Hanguk Trail Running: Isubong (Cheonggyesan)
Isubong (545m) is one of the peaks of the Cheonggyesan mountain range. The trail to the summit is not easily accessible by public transit, and the precarious parking options make driving a challenge. This remoteness helps preserve the trail's pristine form.
The mountain's name originates from its role as a refuge for a scholar and his disciples, giving them a chance at a "second life." The first syllable "ee" means two in Korean, "su" signifies life, and "bong" translates to peak. Together, they form the literal meaning: "The Peak of Two Lives."
The history of this mountain made me question something: What separates a mound from a mountain? What distinguishes a boulder covered in soil from Isubong. Is it the sheer scale--since both are made of the same elements? Perhaps the difference lies in the lives they host. How many lives have been lived--and lost--on its slopes?
A magpie may have first opened its eyes in a nest among its branches. It would have been fed its first meal from the beak of its mother--is it possible the chick felt loved? Did the magpie feel fear as it first left its nest? The bird would have enjoyed its first summer and endured its last winter on the mountain. Is it possible that all those lives that go unrecorded linger and garner in the forest? Is that why we name these landmarks--personifying them to be more than its components?
I absolutely love this trail in the spring. There are no dramatic ridges or cascading waterfalls on the mountain. The steady ascends and descends of the slopes make the run monotonous. Except in spring. The well-maintained paths are free of leaf litter and rocks. The smooth trails make for perfect furrow for melting snow water. When the temperatures dip below freezing at night, the same water crystalizes into ice. The once mundane trail becomes fraught with adventure. The ice is resurfaced everyday with the warm sun during the day, offering little to no friction upon contact. When you slip, your feet are in the air. There is no scramble to recover your balance.
A scholar and civil servant named Yeochang Jeong was exiled during his tenure with the Literati Purge of 1498 (Choi, n.d.). This upheaval, during the Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910), was sparked when personal historical records of several scholars were deemed treasonous. All those implicated were banished, including Jeong.
According to brunchstory, Jeong fled to Cheonggyesan along with his disciples to elude torture (Shin, 2023). A stone marker at the summit of Isubong corroborates this account, bearing the inscription (translated):
"During the reign of King Yeonsan of Jeseon, the Confucian scholar Jeong foresaw the uproar of the Literati Purge...He temporarily took refuge in this mountain and survived two life-threatening crises. In recognition of this, his later diciple...named the mountain Isubong."
Such sentiment sparked the aforementioned notion of a mountain being more than the sum of its parts. Is it possible for a mountain to conspire to help a living thing? To some readers, this may seem like a silly prospect--and I would agree with you. There have been times when I was on a trail when I should not have been. I had run myself into a precarious spot on a steep slope during the monsoon season. Everything was muddy and just giving away at my feet. There was only one way down and I knew I was going to have to get dirty. I escaped with minimal cuts and bruises, fully aware that no amount of prayer on that slope would have summoned any supernatural help. But perhaps Jeong felt that the cover of the darkness and the fresh water from the streams the forest provided all seemed too unworldly convenient. As if something was consciously aiding him.
I am not suggesting that a mound can cultivate awareness after a number of animals perish upon it. Perhaps it is like the phenomenon of children personifying their favorite stuffed toys. Still, you will have to explain to me why whenever I visit Isubong with something heavy on my mind, I always feel as though a weight has been lifted from my shoulders.
S.G.
GPX File link: https://connect.garmin.com/modern/course/334547691
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