mid conversation to my astonishment, Sheil's head suddenly went down with the drop of the sloppey steps! She had slipped and fell on her bum. I checked that she was alright and she calmly and nonchalantly replied that she was fine. We continued on, reminding self and each other to be careful. We tried to descend fast so that our energy would not be quickly sapped up. But sometimes this was hindered by a good number of fellow descenders as well - some elderly - who needed to make their way more carefully and slowly.
I thought my eyes must be playing tricks when not too long after, Sheil's head disappeared again. She had slipped a second time.
This time I needed to make sure she was really alright, and once again she replied she was good and not hurt. Thankfully, she had merely fallen on her bum. She is afterall, more than a decade older than I am, though the group has always admired her energy, vitality and health, as she was the oldest among all of us. We made sure we were really careful and steady before gingerly moving down step by step, and cursing when this would ever end.
The inclination shown in the picture does not do justice to the actual steepness
What?!
A steep flight of steps down awaited us! We saw Nemo ahead under the flight of steps, ready to snap pictures of us. 😄
Bring it on!
Such stairs are of no hindrance to me!
We eventually caught up with Nemo.
A bridge to cross and some rest point. Nemo and Sheil decided to have some water break together and I went on my way, knowing that they would catch up with me soon.
Another steep flight of wooden steps up!
What a relief when I finally saw that we had entered the trail marked green indicating normal terrain. But it didn't seem much normal yet as there were still stone steps down haha. At the next map board, I decided to take an energy bar break as I was feeling peckish. The time was 3.26pm.
Nemo and Sheil caught up with me and I told them to go ahead. After relishing the goodness of my energy-giving bar, I walked on and met up with them again remarking that this part of the green trail was nothing but "normal" after all.
The trail then became quite packed with hikers. We met a group of British climbers and they started to chat with us. We shared some of our experiences on the Olle trails we had hiked for the past few days and also answered some questions about Singapore. We were walking fast. And as we were talking, we didn't feel as tired and challenged, even though we were still climbing down on relentlessly-never-ending rocky steps.
I was intrigued by the next information board of nature and wildlife found on Hallasan, and paused to have a closer study and took a picture of it. At the same time, I wondered why I did not spot any, and which sounds I heard belonged to any of the birds shown.
The group left me.
I realized we're nearing the end/start of Gwanuemsa trail when this section turned to be flat eventually. I decided to go slow and to take in the surrounding nature - hoping to spot something extraordinary.
Finally I saw the checkpost and gantry for exit!
I was done! The time was 4.09pm.
The Hub had long reached followed by Pippi, Nemo and Sheil then finally, me. We rested on a bench while Pippi got us our certificates for having reached the summit.
While waiting for Fern and Ping, the Hub and I caught sight of two woodpeckers - the species I believed I had seen from the information board! The were very far away and I could not get a clear picture nor video shot of them. Still I was happy.
Still no signs of the two girls and the Hub sent a message to Ping. We were relieved when Ping replied they were on the way down despite having fallen as well.
Finally the girls reached and were presented their certificates of summiting Hallasan as well! 😀
Victory!
After some washing up and victorious shots of goup photos, we headed to our Dinner of Celebration - Jeju's famous barbecued black pork! Though I was not much of a meat-eater, I glady relished the experience and the joy of celebrating our success of our feat, having overcome the test on Hallasan. Our sacrifice of the Hotel Buffet Breakfast was worth it! We also had good Soju to pair with the good food!
The view of sunset accompanying our celebratory dinner
After that we were driven to our guesthouse of the evening. It was a lovely accomodation known as "pension". But we needed to climb up to our rooms on the second level with our already stiffened legs filled with lactic acid!
A few of us rewarded ourselves with a good massage at a Massage Centre within ten minutes' walking distance from our accomodation after a good shower.
A wonderful day to remember and cherish before we eventually had a good sleep that we truly deserve.
Note: Hallasan Summit Grade
Technically it is not hard as the trails are well marked, maintained and kept on track from spot to spot with markers, maps and rest points. However, it does require moderate effort and energy - both muscular and cardiovascular endurance to make it to the final checkpoints before the cut-off time which could differ from season to season; the summit itself, and to make it down before dark.
There are no shops selling food nor drinks and hikers need to bring enough water and snacks for the long hours on the trails.
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