Songnisan National Park

Ben and I met in Daejeon on Friday for two days of hiking. Our first day was at Songnisan National Park, a 90 minute bus ride east of Daejeon. We had previously tried to go to this park, but didn't have enough time, so we were on the early bus to Songisan. First we visited Beopjusa Temple, at the beginning of the park. It had a 33 meter bronze Buddha with a little museum underneath it,

and a Buddha carved in stone.

Also there was Palsangjeon, a five story wooden pagoda.

It was cold and we weren't exactly prepared for the snow and ice we found on the trails. Thankfully Ben brought the hiking poles, which I admit at first I didn't appreciate, but once we hit the snow and ice, I changed my mind quickly. Here are a couple of pictures of us on the trail.

We hiked up to Cheonhwangbong (1058 meters), the highest peak in the park. At the peak was between 15 and 20 Koreans doing something we weren't too sure. They had one dried fish with money, and fruit. I think they were praying, but I can't be too sure. We then went to Sinseondae, Munsubong and Manjangdae peaks. These are my favorite pictures from the trail.

All in all, it took us 8 hours to make it back to the temple and boy were we tired. It was slow going when we hit ice and snow, especially since we didn't have anything to give us traction like yak tracks. As with all parks, there were several places to stop and get a snack and something to drink. They seem to be busier in the summer. The views were amazing though and just seeing the beauty of nature is worth it.