Distance: 26.9km (585.9km), time spent: 11:29 (291:40).
Altitude (start / end / highest): 147m / 600m / 1260m.
Weather: Nice.
Ah, the sweet hereafter. Early in the morning I prepare myself for the tough climb back up to the ridge and the trail. All quiet in the restaurant and in the darkness outside, where I am standing a little cold preparing my breakfast. I am off before the hostess are awake, which is a small pity; I would have wanted to say thanks for my stay at the place.
On the riverbed below the Samhwasa-temple, there are Hangeul writings carved into the rocks.
In the river below Samhwasa, there are Hangeul writings carved into the riverbed. I cannot read what it says, but poets, monks and scholars of the past carved their writings into the rocks in the valley, so it is not a bad guess that it is old poems or words of wisdom. The over 1000 year's old temple is observing me with its three harmonies on my walk back into the Mureung gorge. The prayer ribbons are fluttering calmly on the bridge leading to the temple.
Fluttering prayer ribbons on the bridge leading to Samhwasa.
Going up the Mureung-valley, I take my time in a calmer way than my walk down yesterday, hurrying slowly on the path. I probably should have taken a day of rest here as well, to fully explore the gorge with the respect it deserves. Hidden in the mountainsides above there are old temples and fortresses. At the Yonchu waterfall there are more writings carved into the rocks. A path leads me to the round boulders at the Sinseon peak, where you can see the phallic stone called Love Rock and the huge stone that is a monument to King Gwanggaeto the Great.
Writing on the rocks by the lower part of the Yongchu waterfall.
I take a deep breath when I arrive at the Sawonteo junction, which is located down in the valley as opposed to what it is written in the guidebook. From now on the hardship is beginning, the brutal climb back up to the ridge. In the most tiresome parts I do regret a little bit having walked down, but when I am up I have left the thoughts behind. I dump my backpack on the ground and take a break. I started walking around 6 o'clock in the morning, when I leave Gojeokdaesamgeori; the clock has already passed 10 o'clock.
At the summit of Sinseon peak, round boulders at the top, Baekdudaegan in the background.
After Gojeokdae, the trail changed into some kind of an obstacle course, and it is continuing in that matter from here on as well. The vegetation around me tears and jerks at my backpack constantly, to good fragments of views down at Mureung and over to the peaks of Haedongsambong that I marched over yesterday. With a trail that is not marked by any 'official organization' and a hiker that do not know the written language on the existing markers, it easily could go wrong. After an unnamed peak at 1142m, I am misled some way off the trail before I bitterly sees on the map that I cannot possibly be on the right way. I have to nicely turn and walk back up again.
View down towards the Mureung gorge with Dutasan and Cheongoksan in the background.
The valley of Mureung lies now safely on the other side of the ridge, it is a gradually, but uneven descent now. Among pine trees some benches next to a small water source is offering a peaceful moment, the water is barely running, the sun is shining through the leaves. Down at Igiryeong there is a large board with a map of the Korean peninsula on, Baekdudaegan is drawn on the map and a small marker shows how far on the trail I have come. For the first time I get a feeling of how far I have been walking.
Autumn forest.
The errands of the walking are now for the mostly confined within the frames of the forest. I eat lunch down at Wonbangjae, located in the saddle between the summit of Sangwolsan (970m) with its cliffs with views and the next ridge on the journey. Which there is an even ascent up to, and which carries me for the last kilometres to Baekbokryeong. A quiet walk in a forest, disorderly interrupted by overviews of the landscape around. Towards the end I feel that is has been a long day, I have spent a long time walking today.
View from Sangwolsan.
At Baekbokryeong, I surprise a small group of workers, who are sitting and eating while the soju bottles are being passed around. There was supposedly a rustic hyugeso here, which I in curiosity had wanted to get something to drink in, but the workers are going down to Baekbokryeong Swimteo and are inviting me to drive with them down.
Wonbangjae.
Baekbokryeong Swimteo consists of a building with several stories, in the first story there is a restaurant. By the road outside there more small restaurants, unfortunately there are no shops here as I had thought. The workers has made up their minds to help me, so they arrange a room for me at the place, while I am standing quite puzzled and watching. The room is however quite nice and well kept. After having a shower I eat dinner together with them in the restaurant. I order desukogi, which is quite a bad decision by me. It is meat, but there is also seafood in it, so I have to pick out all the pieces of squid that I cannot eat. The workers are kindly offering me soju, but their English is quite lacking.
View towards Sangwolsan from the ridge above Wonbangjae.
The biggest problems I have not knowing the language, is when I feel that the Koreans are doing too much for my sake and that I am a burden for them. Since there were no stores at the place, I enquire if they could order a taxi to bring me down to the nearest store. In return, they look at me with big eyes; it is quite far to the next place. After discussing a little bit, through another guest that knows a little bit English, it all results in that the one of the hosts at the place are driving me down for a small amount. It is here that I feel that I become a burden, even though I am very grateful and tries to explain both parts to them. It is a long ride in the dark on winding roads down to the nearest village. There I go shopping big time, the owner of the shop treats me with a cup of coffee, and then it is back up again.
Tired and grateful I return to my room. It will not be a late evening today, the rest of it I spend planning my tactics for the next days. There are no water sources on the trail for the next two days, maybe three dependent on how far I go. This was a day that contained the best experiences, along with the hardest, at the beginning of the walk.
Baekbokryeong Swimteo.
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