청량산 (Cheongryangsan)

Cheongryang-san is a small mountain on the northern edge of Yeonsu district, the neighborhood of Incheon where I currently reside. The small mountain serves as a natural border between parts of the city and as a recreational spot for, from what I have seen, mostly older people. For me, Cheongryang-san and its sister mountain to the east, Munhak-san, represent a small escape from the busy streets of the city, a good natural workout, and some nice views. I can already tell that these places will be a big part of my life here in Korea, not only in size but also in significance.

 A good hard 30 minute walk will get you to the top of Cheongryang. You pass by a supermarket, a KFC, and an Outback Steakhouse before hitting the up-slope. From there on its all on nicely maintained trail taking you past a few little outdoor workout stations, a temple and its burial ground, several connecting trails, vendors of outdoor gear, and a long steep staircase before reaching its peak. At its peak you catch a view of the 20 year old, skyscraper filled city of Songdo Shindoshi from a nicely constructed pavilion. On my third trip up to that pavilion I discovered that stopping there, at the mountain's peak, is a mistake. If you just continue on a few more minutes you reach a nice open rock offering even better views with an even more beautiful pagoda.

On my last trip to the top of Cheongryang my friend Mike and I decided to go even farther to the far end of the ridge. The trail only took us another few minutes until we reached a lookout point perched on a high ledge. The decking of the lookout point was in the shape of the front of a boat and it was pointing out to the Yellow Sea. From there on the western-most point of the mountain you can see the sea with the Incheon bridge darting across the watery landscape connecting Airport island with the mainland. I imagined what the view might be like in the evening when the sun is setting over those waters that were laid out in front of me. Certainly, I will make it up there for a sunset one of these days making sure to bring a flashlight for the trail walk back.

We had reached the edge of the ridge and the time to turn around but the trail continued. Looking straight down the side of the rock you could see a staircase zig-zagging down the rocks and into the forest. Nearly straight below us at the base of the mountain Mike pointed out a war memorial. More specifically, it is the Incheon Landing Operation Memorial Hall, a memorial to Incheon's claim to fame as the site of General MacArthur's Amphibious invasion to take Seoul and turn the tide of the Korean War. It looks like there is still more to see on my next trip up Cheongryang.

On the last decent this past week we walked past roves of older hikers decked out in the latest, flashiest hiking gear. We figured out that if we want to go hiking, morning is the best time. Even at 9:30am there were a good number of other hikers on the trail but it wasn't too bad. During our 10:30 descent the number of hikers on their way up easily tripled that of just an hour earlier. It's kind of nice to see the faces of the the hikers, people getting out, getting exercise, and enjoying the nice day. I personally feel fortunate to have both Cheongryang and Munhak mountains so nearby and so accessible and I'm looking forward to long hours spent on their trails, in their shade and on their peaks in the next year.