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¡ã Photo by Steve Oberhauser |
Route: Gwangryeong 1-ri Office (start, 0.0 km) - Musucheon path (2.3) - Chango-gyo, bridge (2.9) - Oedo Woldae (5.1) - pebble beach (6.1) - Iho Tewoo Beach (7.2) - Dodu Street (8.7) - Dodu pedestrian flyover (9.4) - Dodubong (10.2) - fields path (10.5) - Sasudong spring water (11.6) - Eoyoungso Park (13.1) - Sugeun fire signaling site (13.8) - Yongduam (15.6) - Donghandugi (16.2) - Mugeunseong (16.8) - Jeju Traditional government office site (17.1) - Nammun Rotary (17.7) - Dongmun Market (18.2) - Sanjicheon Playground (18.4 km, finish) ---- Course takes about seven hours to complete
Grade: 42.5 (6th overall)
A
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Natural scenery and landscape
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4.5
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B
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Conditions of the trail
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4.0
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C
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Environmental damage / lack of footprint on the area
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4.0
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D
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Bilingual opportunities
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4.5
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E
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Crowd control / compared to how many people are using trail
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4.0
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F
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Facilities around the area
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4.0
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G
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Improvements
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4.0
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H
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Park planning / architecture
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4.5
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I
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Short-term impression factor
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4.5
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J
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Long-term impression factor
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4.5
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* rankings explained
Strengths: There is a lot to see here; the exact opposite of the few courses that come before. See Jeju City in a way, perhaps, never seen before, as it links at least a dozen equally worthwhile sites, delighting all the way. Of note, is its impressiveness to earn the sixth overall spot, considering much of the course does not directly come in contact with nature. Ending at Dongmun Market (an Olle top 10) is an upper.
Weaknesses: Because it is almost an all-urban course, it has to have some minor defects across the board. Hard to wrap a head around, its weakness is its uniqueness because how many people would think to walk an Olle route through the city they probably claim to know everything about?
English opportunities: Gwangryeong 1-ri, Moonlight Plain, Yongduam (multiple), Yongyeon, ancient poems at Yongyeon (multiple), Gwangdeokjeong, Dolhareubang, Ohyeondan
Quotable: “The local Jeju legend of Yongyeon tells of dragons that visited Jeju from the East Sea. These dragons were specifically attracted to Yongyeon because of its natural rocky structure, which soon became the dragons’ favorite playground. Equally as enchanted with the area was a Jeju governor during the Joseon dynasty. The governor enjoyed boating in the river and feasting under its starry night skies. At the governor’s request, local villagers created elaborate shows, all staged in Yongyeon; these festivities were known as Yongyeonyabeom. Today’s tribute to these ancient festivities incorporates aspects of the ancient legend and modern Jeju. It is an event for governor and villager alike to enjoy.” -- Arielle Ballou, Jeju Weekly
Links:
Jeju Weekly, Hike Jeju, Day 25
Jeju Weekly, Dragon Head Rock to celebrate the past
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¡ã Photo by Steve Oberhauser |
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