Bukhansan Dullegil – South

It was late October 2016, and Kent and I had decided to run a loop around Bukhansan Dullegil – South. This undulating trail wraps around the southern section of Bukhansan National Park. It wasn’t race training, and we didn’t tag any peaks. We had no particular reason to do this run. Then again, there was no particular reason not to, either! The Bukhansan Dullegil was a new adventure, and this long, rolling forest trail definitely had our number.

A selfie of the author and her husband on the Bukhansan Dullegil. At this part of the trail, the forest is mostly old, gnarly pine trees. The author has one hand resting on the nearest tree trunk. Sunlight filters through the canopy of needles, illuminating patches of the forest floor. The running pair look really happy.
Forest creatures!

Our Bukhansan Dullegil – South adventure took place during one of those funny intervals where we weren’t working but were still living in Korea. Despite not being employed, we remained wildly busy. So on the first day that we’d allocated for our run, we got off to a late start.

A vertical image of a signboard alongside the Bukhansan Dullegil trail. This is a busy signboard, with 7 different destinations indicated! The signboard dominates the center of the frame, but a wooden staircase on the right leads up to a shady forest trail lined by the twisted trunks of Korean pines.
Dullegil directions

Rather than worry about it, we decided to call the first day a reconnaissance mission – and run the real bulk of the miles the following day. That gave us time to enjoy a few little gazebos and explore a couple of temples. So we had a happy little jaunt around the southern bend of the Bukhansan Dullegil – South on a warm autumn evening.

In this image, Kent is gazing at a traditional Korean temple. The building is painted green, burgundy and yellow and is overhung by a sloped roof covered in black tiles. There is a standing Buddha statue in the middle of a wide cement staircase leading up to the main hall. Kent's back is to the camera, and he's wearing his running vest over a tank top and shorts!

On the following day, we returned to the place we’d left off, and started from there. We weren’t sure how long our route would take us, or what adventures the day held.

A humorous but strangely striking image of dawn. The skyline of Seoul is at a sharp, 45 degree angle, with the golden orange glow of sunrise in the upper right corner. The vantage point is a observation platform along the Bukhansan Dullegil, high above the forest and the city. The photographers fingers block the left side of the frame!
Or how to use our new GoPro, apparently!

We started running just after dawn. The forest was peaceful and quiet. We passed a few elderly folks getting their daily workouts on a cluster of exercise machines. But mostly, the trail was our own. Running along the base of the mountain was reminiscent of our own dullegil: the trail around the base of Suncheon’s Bonghwasan that served as our training headquarters in 2016. But the peaks here were more numerous and striking – and much higher!

This photograph depicts the bald, rocky peaks of Bukhansan. Taken along the Bukhansan Dullegil, this image also features the dense, still-green forest below the peaks.
The rugged beauty of Bukhansan, as viewed from the dullegil

After just a few kilometers, we arrived at Uiryeong-gil: the section of the Bukhansan Dullegil that we were perhaps most looking forward to! We’d made a reservation, as is required, so we ran up to the little information booth full of confidence. The workers inside looked extremely surprised to see us, and I felt a twinge of anxiety. Sure enough, they had no record of the reservation we’d made over the phone two days earlier. But they believed us when we explained that we’d made one. After taking a look at our ID cards, they simply waved us on. Yes!

A photograph of the Uiryeong-gil road that divides the Bukhansan Dullegil into north and south halves. The surface of the road is wide and smooth, with colorful leaves carpeting its margins. A wooden railing lines the road on the left, and sunlight filtering through the thick forest on the right creates shadows.
Was this the road less traveled?

The trail immediately widened to a smooth, flat road. Previously, we’d had the city always on our right and often visible through the trees. Now, we plunged into the center of the park, leaving the sights and sounds of the city behind.

A photograph of the author standing on a large wooden stage alongside a Bukhansan National Park sign. This stage and sign are at the top of the Uiryeong, the pass between Bukhansan in the south and Dobongsan to the north. It is accessed via the Uiryeong-gil section of the Bukhansan Dullegil. In this image, the author looks away from the camera at the large Korea National Park sign. Leaves are scattered across the stage at her feet, and over the gravel of the road as well.

The broad path and even terrain had us speeding up without even intending to! In no time, we reached the top of the pass. An observation platform afforded us terrific views of Obongsan: a group of five jagged peaks in the northern section of the park. We stopped to savor the scenery, before running – even faster – downhill!

A selfie of the author, her husband, and the five sharp peaks of Obongsan in Bukhansan National Park! The pair are standing on an observation platform on Uiryeong-gil, part of the Bukhansan Dullegil. Behind them, Obongsan's rocky peaks pierce the blue sky in the distance. Between the pair and the peaks is an expanse of rolling green forest, dappled with the oranges and yellows of fall.
Observing Obongsan!

On the other side of the park, we rejoined the main dullegil trail. We ran on a stretch of wooden walkway, pausing for some poetry. A river splashed among reeds and boulders alongside the path.

A photograph of one of the poems posted along the Bukhansan Dullegil. This one is Robert Lee Frost's The Road Not Taken. It begins: 'Two roads diverged in a yellow wood...'
A portrait of the author's husband. He's standing on a wooden walkway, intently focused on reading the poem posted below a mossy boulder. The poem is the on featured in the preceding photograph: The Road Not Taken.
Kent, considering this poem

After running along steadily on dirt tracks through the forest, we later emerged into an open area filled with tall, golden grass! It was sunny and warm, and I felt happy and free.

A portrait of the author, enjoying a stand of long, golden grass. She's wearing a blue long-sleeved shirt that she's rolled up to the elbows. She stands, smiling at the camera, her arms spread wide. The grass towers over her head, but in the upper third of the frame, you can see some tree branches, blue sky, and rocky mountain slopes.

Continuing on, we returned to the familiar terrain under Jokduribong. We raced each other up sets of stairs and when the path split between trees. There were old trees to admire and puppies to pat. We returned to our little hotel home-base after a fun and happy run!

In this picture, the author is sitting on a low rock, both her hands stretched towards a small, soft-looking brown puppy. Her whole body is bent towards him as he approaches and sniffs her outstretched fingertips. This photo was taken by the author's husband, wearing a GoPro on his chest. So you can also see Kent's hand, gripping a water bottle, in the lower right!
A sweet animal encounter

Join Kent and I for more Bukhansan Dullegil trail running – next time on a northerly loop! Or head back to the Bukhansan main page for more runs and hikes in this awesome and accessible park.


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