Distance: 10.7km (68.8km), time spent: 5:48 (36:05).
Altitude (start / end / highest): 500m / 600m / 781m.
Weather: Sunny.
Since I wake up in Unbongeup and not in Maeyori as I originally intended I have to alter my plan for today. On my itinerary, the summit of Baegunsan shone as a beacon at the end of the walk, but to reach that beacon I had to start early. It is a long walk to the white cloud mountain. I consult the book and set the course for a short day.
Leaving the small village of Maeyori. Gonamsan in the background.
Between Juchijae and Sachijae, looking at a farmland of rural Korea through the trees.
The owner of the minbak drives me back to Maeyori, another example of the great hospitality of the people here. Now back where I believe the Baekdudaegan hyugeso was, the trail continues next to a tree weighed down by the ribbons of past hikers. An indication of how little remarkable the trail is today is the lack of names of the peaks it passes today.
View from above Sachijae.
At Juchijae there is a signpost stating that the trail is following the road to the left, but my map and a lot of ribbons tells me otherwise. I disregard the signpost and continues up on a featureless ridge. The reason for the signpost is apparent when I arrive at Sachijae, where the trail crosses the usual very busy 88 Olympic Expressway. I think they have redirected the trail so as not to have many hikers crossing the road, as I do.
Hills of rural Korea.
I passed several tombs on my way, most looked like a mound of grass and seldom had gravestones.
More featureless walking follows, mostly through thick vegetation and some few places providing views of the surrounding landscape. At the highest peak at 781m in this area, Amaksan, a large family is out for chusok and visiting an ancestor's grave on the mountain. I have passed many of these graves on the trail, which for the most part looks like mounds of grass. Some of them has gravestones. When they leave, I stay behind with a bag full of grapes, no place in my backpack for the bag so I have to attach it to the back my backpack.
The path goes winding through the forest.
View from the Amak Fortress.
The most interesting place on the walk today is the Amak Fortress, located just before my endpoint of today at Bokseongijae, or rather the remains of it. Not much is visible of the old fortress built by the Silla Kingdom, believed to be about 633 meters in diameter (the authors of the guidebook thinks that 633 meters in circumference is more correct). It is a nice place to sit down and take a break, among the ghosts of Gwisang and Chuhang.
A signpost just before Bokseongijae.
At Bokseongijae, I call it quits for the day on the Baekdudaegan and walk down the paved road to the Chijaemaeul Cheoljjuk Minbak. A short day suited me fine today actually, giving me some time to rest.
The Chijaemaeul Cheoljjuk Minbak, with the small store attached.
At the minbak I have the biggest problem so far communicating. There appear to be some kind of a restaurant there, in what is a very small store, which the guidebook said it would be. When I try to ask if I can get something to eat at the restaurant, I am unsure if the answer was yes or no. There goes some time so I think the answer was no. Just when I are about to start preparing for cooking my own dinner, the owner comes with a big plate with food to me. A nice, but not very remarkable day. And despite the communication problems I had a nice stay at the minbak.
Inside the store (and possibly restaurant) of the minbak.
<- MaeyoriBaegunsan ->
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