What I learned at Sanbangsan

Further exploration of Jeju Island brought us to Sanbangsan. "San" means "mountain" Korean, but calling it Mt. Sangban would give somewhat of a false impression. The large rock (a more accurate term than "mountain") served as a lovely, steep, and quite short hike.

The climb provided refreshing views and a chance to soak in the sunshine.

But what piqued my interest nearly as much as the vistas and the copious "falling boulders" signs was a single sign post detailing Sanbangsan's origins.

Jeju Island is, for all intents and purposes, a volcano in the middle of the sea. Hallasan (I DO feel comfortable calling this one Mt. Halla, due to the soreness of my thighs after climbing it) is a dormant volcano that sits at the center of the island, and much of the land's features were formed by lava spewn from its mouth, all the way to the coastline.

Let's put the science aside though, for Sanbangsan's backstory utterly transcends it, in the best imaginable way.

Once upon a time, a young man was out hunting on the island with his trusty bow and arrow. One shot, however, missed the animal, his presumed target, and handily pierced the bum of none other than the god of Mt. Halla. If a hunter has to pierce the bum of something other than the animal he is intended to kill, a god is possibly the least desirable choice, especially one in charge of a volcano.

The god proceeded to do what anyone with a freshly wounded behind would do: He broke off the top of the volcano and chucked it towards the coast.

This explains not only the crater at the top of Hallasan but also the presence of Sanbangsan at the sea's edge.

Satisfied for having climbed that which once filled the void at the top of the mountain we had climbed the previous day, we hiked back down (and didn't get hit by a single boulder).

The rest of the afternoon was spent eating special Jeju mandarin treats (ice cream) in celebration of our newfound knowledge.