A Snowbound New Year on Mudeungsan: Silent White Majesty at Jungmeorijae (중머리재)
Creatrip Team
2 months ago
On the third day of 2026, the author climbed Mudeungsan, which had become a pristine winter world. From the peaceful trailhead near Jeungsimsa to the sudden snowy realm at Jungmeorijae (중머리재, a 617m saddle), the landscape transformed into a pure white “snow country” (설국). Bitter winds at Jangbuljae carved the scene; towering columnar rock formations (주상절리) were dusted with rime and looked like ancient temple ruins. From Ipseokdae and the viewpoint toward Hwasun, the camel ridge (낙타능선) and Anyangsan formed a serene ink-painting of snow and mist. Standing on Inwangbong, the mountain felt like a mother’s broad skirt—embracing and egalitarian—while clouds rolled like waves, intermittently revealing the miniature gray city of Gwangju below. The final stretch along Seoseokdae and Jungbong was a luminous finale: crystalline cliffs and silver ridgelines made walking feel like gliding above clouds. On the descent, as snow gave way to earth, the memory of silence and the sound of footsteps in the snow lingered. (주상절리: columnar basalt formations)
