Good morning Gangnam! There are clouds in the sky, but the visibility below is clearer than usual. I think that this implies that there is a good breeze today that has swept away the usual dust that fogs the view. The forecast is also good: cloudy with a high of 27°C (80°F).
Today's Agenda
I will finally climb 불곡산 today. It will be a very difficult climb, but today's weather is on my side.
After the climb, I want to find 성북 돈가스 and eat there, if I'm not too exhausted or dirty.
This is my agenda:
- Climb 불곡산. (inspiration)
- Eat at 성북 돈까스. (inspiration)
Both of these are inspired by Hyelin -- really, what would this trip have been without her?
Let's go!
Today's Experiences
I am dead tired tonight. I will sleep very well.
Today's adventures were inspired by Hyelin's YouTube vlog about her hiking 불곡산, a mountain about two hours North of where I'm staying. It was the third and final mountain that I wanted to reach the top of on my trip, so I have succeeded in that goal now!
Trip to 불곡산
I woke up this morning with plenty of time to get ready for my mountain climbing trip. I took my time. I didn't want to leave until around 10am or 11am so that I could skip all of the rush hour traffic.
When it was time to go, I hopped on the long-distance bus and relaxed for the next couple of hours.
The bus ride finally ended in Yangju close to the mountain. This area seemed very rural compared to Seoul, though I have seen much more rural areas back home.
Climbing the Mountain
I wasn't exactly sure where to go to find the mountain trail that I wanted. Instead of Googling it like a smart person would, I just walked in the general direction of the mountain.
Eventually, the road turned narrow and steep. As I walked the couple of miles along the steep and narrow road, I wondered if it would have been possible to drive to the top of the mountain. It wouldn't have been, and I soon found out where this road leads.
Near the base of the mountain, just before the slope becomes steep, is a Buddhist temple (I think). This is where the road ended.
With the road ending here, I was not sure where to go next. The people around the temple completely ignored me, so I figured it must be common for hikers to come past here. I walked around behind the temple to search for the trail that must be there. I found it!
The trail was surprisingly not maintained very well and was very steep. I found out later that this was not the trail that I was looking for. I just found a shortcut, a direct path from the temple to the mountaintop.
This path eventually connected to the main trail beneath a walk-bridge. The main trail was much cleaner and had more assisting tools such as handrails and ladders, but it was still very steep.
In record time -- thanks to my temple shortcut -- I reached the top!
Here are few pictures of the view from the top and from near the top:
Also near the top was the penguin rock. I have to include a shot of this to complete my mission. It was also included in Hyelin's vlog.
It's just a rock that looks like a penguin.
Dinner at 성북 돈까스
After Hyelin climbed the mountain, she at at 성북 돈까스. Because I'm copying her for this adventure, I go to eat there too. I take the easier main trail back down. Then I walk to the restaurant near the bottom.
Hyelin was with friends on her trip, so she could order a variety of food. I could not have eaten all of that alone, so I just picked one item on the menu: cheese filled fried pig slices. (I don't know what it's actually called, but it looked so good!)
After dinner, I rode the bus the two hours back home. Then I got cleaned up, did some light grocery shopping at 7-11, and updated this blog post. Now I am ready to say "goodnight".
Goodnight!
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