Day 5: Three wet way-gookins

Course: Nochi-Maeul-- Sachi-jae

Distance walked: 18.7 km

Rob

Awakened to another wet and misty morning. The wooden floorboards of the jeongja made for a restless night as the body adapted to the hard surface. We ate a good breakfast and rolled out into the wet. I quickly remembered that the daegan does not grant favours when you want them. A brutally steep uphill quickly brings all lingering doubts flooding to the surface and the mental battle begins almost immediately. Damp pine forest and overgrown azaleas slapping thigh and and face meant we moved quickly. On days like this silence usually dominates as you want to get the km's done, get to the next stop and get dry. We planned to get food after 15km's, but the small village was fairly deserted and the only shop was closed. But this is Korea, and the beauty of this trail is that civilisation is never that far away. Another 3km on there just happened to be a major highway with a hyugeso or rest area, which has all the amenties that a wet waygookin could ask for. I.e. a toilet sink with warm water, full range of gwaja and a restaurant serving steaming kimchi jiggaes. Did I mention wi-fi and heaters? Anyway, it was a joyous occasion and as evening fell we crossed the road looking for a jeongja we had scoped from the road. Dark by now we couldn't locate it, but instead stumbled across what appeared to be a deserted minbak meant for road workers or truckers. It was actually genius as it was dry, had four walls and a comfortable floor and we lay down to what could well be the best free accommodation in Korea. This is why I love the Daegan - you never know what it's going to throw your way, I secretly believe that if you put in the effort the BD will reward!

 

Getting ready for a pipe in a haunted opium den. Best free accommodation on the trail to date.

Day 4: The way-gookin Stage

Mark

Course: Geum-gye to Nochi maeul.

Distance walked: 16.1 km

We woke in our concrete bunker with the rain still falling... 
 

Breaking camp at the concrete bunker. 

Our breakfast was a few mouthfuls of rice accompanied with sheets of thin dried seaweed (kim) and plenty of the kimchi that had been sent with us from our new friends in Macheon. It seems that we are all big kimchi eaters as the kilogram of kimchi that we began with the previous day was mostly gone - a testament to the delicious kimchi - and to the fact that the kimchi was the only culinary option available to us at this point of the trek. Will this change...?! 

Anyway, the bunker was depressing so we walked 100m to a bus-stop where a gathering of old women were waiting. They started chattering to Kathleen:
 

'Where are you going?',
'Where are you from?',
'You need this bus',
etc, etc, etc...

Thankfully, the bus came and as I climbed the stairs I saw a sea of black permed hair rising above the seats followed by the faces of the old women to whom the perms belonged. The talking began immediately and we found ourselves (again) standing front and centre on the way-gookin stage. The way-gookin stage is a mandatory part of life in Korea, a place where the confluence of foreigner and Korean results in a series of performances that pushes all actors to the limit - it has everything - drama, documentary, emotion, plenty of comedy. There are many outstanding performances and the only necessary requirements are our alien presence in the heartland of Korea. The catch is that you play the part whether you want to or not. Now, back to the action....
 

On this particular morning the scene took on the characteristics of a comedy. We didn't really know where we were going and Kathleen was caught in the rapid exchange of Korean firing 'round the bus. Each passenger had an opinion and fought hard to make themselves heard. At one stop we were urged off the bus only to be stopped just short of the door by a chorus of protests:

'Wait! Next stop! Next stop!'

Raby and I were cracking up. As usual, we played the role of the helpless way-gookins, with stupid grins and fumbled Korean phrases, swaying back and forth in the aisle with our oversized packs, nodding, loving it really - an easy part to play. Kathleen held the scene together. I was wondering how she could decipher anything that was being flung about and then she turned to us:

'Guys, I have no idea where we are going!'

We all start cracking up and then, in unison, the call comes from all sides: 

'This is it! Get off here! Hurry, hurry!'

We push past the poor women in the aisle, packs getting caught on their bodies as we leave. Repeated thank-yous, repeated bows, goodbyes, and then we are left on the roadside in silence. No curtain, no applause, just a small and empty town standing ahead of us in the morning rain. A moment's hesitation, we regather, and then begin walking towards a nearby police station to ask for help. Three veteran actors walking onwards to begin the next scene...

 

Onto the ridge proper.

 

With the help of the police, a taxi to the start of the ridge was organised. After our stay in Macheon and our walk through the pleasant villages of Jiri-san, we were ready for the ridge, and the taxi was our ticket to the top of the mountain where we would re-join the Baekdu Daegan close to the peak of Nogodan.

As we wound up the mountain road in the taxi Raby practised his Korean; twitching and squirming in his seat behind the driver, he leaned forward and said in his best Korean:

'What is the season now?'

The driver, an elderly Korean man hesistated to answer. Kathleen laughed. There were flowers and new green growth on the trees all around us and it was quite obviously spring. Raby realised his mistake and recovered just in time:

'Oh! Aneeyo! Aneeyo!...What is your favourite season?!'

The driver looked relieved and says that he likes autumn because the air is clear - fair enough - a shaky victory for Raby Johnson!
 

At the top of the road it is cold with a bitter wind blowing rain sideways into the valley below. This is wild! We delay the start of our walk, taking cover in a restaurant in hope that the weather will improve. There are a few Koreans around and the talk is of the weather and the shorts that Raby and I are sporting:

'Aren't you cold?' the Koreans ask.

This question is rapidly becoming a catch-phrase for our hike, Koreans not being inclined to wear shorts while hiking. I answer: 'not cold!' in Korean, one of the first pieces of language I have learnt here so far!

We wait until 11:25am and, unable to wait any longer, we hit the ridge. Bidding the small crowd of people in the restaurant goodbye, we show-off to them by running down the road to the trailhead, pretending to get blown off track by the wind. The gate at the start of the trail is locked but we'd come too far at this point and it took us all less than a second to decide to jump the gate. Over we go in a frenzy of excitement and then scramble out of sight into the forest and onto the ridge, the wind howling its welcome in the pine trees above - we were on the ridge proper and the real walking had begun! 
 

A rainbow came and went while we waited in the restaurant, a symbol of hope for the journey ahead!

Day 3: Hiking Jarakgil

Course: Macheon-- Geumgye 

Distance walked: 14km 

The easy days spent in Macheon left my belly full and thoughts busy of the new friends we had made and the experiences still ahead of us on the trail. Because we could not walk the BaekduDaegan for the next several kilometers, we decided to try a newly constructed trail that winds its way around the small towns and valleys surrounding Macheon called Jarakgil. While the trail was at times hard to find and we ended up bush-wacking our way up the side of a mountain at one point, we were excited to be moving again.

At one point we came upon a Korean couple planting various vegetables in front of a newly constructed home. We began chatting and they invited us to their home for coffee. We were fairly wet from the steady rain that had fallen for most of the day, so the warm home and coffee were a welcomed gift. As we swapped stories, were we told of the couple's children who are living in Seoul and how they hoped their kids would one day do a trip like this and that people would welcome them into their homes as well. Passing on the gift of hospitality, that is one thing that I have already taken away from our short time on the trail thus far. We are still in contact with this couple and are often sent inspring messages and poetry to keep us going.

We were gifted some ginseng alcohol which Rob had to carry for a couple of days.

 

 

Day 1: Setting Forth

Course: Jungsan-ri--Mach-eon-ri

Distance walked: 15km 

It didn't take long to meet our first obstacle on the trail. When we arrived in Jungsan-ri on April 26th to the base of the trail's first mountain, Cheonwangbong, we were informed by the National Park rangers in Jirisan that due to the prevelance of forest fires during this time of year, the first 42 kilometers of the trail were closed. We could climb Cheonwangbong, but the course to Nogodan would not open until May 1st. We hadn't even started yet and we were already met with a fairly major roadblock. While slightly disappointed, Rob and I had both done the course previously and the three of us were unwilling to wait until May 1st to get started, so we made the decision to climb over the mountain, hike around Jirisan and meet up with the trail again after Nogodan. What happened next, we wouldn't have been able to imagine.

We reached the summit of Cheonwangbong on a sunny, clear morning. As we hiked down the opposite side of the mountain, a Korean woman (who I will now refer to as Youngsoo) who was making her way up the mountain, struck up a conversation with us. After hearing about our plans, the conversation went something like this: 

Youngsoo: Where are you staying tonight?

Us: We don't know yet. Camping somewhere. 

Youngsoo: I'm staying with my friend at her uncle and aunt's house in Macheon (a very small town). You should stay there with us. Let me call my friend, she's ahead of me climbing up the mountain. 

(Phone call) 

Youngsoo: Hey, come down the mountain quickly. I met some foreigners on the trail.

Friend: Ah, the two Russian guys and a girl? I saw them.

Youngsoo: Yeah, but they aren't Russian. Just come down quickly.

(End of phone call) 

That was all it took to get us invited to stay with them for a night in the rural town of Macheon.

The five of us took the bus to the woman's uncle's house and waited outside while she asked permission for us to stay with them. The aunt was embarrassed by her home and was understandably hesitant to let three strangers stay there. But what soon became a running joke, after seeing Mark's extremely well-worn, dirty, holey hiking singlet, quickly felt at ease having us there (and may have even pitied us a bit). 

For the next day and a half we ate more than our fair share of food, learned how to pick various healthy greens from the mountains, visited a temple, made an appearance at the town's hangout for grandmothers, laughed a lot, laughed some more and made great friends. Just another example of Korean kindness and the luxury of not having a strict timetable to really get to know the Korean country and its people.

 

Rob and Kathleen atop the first peak, Cheonwangbong. Just the start of the Great Ridge.

 

We spent the morning learning how to pick Ssuk (쑥) and gosari (고사리) with our new friend, Heesun (희선). After spending her early childhood and most summers of her youth with her grandmother in the countryside, she was an expert at scouring the mountains for healthy greens.

Rob getting some experience in a Korean kitchen cooking some Kimchi Pancakes (김치전) with Youngsoo, an extremely generous and outgoing woman who has literally traveled around the world. She shared both her excellent cooking skills and one-of-a-kind stories from the various countries she has traveled.

Enjoying a day on the mountain with Heesun, overlooking the valley near Macheon.

Perhaps the highlight of the trip thus far for Mark and Rob and quite possibly a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. We were invited into the inner lair of Korean grandmothers: a place where men are strictly forbidden, the heat is set to a stifling temperature, and where foreigners may never have been privy before.

Enjoying dinner and makeoli with good souls.

 

Preparations

Kathleen

On the 23rd of April, the Bruce brothers, Rob and Mark, landed on the Peninsula. Sporting monthlong beards, shorts, Tevas, and slightly jet lagged smiles, they were easy to spot in Korea's Incheon airport. 

After arriving at the apartment, we proceeded to sort through our backpacks, casting votes on what to take and those items we could do without. Deriving from my mom's no nonsense attitude, I eliminated every unnecessary item from my pack as Mark struggled over whether to bring a fairly large melodica. (He's still dealing with his decision to leave it out). In the end, without food and water, we managed to get the weight down fairly well. Our stats on the morning out are as follows:

Kathleen: 

Starting weight: 59kgs

Pack weight: 11 kgs (no food/water)

Raby J:

Starting weight: 66.2 kgs

Pack weight: 14 kgs (no food/water)

Mark:

Starting weight: 63.4

Pack weight: 15kgs (no food/water)

While sorting through our things, adjusting our packs and planning (if you can call it that) for the nthere was ext two months, definitely a feeling of excitement for the trip ahead. Much more to come over the coming months. We will keep you posted.