It might be spring on the rest of Jeju but it definitely felt like winter on the side of Mt Halla today. There’s still snow on the ground in places and this morning there were flurries of snow in the air. We climbed the Yeongsil route, from the west, and after some discussion (shall we say) with the park ranger, descended using the Donnaeko route.
It’s not possible to get to the very top using these routes. Instead, the path passes below the high buttress that protects the south side of the summit. Even so, the path reaches around 1800 m above sea level. At times today, the top was shrouded in mist; at other times, the mist lifted and we could see the rock face towering above us.
The noodle hut near the high point showed the temperature to be below zero, without taking wind chill into account, and it was the wind whistling over the hillside that made it feel so cold and made it tricky to keep balance on the rocky path, especially on the descent.
Those hot noodles were very welcome, I can tell you.
Notes from a Korean island 