Weather: Rainy and foggy.
After the second night in a tent here in the Democratic Republic of Korea (DPRK), we awake to a grey and somber-looking sky. It seems that the grey colors of the sky are even drifting through the trees. Shaking the sleep out of our eyes when we eat breakfast, we can look forward to a rainy day apparently. Given the not so optimistic weather, I am glad we have a shorter day ahead of us today. Our main objective today is the secret camp located near one of the peaks of the Baekdu Daegan here, Ganbaeksan.
Flowers and forests passed by on the third day of the hike.
Group walking in the rain, Jo and Roger at the rear.
There is however only a hint of rain as we set forth within the confines of the larch pine woods of Paektu-Gowon again. This time, there is no tall grass we are walking through, instead it is a coarse gravel track for surface. On the other hand, we do not have to walk far away from the path we are walking on before we will stand with our feet buried in the grass. Purple, blue and yellow flowers are lighting up the otherwise green vegetation.
Taking a break from the walk. The men of DPRK enjoy smoking and being on a hike in rain makes no hindrance.
Rain does come pouring down in the end, and not long after we started walking. I cannot tell how happy I am with the decision of climbing Soyeonjibong yesterday, rather than doing it today. We might even not have climbed it, given this weather. Around us, the trees are heavily ladden with rainwater. Our spirits are still high though, a merry group of foreign hikers and North Korean guides. At this point of the hike, we have gotten to know the guides better and there is a good tone between us. Not all of them speak English, but our main guides do and so can act as interpretors between us.
On the way to Ganbaeksan secret camp, the mountain hidden behind the low clouds.
A handpainted signpost displaying the way to camp number one and four of Ganbaeksan secret camp.
The clouds are doing a good job of making the mountains around us look dramatic, as they are coming closer and closer, but is still hidden from our sight. After walking for a time, getting to feel the cold of the rain, we arrive at a small junction. Where a tiny signpost gives directions to camp 1 and camp 4 of Ganbaeksan secret camp. The signpost is painted by hand. We head for camp 1, past the obligatory army station nearby. North Korean soldiers watching us curiously.
Monument at Ganbaeksan secret camp of Kim Il-Sung leading the Korean partisans, with a young Kim Jong-Il on a horse.
Ganbaeksan secret camp was the headquarters of the resistance against the Japanese occupation and thus one of the largest of the secret camps in the area. A map on a concrete board gives us an indication of the size of the camp. There is also a large monument here depicting Kim Il-Sung leading the Korean partisans with Paektusan in the background, a young Kim Jong-Il can also be seen on the picture. Given the rain, however, we only get a short visit to the camp. In one of the cabins at the camp, they proudly show us the binoculars and gun that Kim Il-Sung apparently should have used. Also here can we see the enclosed slogan trees, but they are now mostly covered up.
Headquarter cabin at Ganbaeksan secret camp.
Yesterday, Roger had been talking about that we needed some more to do today and climbing Ganbaeksan came up as a possibility. However, here we cannot just climb any mountain we like, as we need to get the proper permissions to do so. This was granted to us. Standing here now under the heavy rain, we need to decide whether to act upon that or not. The chances of seeing anything at the top is breathtakingly small. Paula is also clear about that she will not climb up, due to her troublesome knee. Myself, on the other hand, is eager to take a shot at it. Be it miserable weather or not.
Apparently a pair of binoculars and a gun used by Kim Il-Sung.
We decide to go.
So happy does a hiker get when he can climb a mountain in rainy weather.
The path up to the top starts right off from the secret camp. Ascending into a grey world from a green world on an almost hidden path, now muddy and sodden with water. I have now completely stopped caring about keeping the water out of my shoes, they have been soaked for some time already. It is a quite cool climb up actually, especially in this weather. The low clouds are making the woods grey and mysterious, as fog seeps through the trees bringing with it what knows of North Korean mythical beings hidden from our sights. We slog upwards, with the fog thickening with every step. Until we, group all stretched out, emerge out on the top of a ridge with no visibility. This is also part of the Baekdu Daegan ridge, and I cannot say that it does not bring back any memories. I had some days in rain and fog on that ridge in the south too.
Misty North Korean mountains greeting us on this rainy day, here from the path up towards Ganbaeksan.
Roger emerging out of the mist, on the way up to the top of the ridge below Ganbaeksan.
We argue a little about continuing further, but choose to brave the weather some more. With both rain and wind lashing at us we go on. I am warm, but only as long as I keep on going. In the end we call it a day, the local guides are telling us that there is a chance that we will just be going astray on the ridge ahead. It appear to be more climbing ahead of us, but it is hard to tell, as thick as the fog is. We settle with how far we got, wraps our jackets tighter around us and walks down again. The walk down being just as mysterious as the walk up. I was happy that we decided to make a go at it.
The group and a lot of fog at Ganbaeksan, from left Mr. Choi, Mr. Kim, Roger, Jo, me and Sinead.
The news reaching us from the secret camp is also rather depressive, it is going to be like this weather for the next two-three days too. From the secret camp there is a short walk to where we will pitch our tents. At this point, coldness had finally caught up with me. Quite fortunately, they have managed to drive both the support vehicle and the minibus to this remote location at the end of a closed valley. It might take a little bit off the feeling of being on a hike, but we are all glad for the opportunity to sit inside something to warm us up. I fear that otherwise we would all just confine ourselves to our tents, separated by the pounding of the rain. Somehow I cannot help being reminded about the magic bus that Christopher McCandless found in the wilderness in Alaska, not really comparably in any way but.
Fog on the Baekdu Daegan, part of the group as vague shapes on the way back from Ganbaeksan.
The path up to and down from Ganbaeksan, misty mysterious woods.
Since breakfast we have only eaten starbread, which is good and heartily, but not really sustainable in the long run. At the camp, the staff has persevered underneath a tarp to cook us all some lunch, which we all have longed for now. We all know what we get, hot noodles, but it is not unusual that the diet can become a little bit monotonous on a hike. Dinner is the same, no surprise there.
A tomb in the misty woods and hills around Ganbaeksan secret camp.
It is not much to do the rest of the day than stay at our campsite. Even so, we are keeping up the high spirits. Less spiriting is the prospects for tomorrow, as we then are to climb up to the Baekdu Daegan and explore parts of the ridge. We will not see much if the weather stays the same as now, and the views are supposedly worth savouring. Roger are thinking about the options we have. If we wait out one day, the hope is that we might be lucky the next day.
Scenery at our campsite on day three.
Weather in this area can be unpredictable and today proved that. It is with a little excitement or anxiety that I slip into the sleeping bag at night, tomorrow morning will decide whether we will be walking or waiting one day. It is not a quiet night, the rain makes sure of that.
Campsite on the third day of the hike, my tent is the blue one.
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