Friday, September 12, 2014

Baekdu Daegan // day 9 // Satgatgoljae - Bbaejae

Baekdudaegan day 9.
Distance: 21.0km (133.5km), time spent: 9:50 (69:58).
Altitude (start / end / highest): 1280m / 800m / 1610m.
Weather: Cloudy.


If yesterday was a magnificent ridge climb, then today was a magnificent ridge walk. This was the first time so far on the trail that I felt I could stride out and make good speed on the path. After a night of good sleep at the shelter, being not so hot inside and almost no snoring, and a good breakfast, I set out under the heavy layers of clouds perched over Deogyusan.

View of the valley below the Satgatjae shelter in the early morning.

The trail sees me going on a well-maintained path, now being back in the well-groomed domain of a national park. That also means that ropes at times enclose the trail, no mistaking where to go. Views to both sides of the ridge is plenty. I overtake a group of young Koreans that also stayed at the shelter, almost all of them listening to music from their smartphones while they are walking. A steady beat of different songs going through the mountains.

Stairway to Muryongsan.

Although the weather is definitely not a clear blue sky, I am not bereft of eye candy. At the top of the long and winding staircase below Muryongsan (1492m), the scenery behind me is excellent, Satgatbong, Namdeogyusan and Seobong all prominent. With the clouds lending a dramatic flair to the landscape. The ridge ahead is no worse.

Muryongsan, view back over a magnificent ridge, Satgatbong, Namdeogyusan and Seobong.

At Baegambong (1503m) and the three-way junction of Songgye Samgeori I leave the Baekdudaegan behind, setting sight for the Hyangjeokbong shelter, passing over Jungbong (1594m) on an amazing section of walking. The open ground. Never running out of staircases. The silhouette of a temple in the horizon. Walking through a forest of forlorn-shaped yew trees. All quiet at the shelter when I arrive.

Looking out to the world beyond the national park.

I go shopping big time at the cabin: two cans of coke, one can of cider, two bottles of water, four small cakes, a pack of biscuits and two packs of noodles. Water for my camelbak is yet another haul down from the cabin. I eat lunch on the picnic benches, looking over to the ridge where fingers of clouds are now grasping the mountains in their grip.

At Jungbong, not part of the Baekdudaegan, looking back at the high ridge of Deogyusan National Park.

I was contemplating skipping a section of the Baekdudaegan, and instead go to the temple of Baekryeonsa, and from there take a path leading back to the trail just before the peak of Motbong. However, the friendly guardian at the shelter is telling me that both the trail to the temple from here and back to Baekdudaegan from the temple is closed. So, I dismiss the idea and will return to Baegambong, but not before I have visited the highest mountain in Deogyusan.

An old twisted yew tree in the forest before the Hyangjeokbong shelter.

400 meters above the shelter is the summit of Hyangjeokbong (1610.6m), 360 degrees of mountains, ridges and forests. Going around in circles on the fourth highest summit in South-Korea. Then going back. At Baegambong I am back on the Baekdudaegan, which is firmly in the grip of the clouds now, views lost. The trail now descending from the open ridge and into subalpine forests.

The summit area of Hyangjeokbong, the fourth highest mountain in South-Korea.

On the way I meet Park Bae Woo, who in due jeong tradition is offering me food. More trail magic, Korean way. Not made yet, so we sit down and he starts to prepare the food, noodles with some local mushroom he has gathered. He does not speak English, so our conversation is a little bit stunted, but it is a nice encounter nevertheless.

I met Park Bae Woo on my way down to Bbaejae, a nice encounter, here he is preparing food for us.

As I am getting closer to Bbaejae or Sinpungryeong the sounds of construction works and the occasional blaring of a horn from a car is getting louder and louder. The last part of the walk was not an eventful walk, pretty much walking under the cover of the trees. And where there where views to be had, none was due to the clouds. I pass a communication facility before I stand looking at the haunted bone pass of Bbaejae.

The jeongja here is absolutely wonderful, but the place looks really isolated. The sounds I heard is coming from the closed and derelict hyugeso below, where there seems to be some deconstruction works going on. I saunter down to try to find out how long they will keep it up. At five o'clock they say as I understood it, so just an hour more to my relief.

Signpost on the way down to the bone pass, clouds overhanging the ridge.

Maybe looking for another adventure outside my own control, I agree to get a ride with them down from the ridge to find a place to stay. I regret it the moment we leave, but I get a chance to convey this after the search for nearby places seems unfruitful. So they drive me back up to the pass, where I am left behind now all alone. They were quite surprised by the fact that I wanted to sleep in the jeongja.

At Bbaejae, the beautiful Sinpungryeong jeongja that I intend to spend the night in.

After the sounds has died, the pass is a really quiet spot. I am satisfied and glad that I choose to stay here. What was I really thinking when I left I wonder, this was a place I had been looking forward to stay at. The only thing I am concerned about now is the hive hanging under the roof outside of the pavilion, whatever the insects is that are staying there are huge. But they seems to have no interest in me, content with their own business. A nice evening. I go to sleep in the middle of the jeongja, breathing clear air through my sleeping bag.

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