Exactly three years ago, on April 22, 2017, I stepped out the door of my apartment and began a walk that took me all the way down to Busan. I blogged that adventure here at the Hairy Chasms, but then, long after that walk was over, I transferred those blog entries via copy-and-paste to a separate blog devoted only to the 2017 walk.
Reread the adventure here. Start specifically at Day 1 here (pics) and here (insights).
I recall that walk as being both very painful on the feet and very educational regarding what and how to pack for a long-distance trek. I've since come to the realization that I can do 95% of the Incheon-to-Busan walk with almost no equipment, now that I've mapped out almost every waypoint where I can stop and stay at a motel, hotel, or pension for the night. When I did the full-scale route last year, I camped only two days out of twenty-nine. If I can figure out a way to avoid camping on those two days, I'll have solved the puzzle of how to cross the country without needing any special equipment at all.
In the meantime, I will always have fond memories of that first jaunt along the Four Rivers bike path, following the country's circulatory system all the day down to the sea. What an amazing experience that was. Can't wait to do it again, or something like it, next year.
A third heroic quest. One day, I will attempt my own! (Probably with a kid or two in tow. Making sure I get in 15k steps a day in the interim.) Speaking of which, would it be feasible for the kids to bike parts of the trail as their old man walks alongside?
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely. The route is, after all, primarily a bike trail, so your kids can tear up the asphalt while you mosey. 15K steps a day sounds pretty good to me.
ReplyDeleteDo you have a timeline for when you want to do your own end-to-end walk? And which end-to-end route will you do?
Good to know that it's kid-friendly. No idea yet but probably the East Coast trail.
ReplyDeleteMy impression, from researching the coastal trail, is that it's beautiful but very windy. I need to use Naver Map to look more closely at the shape of the terrain. Once I discovered Naver Map had contour lines, my respect for the site shot up by an order of magnitude. All that said, I think the coastal trail is an awesome choice. If you do it before I do, I hope to read about your experience somewhere. Will you blog the journey? Or will you at least slap up some photos?
ReplyDeleteA friend of mine wants to do the Camino de Santiago. The Camino francés is just a wee bit longer than the east-coast trail.