35K: done!

It was a bit of an effort, but the cold definitely helped energize me. I took the subway to Hanam City Hall Station this morning, leaving the station at 6:40 a.m. to begin my walk. Walked all the way to Yangpyeong Station, 35 kilometers, arriving at almost 4 p.m. I didn't take any pics until I had only three kilometers to go. Here they are:

Bear sculpture, decorated

The tall building in the distance marks my destination.

downtown Yangpyeong

the tall landmark next to Yangpyeong Station

the station itself

below freezing for much of the morning, but I made it!

Unlike how it was on the east coast, it was a relief not to have to contend with traffic. Everybody had their own lanes, and for most of this walk, I was well away from traffic, anyway. Everything was safe, calm, and stress-free.

Temperatures were pretty cold in the morning, but I was able to walk maskless despite the freeze. (My nose ran, though, but it's been running since May.) Creeks haven't frozen up yet, but stagnant pools and ponds of water had a nice layer of ice on them.

I saw a surprising number of people out—both bikers and pedestrians—on all parts of the path. Maybe it's not quite cold enough to drive most folks inside so they can leave the paths to us dedicated walkers. But I was impressed in spite of myself: this time of year, I normally see nearly empty paths and sneer at the fair-weather pussies who crawl back into their holes at the first sign of meteorological difficulty. Not today, apparently. But maybe the walkers were out because the sun came out strong, and it was a beautiful day to be out walking. If that's the case, then I can't sneer at my fellow pedestrians for doing what I was doing. But I grant you this: none of those other walkers did 35K today.

I'm back in Seoul, at the office, in fact, making up comp hours so I can have Sunday to myself. More nonsense to come your way later.