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.
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.
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.
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.
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!
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!
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.
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!
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.
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.
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!
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.