Baekdu Daegan // day 4 // Gogiri - Maeyori

Baekdudaegan day 4.
Distance: 18.3km (58.1km), time spent: 8:45 (30:17).
Altitude (start / end / highest): 500m / 500m / 846m.
Weather: Sunny.

I awake to a beautiful morning and the usual confusing meeting with a menu. That is, I have no idea what is on the menu. The host of the minbak here is a friendly and nice man, smiling, but he does not speak English. So we stand for a while trying to understand each other, gesticulating and smiling, before we settle on something for breakfast. I think I have just ordered dinner.

Eating breakfast in Gogiri, or possibly dinner.

Being out of the national park, I have now encountered what is to be an important navigational tool on the trail, the hiking ribbons. These are the remnants of hikers having passed through on their walk. Fluttering in the wind, they will mark where the trail is going, often with a personal message on the ribbon. They do not only mark the Baekdudaegan trail, so I will have to keep a close watch on which ribbon I follow.

The Baekdudaegan goes on a leisurely pace through the rural Korea at the start, before venturing up into the hills. Sujeongbong in the background.

The trail from Gogiri is going on mostly flat ground on the first part today, following several roads to another small village. At Nochimaeul, there is a monument to the Baekdudaegan next to a nice jeongja (pavilion). From the village I follow the trail up through the woods towards Sujeongbong, being stopped on the way by a couple giving me a cup of coffee. The walking is on a wooded ridge enclosed in trees, providing only glimpses of the surrounding landscape, as the summit at 804m.

The Baekdudaegan monument next to a jeongja in Nochimaeul.

I thought that entering the rural parts of South-Korea would bring some relief after the quite hard walk through Jirisan, looking forward to a day of easy walking, I was so wrong. At the mountain road that leads down to the Jujisa temple, I spend some time arguing with my legs whether to go down or not. I win. The legs complain when the walking down feels longer than it is. The temple is a small one, with a tranquil atmosphere about it.

At Jujisa temple, where I met a family out for harvesting for chusok in the forest.

The trail coming down to the pass at Yeonwonjae.

At the temple, I meet a family of three generations, out harvesting mushrooms, berries and fruit. They live in a nearby village and offer me some food and makgeolli. Today it is chusok, the Korean harvest thanksgiving festival, I am being sent on my way with a big slice of traditional rice cake in my backpack. The hospitality of the people here never cease to surprise me.

Looking up at Gonamsan from the village of Jangdongri.

Even though it is only my fourth day on the trail, I feel that I have learned that there is no easy day on the Baekdudaegan. You can never be sure of what it is putting in your way. And if you are met with adversity, you should meet it with the belief that it will reward you afterwards. This really holds true for the grueling climb up Gonamsan. The summit stands only at 846m, but I was totally exhausted when I reached the summit (maybe I am getting old). The view just before the summit however, was just impressive and I just had to sit down and bask in the view of the ridges and hills disappearing into the horizon.

View from Gonamsan. The climb up was a lot harder than I thought it would be, but the reward was equally worth it.

The rest of the walk down to my planned endpoint of the day, Maeyori, is an uneventful trudge through an overgrown path. I arrive at the village of Maeyori quite tired. According to the guidebook, there should be a nice jeongja here, which I should be allowed to sleep in if I ask the elders in the village in a polite way. I find the pavilion, which looks great. It even has a chair inside of it that looks perfect to sit and relax in after a hard walk. The area outside of it has no place though where I can pitch my tent. Now, I have to find the small store that is supposed to be in the village.

The stele at the summit of Gonamsan at 846.4m.

Which I cannot find. Instead, I find a resident of the village that tells me that no one is allowed to sleep in the jeongja. So there goes my accommodation. He also tells me that there is not a shop there either. So there goes my provisions. Now, I am being tired and are wondering what to do. But persevere, and the Baekdudaegan will provide. He is however not unfriendly in any way, and is quite helpful. In the end, he takes me to a house, which I believe housed the aforementioned store. At the house is an elderly woman, could this be the old woman that was running the store and was affectionately known as the 'Baekdudaegan grandmother'? And before I know it, I sit in a car and is being driven to a minbak in the town of Unbongeup.

The jeongja in Maeyori. It would have been a great place to spend the night.

In Unbongeup the host of the minbak drives me to a bustling restaurant, where I eat bacon (pork belly meat) that I fry myself on a grill at the table. Walking back to the minbak, the Koreans are celebrating chusok and there are fireworks going off here and there.

Eating pork belly meat (bacon) in a restaurant in Unbongeup. I had to fry the meat myself on the grill in the table.

<- GogiriBokseongijae ->

Baekdu Daegan // day 3 // Nogodan - Gogiri

Baekdudaegan day 3.
Distance: 14.1km (39.8km), time spent: 7:28 (21:32).
Altitude (start / end / highest): 1340m / 500m / 1497m.
Weather: Rolling clouds, sunny afternoon.

Sleepless in Jirisan, another night awake in the hot tumults of a Korean shelter. Today the trail will leave the bustling confines of the national park and entering its more isolated areas, before descending down into the rural parts of South-Korea. There is a veil of thinned out clouds in the sky in the morning, emanating from the larger clusters lying dormant in the valleys below.

Clouds over Banyabong in the morning from Nogodangogae.

Back up at Nogodangogae the entrance to the summit of Nogodan is now guarded by two rangers, who were absent yesterday, so my plan to sneak up to the summit is a rather dumb one now. Should have done it yesterday. The dramatic view from the high pass is however giving me some compensation. From Nogodan I walk down to the Seongsamjae hyugeso, and a breakfast that are much longed for. Many people walking around, preparing for a hike in the mountains.

After Seongsamjae the trail changes character to a less defined path through thicker vegetation.

From Seongsamjae, leaving just as a large group of hikers is taking off in the same direction, the path changes character. Having walked through well-defined paths, the trail is now narrower going through thick vegetation. It may not be as spectacular as yesterday, but it is a pleasant walk beneath a shrouded sky. From Goribong (1248m) the rest area of Seongsamjae is spotted as a white fleck in the midst of a green blanket. The view is reminding me a lot of the landscape around Coll de Paracolls above Arles sur Tech in the Pyrenees that I walked through last year.

Seongsamjae hyugeso seen from Goribong as a white spot in the middle of the green blanket, Nogodan peak to the left in the background.

Drifting clouds are obscuring my view; I see my chances of looking far and away from the summit of Manbokdae dwindle. Reaching the summit at 1433m my fears are unfounded, the views are magnificent with waves of clouds now rolling over the ridges below. I can hear voices emerge from the trees below. Another hiker arrived just before me and we share some jeong with each other, talking together in the kind of faltering speech that occurs when one of the party is not fluent in the language.

View of the ridge that continues to Manbokdae from Goribong.

I spend some time at the summit, allowing the hikers whose voices I heard before to catch up. Which brings me into another confusing bout of receiving food and drink; grapes, nuts, chocolate bars, coffee and hot wine are evenly distributed in my direction. There is no shortage of rest areas with places to eat on the trail today, arriving at a second hyugeso at Jeongryeongchi. Where I meet the hiker from Manbokdae again, he shares a beer with me while we are resting in the park above the parking lot. From there the path is climbing steeply up towards Keungoribong at 1304m. A noteworthy detour on the climb up is a path that took me to some Buddha figures that are carved into the rock of the mountain.

Waves of clouds rolling over the Baekdudaegan.

The summit of Manbokdae.

At the summit of Keungoribong, the Baekdudaegan is leaving the main ridge of the Jirisan mountains and is embarking upon an extremely steep descent. Knees wailing. I pass two other hikers, both carrying exceedingly large backpacks, also doing the Baekdudaegan (but taking it in stages each year as most Koreans do). I emerge out of the national park far below, into the embrace of rural Korea under a clear blue sky.

Jeongryeongchi hyugeso with Keungoribong in the background.

Being out of the national park where places to stay for the night where lying right on the trail, I now have to find a place to stay. Walking through the small village of Gogiri, a little unsure of where to find a place, I end up asking for minbak at the first house I come to that looks like a restaurant. Spot on. I get a room in the second floor of the building. But before I could take a shower or anything, a group of people eating and drinking at the restaurant is inviting me over. Soju flowing.

Buddha figures carved into the mountain beneath Keungoribong.

Sanshingak at Gogiri, these are small shrines devoted to the mountain-spirits.

Gogiri is a quiet and nice little village, a good place for resting after walking. I eat a good dinner at the restaurant, then spending the rest of the evening resting at the minbak.

The minbak I stayed at in Gogiri, I slept in a room on the second floor.

<- NogodanMaeyori ->

Baekdu Daegan // day 2 // Seseok - Nogodan

Baekdudaegan day 2.
Distance: 20.0km (25.7km), time spent: 9:47 (14:04).
Altitude (start / end / highest): 1151m / 1340m / 1651m.
Weather: Sunny.

The first night on the trail yielded no sleep at all, the dormitory acting like a furnace during the night, both in sound and heat. Standing in the pitch-black darkness outside the shelter you could probably hear the sounds of the constant snoring reverberating from within. At 2 o'clock many people woke up and rummaged around before venturing out into the night, I suspect a visit to Cheonwangbong to witness the sunrise was the reason for the early commotion.

With a glint in my eye I look at the magnificent view from the ridge above Seseok shelter.

Come morning and a clear blue sky is greeting my second day on Baekdudaegan, rays of sun washing my face. Today I will traverse 20km of ridge, to the Nogodan shelter below the watch of the Crone Altar Peak. I start the walk with a glint in my eye, a marvelous view of green and blue ridges are unfolding before my very eyes on the ridge above the Seseok shelter. Small rivers of clouds are softly meandering their way through the valleys far below. A perfect indication of what the Jirisan mountains has to offer on a great day.

Looking south from the Jirisan mountains.

Following in the footsteps of yesterday the trail is still easy to follow, and still roped off at places to keep people on the beaten track. Now truly showcasing what the Baekdudaegan is all about, an undulating walk on the ridge with no quarter given. The trail goes up and down, ducking in and out of the cover provided by the trees, hence not forgetting to share the beautiful views of the surrounding landscape with you. Going from peak to peak, all dressed in verdant foliage, I watch the trail progress onwards. Behind me, each peak is going one step back in the line. At the back of the line now, Cheonwangbong still watching over its mountain domain.

Cheonwangbong, Jangteomok shelter in the lower center.

From the Seseok cabin I climb up to the highest point of today's walk, Yeongsinbong at 1651m. Here azalea trees flanks the summit with alpine bamboo growing in-between. Views are good. Taking you down from the summit is a magnificent staircase, winding its way for a long time through and above the alpine forest. The trail passes two more peaks, Chilseongbong (1576m) and Deokpyeongbong (1522m), before I arrive at the Byeoksoryeong shelter and time for a break.

The onward ridge, seen from Yeongsinbong. Banyabong in the distance to the left.

The trail is continuing in the same manner to the Yeonhacheon cabin, offering stunning views at times as the path crawls over the peak of Hyeongjebong (1452m) and the meeting point with another ridge at Samgakgoji. The Yeonhacheon cabin is a smaller cabin than the others I have passed (with the exception of the Rotary shelter) and the atmosphere is more quiet and laidback here. I eat lunch outside the cabin, attracting the curiosity of other hikers. A candy bar is gently shown into my hand. If it were not for the location of the shelter, being too far away from Jungsanri and too short away from the Seseok or Jangteomok cabin, I would definitely have stayed at this cabin.

A verdant ridge, Cheonwangbong in the background, with the ridge continuing further to Chotdaebong. Then twisting and turning its way, passing by Byeoksoryeong shelter.

The small and nicely located shelter of Yeonhacheon.

The walk is just as hard as it is beautiful, and I can feel the constant going up and down in my legs. More impressive staircases are helping you on the way after Yeonhacheon. After having stood upon the summit of the first Samdobong (Three Provinces Peak) on the trail, being where the Jeollabukdo, Jeollanamdo and Gyeongsangnamdo provinces all meet, I turn down the offer of climbing up to Banyabong (Prana Wisdom Peak). According to my guidebook, the peak at 1732m offers stunning views, but I resist a detour off the track being tired.

One of the many impressive staircases on the trail.

At Nogodan the entrance to the summit is closed for the day, for an environmental reason that I cannot understand, given that they have built a boardwalk on top of the vegetation that goes all the way up to the summit. An early reminder of the closed sections that will come later on the trail. This is just a minor annoyance though, the walk having been a great one. If the rest of the Baekdudaegan is as beautiful as today, I am in for a walk of epic proportions.

A natural staircase going through a tunnel of foliage.

Arriving at the Nogodan shelter, I am being firmly told that I have to go down; they cannot find my name on the list of reservations. I argue that they should try a little harder, given that my name is difficult for the Koreans. In the end, they find out that I am registered under the Jirisan Visitor Center, which booked for me, and now they are smiling and I am being allowed to stay. The shelter is another big one, quite modern in appearance, and you sleep in something that resembles cubicles here. And, hey, they got a closet here with heating that could be used to dry your clothes if they are wet. Ramyeon noodles for dinner.

Looking down the Piagol valley.

Today was a stunning walk, almost 20 kilometers of pure walking joy. On the trail I met many curious Koreans, almost all of them wanting to shake my hand when telling them about my purpose of walking the mighty Baekdudaegan. For today, it was truly mighty and magical.

My cubicle with my gear in the dormitory of Nogodan shelter.

<- SeseokGogiri ->

Baekdu Daegan // day 1 // Cheonwangbong - Seseok

Baekdudaegan day 1.
Distance: 5.7km (5.7km), time spent: 4:17 (4:17).
Altitude (start / end / highest): 1915m / 1151m / 1915m.
Weather: Some sun, mostly cloudy.

Standing on top of Cheonwangbong at 1915m, at the highest point on the mainland of South Korea, I take the first breath of the Baekdudaegan. From here, it's all downhill. Chunks of white clouds meanders aimlessly around the summit. The first day on the trail is a short leg, given that the first half of the day has been spent climbing up here to the trailhead from Jungsanri. After spending over an hour at the summit, maybe in the hope that the sky will clear, I pick up my backpack. It is time to go, an adventure awaits.

At the start of the Baekdudaegan trail, the summit of Cheonwangbong.

From Cheonwangbong the trail is easily discernible, being the only way you can go. Apart from going back down again. Due to the amount of people walking in the national park, the Korean Forest Service (KFS) has restricted the access to confined paths. Wooden fences or ropes perimeters the trail on both sides. Additional staircases are aiding you on the steep parts of the trail. Some part of me is feeling a little bit like a small child being led by the hand, being used to walk freely around in the mountains of my home country. The scenery however, is great and the restrictions does not diminish in any way the beauty of the mountains of the exquisite wisdom.

Looking back towards Cheonwangbong.

The clouds seems content after I left Cheonwangbong and yielded more space on the sky, allowing views to be opened on both sides of the mostly open ridge. The tough and long-living Korean yew trees (they can live for over 1000 years), jumok-namu, are making appearances all around on the ridge. It is a beautiful walk and on a clear day it must truly be spectacular. Being a foreigner in South Korea I am often met with curious looks on the trail from passing hikers.

The trail going on an open ridge below Jeseokbong.

I met Hyeok-Je Jeon before climbing up towards Jeseokbong, here standing at the viewing platform below the summit.

On my way up to the next peak after Cheonwangbong, Jeseokbong at 1808m, I meet Hyeok-Je Jeon. He strikes up a conversation with me and we keeps company to Jeonhabong (1730m), from where he goes back down from the ridge. He is a nice and pleasant person to be walking with. At a viewing platform just below the summit of Jeseokbong (the trail does not go over the summit, but instead meanders around it) he points out the charred remains of burned Korean jew trees. The result of a careless hiker making a fire on the ridge. The views from the wooden platform are great, with Jungsanri still visible far below. We stop for a rest at Jangteomok shelter, where he offers me some candy and energy bars. Jangteomok shelter is a very popular shelter, due to its close location to Cheonwangbong; it is very common to wake up early from the shelter and go to the summit to watch the sunrise.

View from the Jirisan mountains.

The Baekdudaegan ridge from the rocky outcrops on Jeonhabong.

At the summit of Jeonhabong is some rocky outcrops that I clamber up upon, providing great views backwards to the starting point of the trail and forward to the Baekdudaegan ridge continuing through the Jirisan mountains. The trail now and then ducking through clusters of trees. I am in a good mood and in no rush, taking my time enjoying the scenery. The summit of Chotdaebong (Candlestick peak), at 1703m, is off limits for some unknown reason and so fenced off. The area near the summit however is providing me with good views down through the royal azalea fields (which will bloom pink in the early summer) to my end point at Seseok shelter.

An undulating trail, fenced in to prevent hikers to clamber all over the place.

Looking back from Samshinbong, a staircase aiding you on the steep climb up.

Camping is not allowed in a national park in South Korea, so if you plan to stay the night you have to stay at one of the KFS shelters. What you get when you pay to stay at a shelter, you have to book in advance to be allowed to spend the night, is an allocated numbered sleeping space and no more. You have to bring all the food, cooking gear and sleeping gear yourself, although blankets can be rented at the shelter. Each shelter also has a small store, selling very basic provisions (not enough for a proper meal). The Seseok shelter is a quite big building located with great views to the southeast.

Although most of the trail went on an open ridge, the trail frequently ducked under cover of the trees.

While making my first dinner on the trail, consisting of the then to be usual ramyeon (noodles), I am yet again being treated to the jeong of the Korean people. Another single hiker is inviting me over, sharing his dinner with me, lots of bacon and kimchi. I will try to explain the notion of jeong in a later posting. It has gotten dark when we eat; bright lights can be seen flickering in the horizon. A very nice first day on the trail being at an end.

The Seseok shelter below the royal azalea fields.

<- CheonwangbongNogodan ->

Baekdu Daegan // prologue // Jungsanri - Cheonwangbong

Jungsanri, in the morning on September 4. The foreboding clouds heavily packed with rain, which was lying as a dark blanket over the mountains yesterday, has drifted away during the night. After a breakfast consisting of the usual amount of kimchi I stand packed and ready outside the Jirisan National Park Visitor Center, with the adventure lying in front of me. Which is about 735 kilometers and over 40 days of walking if everything goes by the plan, but first I have to get up to where the trail is starting from, Cheonwangbong.

Standing on the bridge next to the beginning of the trail up towards Cheonwangbong.

The trail up to the summit is a steep and relentless climb just over 5km in length, and the ascent is starting almost at once from the beginning. The path is well defined and clear, and feels almost constructed by character. It is not marked in any way, but there are signposts at regular intervals indicating how far it is to the next and previous place. The signposts are written in both English and Korean (hangeul).

The trail to Cheonwangbong from Jungsanri goes through a green and verdant forest in the beginning.

My body feels fit and I am walking rapidly upwards, eager in the beginning after finally starting on my walk. All around me is a cacophony of sounds from an insect I have no idea what is, giving me more the feeling of walking in a jungle than in a forest (or on a mountain). It is a walk in a green and verdant world, with a steep trail consisting of round and slippery rocks winding itself between the trees. Some places constructed staircases are replacing the path, carrying you over steep parts or over sections being protected for environmental purposes.

One of several staircases or boardwalks you have to go over on the way up to the summit.

Jirisan National Park is South-Korea's largest refuge for wild animals and among the animals are a population of Asiatic black bears. After walking over a suspension bridge several banners are warning me about their existence and that it is dangerous to walk outside of the marked paths. Just after the bridge is a junction on the trail, giving you the option of going straight up to the Jangteomok shelter instead of continuing up towards Cheonwangbong. Clouds has now reappeared in the sky, and only occasionally are small glimpses of blue sky being carried down between the trees. Some rocky outcrops, which are easy to scramble on top of, provides a view over the forest and the mountains, but only fragments of the landscape are visible through the layers of clouds.

Rotary shelter, a small cabin than can sleep up to 40 people.

Beopgyesa temple, a small and nice temple you pass on the way up to Cheonwangbong, well worth the visit.

After walking for about 4km you get to the Rotary shelter, which is a small, but nicely situated cabin. It is a tranquil place and a suitable spot for a rest after two hours on the way. A group of other hikers also having a break at the cabin treats me with fried chicken, potatoes, biscuits, an energy bar and the usual soju. Koreans are extremely hospitable and seems to be happily sharing their food with others (and completely strangers).

The view from Bepgyesa is great, but today the weather gods didn't provide a clear sky at my disposal.

Situated just above the shelter is the Beopgyesa temple, a small temple originally built in the year 544 by the Indian missionary-monk Yeongi-josa, and is one of Korea's highest situated temples. The temple has been destroyed several times, especially during the Japanese invasions of Korea, but has always been rebuilt afterwards. Located on the top of the temple compounds you will find the 'Pavilion of the Guardian Deity of the Mountain', a splendid three-storied pagoda which is the only remaining artifact from the original temple. It is a temple well worth a visit.

A glimpse of Jungsanri deep below from a window through the clouds.

Filled with an inner peace I return back to the steep world up towards Cheonwangbong, from Beopgyesa the trail increases in gradient. Several staircases brings you higher up in altitude over the remaining 2 kilometers to the summit. Some small and incredibly cute squirrels darts around my feet on the climb up. The final part up to the highest point on South-Korea's mainland is breaking out of the forest over stairs of wood and stone.

One of the small and incredibly cuite squirrels that was darting around on the trail.

There is not much view to get up at the summit of Cheonwangbong at 1915m when I arrive; clouds are playing around obscuring the view. An almost oval monument of stone carrying the name of the peak greets me among a few occasional glimpses of the surrounding world far below, South-Korea's undulating landscape and blue ridges still a secret hidden for me. My mood is, however, very good. I have had a nice walk up here to the start of my next big adventure, the Baekdudaegan trail.

The summit of Cheonwangbong at 1915m.

The last steep climb up to the summit.

<- JungsanriSeseok ->

Baekdu Daegan // prologue // Jungsanri

Stepping out of the bus at Jungsanri, the starting point of my hike in the mountains of South-Korea, I am met with the view of a mountain landscape being torn apart by dark clouds. The Baekdudaegan trail does not start from here, but at the summit of Cheonwangbong, the highest peak on South-Korea's mainland. To get up to the summit you have to climb up from one of three places, Chuseongri, Daewonsa or Jungsanri. I choose Jungsanri as it was said to be the most practical way to get to the starting point of the trail. All three routes offer a tough and hard, but also a great climb up to the heavenly king peak.

My first meeting with a minbak, here situated in the second floor above the restaraunt by the busstation in Jungsanri. A sparse room with a tv and a pile of blankets.

To get to Jungsanri I took a train from Seoul to Jinju and a bus from there. On the train ride I could look up towards some of the mountains I probably would be hiking in later, later could I look up from the bus at the rain-covered mountains of Jirisan while I was wondering where to go off the bus. The answer gave itself more or less.

The busstation in Jungsanri, the mountain surrounded by dark clouds.

I have always been going around with a somewhat strange feeling or tension in my body when I am at a place that is the starting point for a long distance trail that I am about to embark upon. Jungsanri is no exception; it is always exciting to see what kind of place you are starting from. The Baekdudaegan is however not starting from here, as already said, but this is sort of the starting point of my walk. Jungsanri can in other words be added to the list that already includes St. Jean Pied de Port, Calenzana and Hendaye. This place is smaller and has a more remote feeling to it though. The first that greets you when going off the bus are a large square, a bus shelter and a building that seems to contain a restaurant and two shops. There are some other houses above the square alongside a road that seem to go further up into the greyness.

Jungsanri.

I don't do much the first evening here. I meet two boys (Korean of course) for a beer that just have come down from a hike in Jirisan, doing a part of the trail that I will do at the beginning of my hike, they are warning me against walking tomorrow since it is going to be raining a lot. They also tell me that I have to book ahead on the cabins here to be allowed to sleep in the cabins, as opposed to what my guidebook says. Therefore, I go for a walk up towards the Jirisan visitor center to see if I can book me a place to sleep, but the driver of a car coming down is telling me that it is closed there for the day. I end the day eating dinner at the restaurant and then relaxes at my minbak room. The evening is not making it any darker outside than it already was.

The road up to Jirisan visitor center.

I wake up early to what is supposed to be my first day on the trail, excited, but ready. It is raining outside, and a lot, the sky has turned into a water orgy. I quickly decide to postpone the departure a little bit, and sleep some more in the hope that the weather will abate. Only do a short leg and just go to the Rotary shelter instead of the planned walk to the Seseok cabin. After breakfast I put on my backpack and venture out into the rainy confines of the Korean mountains, the backpack increasing in weight quite fast. At the Jirisan visitor center I am met with the first obstacle on the trail, you cannot book a place for the current day after 10 o'clock (and I am there at about 10:20). So, I am not allowed to walk any further, at least not without going back down again. Instead, I book a place at the Seseok cabin for tomorrow and at the Nogodan cabin the day after, in accordance with my original plan.

The river that runs down through the Jungsanri valley.

Just below the Jirisan visitor center is a large and grey building that houses a restaurant and a minbak, the building resembling a little something that could be a remnant of an old Soviet state. I get a room there so I do not have to carry the backpack down and up again. Then I go to see what more Jungsanri has to offer. Not so far away from the small village is an equally small temple that I go to visit, the rain diminishing a bit while I am there. It is a small, but quite atmospheric little spot located near the Jungsan recreational forests.

Temple building from the little temple in Jungsanri.

I pay a small visit to the river that runs down through the valley, a staircase bringing me down to the now slippery rocks. There is also an interesting and 'nice', but not so big, museum about North-Korean guerillas that survived in the Jirisan mountain for up to ten years after the Korean war. I walk around inside the museum and in the garden outside while the rain is increasing in intensity again.

The temple garden with a little pond.

I spend the evening at the restaurant up by the visitor center, eating dinner and relaxing outside under the roof while the rain is hammering down upon it. A couple from Busan invites me over; curious of what a foreigner is doing here. They offer me some more food and makgeolli, which is some kind of fermented rice wine. Makgeolli has an alcohol percentage of about 6-8%, that has a milky-like color and tastes quite sweet, but not so bad. When the couple is driving back home to Busan, I am left alone looking out into the night wondering what the mountains is keeping in store for me. Tomorrow is (at last) my first day on the trail, bad weather or not.

From the little museum in Jungsanri about North-Korean guerrillas in the Jirisan mountain.

Cheonwangbong ->

GR10 @ 12:00

GR10 @ 12:00 from Tarjei Skrede on Vimeo.

Each day at 12:00 while walking the GR10 I took a picture of myself.
This is the result.