the less-than-half-walk

I made it only as far as Paldang Bridge (about 27 km) before I realized I was just too pooped to continue, and the morning was, despite my windbreaker, very cold. So at Paldang Bridge, I schlepped up the ramp, but instead of crossing the bridge and continuing, I walked another three or so kilometers back into Hanam, to the 9303 bus stop. It was so cold that, like last winter, I could barely move my fingers. I'd been in short sleeves for most of the walk, and it hadn't been that cold, but at the very end, I decided to take out my windbreaker, put it on, and rest a spell before climbing back up into town (i.e., Hanam City). With my painful, frozen shoulder and my barely moving hands, taking off my backpack, rummaging through it for the jacket, painfully pulling the jacket out, and wrestling it onto myself—well, it was kind of a project. From another person's perspective, I probably looked like the reverse of a pupa coming out of its cocoon as I fought my slow way into my jacket. I didn't warm up again until I was moving.

Anyway, I did take some scattered pics and one video during the walk, and I guess I managed about 30K in all, but I think I'm going to have to practice a bit more instead of trying to walk 60K after over a week of resting. Luckily, my taped-up feet seem okay in terms of irritations and blisters, but the feet are both achy and sparking with diabetic neuropathy in a way that reminds me of my plane trip to America (the trip back was okay, pain-wise). The walk started late, around 9:45 p.m. on the 23rd; I took three rest breaks, all totaling about 30-35 minutes. I got to Paldang Bridge at around 5:25 a.m. That's 27 km in seven hours and forty minutes. Subtract 30 minutes for rest breaks, and that 7:10:00. That's about 3.77 kph, which sounds about like my normal, sluggish pace these days. I may have started closer to 5 kph at the beginning, but my pace went way down by the end. I'm glad to be back in my apartment where, despite my not using the ondol, the room is comparatively warm, and I can relax.

Enjoy the photos and short video. I might try this walk again in the fall.

Footbridge out of my neighborhood. I snapped this right before the lights went out. Lucky.

down the ramp to the Tan Creek path from my neighborhood

This graffito had been buried under bags of construction material. It breathes free now.

river crab 1, at the Tan Creek/Han River confluence

river crab 2, same location; there were dozens

Sorry about my intrusive shadow.

The Chinese police/spy station is gone, so what's this?

Jamshil Bridge (7.5 km)

The convenience store at the 10K mark has been shut down, and there's a temporary-looking 7-Eleven in its place. I got two Coke Zeros and rested for about 20 minutes. Where I am is close to the 11K point.

Short video: frogs at night.

How had I never noticed this structure before?

It's got some features of a drainage gate (배수문/baesumun).

I poked the camera through the fence for this shot. I keep expecting an alien to rise out of the water.

looking back at the structure (what is it?)

the top of the only real(-ish) hill between Seoul and Hanam

about the 15K point from my place

a cute, well-lit straightaway (1)

a cute, well-lit straightaway (2)

a cute, well-lit straightaway (3)

a traditional resting spot for me, so I rested there

Misa Bridge, which means 5K left on the gravel path (soon to be traveled)

"4 Rivers Gukto Jongju to South Han River Bike Path, Paldang Bridge 6.9 km"

I'd initially thought the moon was a banana-like sculpture sitting atop the mountain.

the crunchy, packed-earth path atop the berm on the way to Hanam City, final 5K

Turning right leads up a ramp to Starfield. Turning left leads on, eventually to Yangpyeong.

the moon (right) and Venus (left)

There are seats up ahead where I flopped down and realized how tired I was.

Paldang Bridge, uncrossed this time... note the sunrise.

probably Venus

I didn't make it this time, but I'll try again later this year when it's once again cooler. Meanwhile, I might do the 35K stretch from Hanam to Yangpyeong later this week.

One bit of excitement: to get up to the top of the berm for the final 5K of the walk to Hanam along that gravel path, I had to climb a set of about 15-20 stairs. There were no lights where I was, and no banister to hold on to. I'd also neglected to bring along my trekking pole, which would have helped immensely. With my balance shot ever since my stroke, I'm normally okay if I have a wall to lean on or a banister to grip whenever I climb stairs. I had neither this time, and as I said, no trekking pole. So I was a bit freaked out about trying to climb the steps in the dark. I belatedly realized I had a flashlight app on my cell phone, so I turned that on, and it helped me get to within about five steps before the top, at which point I began to waver and teeter. I ended up doing the final steps bent over, touching my hands to the steps and reaching the top, but at that point, I wasn't sure how to right myself without flinging myself back down those 15-20 steps. No balance, no coordination. So I slowly sat down and thought the situation through, then gathered my feet under me and somehow managed to right myself on the gravel/packed-earth path. Still a bit freaked out, I started walking the final few kilometers, and it was at about this point that I realized how the experience on the stairs had tired me out, which made me further realize that I was just tired in general. With my energy draining away as I inched my way forward to Paldang Bridge, I made the command decision not to continue the walk. I mentally cycled through several possible ways to get home, including climbing to street level, grabbing a cab, and riding to Hanam City Hall Station. In the end, I saw where the bus terminal was for all of the buses heading into Seoul, and it was close enough to just walk there. The 9303 bus came rather quickly for once, and I did my best not to fall asleep so as not to miss the Jamshil Station stop. I got off the bus, hailed a cab, and made it back to my studio, where I am typing up my experience just for you, Dear Reader.