After a day packed with errands, we were so ready to get off the city streets and back on the trails! Our chosen route for the night fit the bill just perfectly. We would be running Seoul Trail section 3 – a path literally over the river and through the woods.
Just like the previous Saturday’s outing on section 8, we started well after dark. Despite the fact that it would mean doing one of the Seoul Trail sections out of order, we chose this route because it seemed nice for night running. There were flat sections for some faster intervals, we’d get to jog down memory lane along the Han River and we’d climb a few ridges for nifty nighttime views.
It was a balmy 5 degrees when we began! I felt free in lighter layers, and zoomed over the bridge into south Seoul. This first part was urban and flat – but a lot of fun. Kent and I chatted about our early days together in Seoul. In the days before we found trail and ultra running, we ran or cycled along this river daily. The Han was our constant companion as we built up strength for our first marathon together and our 2012 bike ride across Korea.
On the south side of the river, we ran the familiar pavement of Gwangnaru bicycle park. Eventually, a right turn took us under the freeway and into the forest. This was new territory for us to explore. But it looked surprisingly familiar. We emerged from the forest and began climbing a series of steps right along the freeway. We’d so often seen these very steps from the bus and wondered where they led! Now we found ourselves exploring them.
Kent had been concerned that this route would be a little too flat for our tastes. But I had seen a few little mountains on the map, and after a brief dash through the city, we reached them. The area that followed was a dark, deeply forested ridge. All was quiet, and we were once again alone.
The city glow seemed distant. We were on the very edge of Seoul. To the east, large black mountains were just distinguishable from the black night sky. Tall trees blocked most of the views down into Seoul on the west, secluding us in the forest. An owl flew on ahead of us in complete silence, and a startled deer bounded into the bushes and invisibility.
I absolutely loved the peace and solitude of this stretch of nighttime forest. But with only two hours on the books for the night, we soon were following our trail back into the bright city lights. We were headed towards Olympic Park!
This is one of our favorite places in Seoul, as we used to end all of our marathon training runs at the eternal flame. This is also where we would be ending tonight’s run – saving the final bit of Seoul Trail section 3 for another time.
But there was one more surprise in store for us! The little red stamp booth for Olympic Park was not quite where we expected it. Still following ribbons and signs, we turned into a darkened alley behind a sports club. We jogged along, looking left and right. It was stinky, and getting stinkier! We finally found our Seoul Trail stamp right across from a massive mountain of onion peels.
There were no clues as to why this midden existed where it did. Laughing and gasping into our masks, we grabbed our stamp as quick as we could, and raced away towards the nearest subway station. On our way, we may or may not have discovered the perfect way to warm up chilly hands…
Know and Go! Seoul Trail Section 3
Start Seoul Trail section 3 at Gwangnaru station (purple line 5 – exit 2) just north of the Han or Suseo station (orange line 3/Bundang line – exit 5) in southern Seoul.
This section of the Seoul Trail is 26.1 kilometers long. It’s described as easy, but it’s a little long for a casual hike.
There are four stamps in this section: (from north to south) Gwangnaru station, Godeoksan, Olympic Park and Suseo station.
Read on – or head back to the main Seoul Trail page!