Mt. Guman, A Great Vacation Spot

The entire nation has heated up with the 30-degree Celsius scorching hot temperatures. In this sticky weather, even a hiking lover would find it difficult to hit the path.

But there are mountains fit for summer hiking.

One of them is Mt. Guman (785 meters) in Milyang, South Gyeongsang Province.

Participants in the “Wellness Trekking with Aigle” visited Mt. Guman last weekend. The mountain has lots of water. The main trekking path is along the valley where clean and cold water runs.

They began their trek near Guman Temple near Bongeui Village. The path going northwards runs along the valley. Even though it is not that big, it is interesting. The water is clean and one can see many small fish on its surface.

○ Guman Waterfall is 40 meters high

After walking 2.6 kilometers, you will find Guman Waterfall. It falls more than 40 meters. Watching the water keeps you cool.

If it is a weekend, you have to prepare for crowds. Visitors then are not really hikers, they just come to get some relief from the heat. People occupy every inch of shadowed space.

At the sight of the cool waterfall, everyone gets excited. Even adults jump into the water, exclaiming, “It’s cool!”

When you pass the waterfall and take the left path, you leave the crowd behind.

The 1.3-kilometer distance from the waterfall to the peak is pretty steep, be prepared to sweat. Once you are at the top, though, you are rewarded with an expansive view. When you look at the mountain from the top, you will find it a combination of soil, rocks and trees.

○ Like a painting

When you go 300 meters further up the top, you will come to a fork in the path. Pick the path on your right and walk down southwards 3.8 kilometers and you will find yourself back where you started. We chose a path eastwards from the spot 1.6 kilometers away from the fork, and came down to Bongeui Reservoir. The reservoir was quite big and surrounded by grass, so it looks like a painting.

Most of the hikers were Daegu citizens and the majority of them were visiting the mountain for the first time. The mountain is not well known to the people of Daegu, a city only 50 minutes away by car. All said in unison, “I didn’t know that there was such a good mountain here. I want to come here again.”

The origin of the mountain’s name is interesting. According to an encyclopedia, it became Mt. Guman because 90,000 people (“guman” in Korean) stayed in the mountain to escape the Seven Years’ War. It is plausible because there was plenty of water, which made it possible for many people to live there.

kimsk@donga.com