I just looked at my pedometer, and I see why today felt brutal: 457 minutes of walking, 43,965 steps, 20.57 miles (not Naver's projected 15.48), and 3514 calories burned (gross figure; net is probably 2700 calories).
My first day on the Saejae portion of the trail could have been worse. There were some hills, including some long, tiring ones, but nothing frightening. Thanks to the gentleman I met earlier today, I know I'll be facing two mountains over the next three days; here's hoping I can get over them fairly quickly. I just want this part of the path to be done.
No real change in my feet, which are achy, but otherwise the same. The rest of my body seems to be adapting to the stresses of travel. I'm very surprised not to have gotten blisters under my armpits, but suppose that's because of my judicious use of padding (i.e., a folded handkerchief and a folded washcloth).
My hotel room, a double, is expensive but lacks a desktop computer. The town that has appeared around the Suan Dam is, as I said earlier, one huge tourist trap. I saw big, burly American bikers here today, wearing leather jackets that had "Morning Calm" stitched into their backs. The town was advertising two festivals: a music festival and a "Morning Calm" festival, which I gather is US-ROK in spirit. Music is blaring outside my window as I type this, and I can still hear the occasional clip-clop of a horse-and-buggy tour going on.
My hotel room makes you pay for basic amenities like shampoo, so I was forced to launder my clothes and take a shower using only a complimentary bar of soap. But that's a first-world problem, barely worth mentioning.
Tomorrow's walk is set to be very short. And I was wrong about my final Saejae day: I didn't plan to stay two nights, but I might change that on the fly depending on how my feet feel. Never take your feet for granted.
Righto. I'm too tired to make this any lengthier, so I'll stop here. Up at 6AM-- an hour later than usual, but that's because the walk is going to be so short.
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