Sobaeksan Jukgu Traverse: A Brutal Autumn Day Hike from Jungnyeong to Guinsa

Gear · Published 1/7/2023 ·

Sobaeksan Traverse — the Jukgu Traverse

The route that starts at Jungnyeong Pass and descends to Guinsa Temple is called the Jukgu Traverse. It’s roughly 23 km, which is about the limit of what a fit hiker can do in a single day. The catch is that the stretch from Gukmangbong Peak to Guinsa is an unofficial trail, so technically you’re not allowed to take this route. That means if you want to do a traverse on Sobaeksan today, you’ll climb up from Jungnyeong, pass Gukmangbong and Neujeunmaegi-jae, and come down at Euljeon. Even so, it’s still nearly 20 km, so it’s never an easy day.

On top of that, Sobaeksan’s shelter sits at one far end, which makes an overnight two-day traverse essentially impossible from the start. Still, more and more hikers have been taking on this tough route lately. — source: Namuwiki —

The wind on Sobaeksan is absolutely brutal!!

It sits along the Baekdudaegan, right around the waist of the Korean peninsula, and the wind that blows west to east holds nothing back — not in speed, not in sheer volume.

You really need to come prepared for wind and cold.

True to national park form, the moment they opened the gate at dawn I bolted in, and I finally reached Guinsa late in the afternoon.

Partway along there was a spot that looked like a forest observation station — or maybe a shelter? — where you could stop to eat.

Sometimes I ate out in the open, too. It was the middle of autumn, and my hands got so cold I honestly thought my fingers were going to fall right off.

But those breathtaking views are exactly why I’m planning to do the whole traverse again before it gets too late in the season.

#소백산 #죽구종주 #죽령 #구인사

Contact: bumseok.view [at] gmail [dot] com