down on our haunches and ready for launches

The city-gas lady came by to do her inspection. At the end, I asked her how many times a year she comes by, and she said, "Once a year." So there's the official answer to that question. If I'm moving out of here later this year, this might be the last time I see her. Of course, with her coming so infrequently, it's hard for me to remember whether she's the same inspector I've seen every time.

With the lady out of the way, though, I can focus on tonight's departure out to Yangpyeong. Same route as always: Take the Line #3 out to Oksu Station and transfer to the Gyeongeui Joongang Line, then ride that all the way out to Yangpyeong. I never get the timing right, alas: The last few times I've trained out to Yangpyeong, the Gyeongeui Joongang Line has been crowded for about the first forty minutes, after which it suddenly empties out as the train heads out of Seoul. I get to sit down and nap for only 20-30 minutes. Then, at Yangpyeong, it's go time, and I walk blearily out of the station to begin my 33K trek.

Tonight's walk ought to be interesting, not to mention a good reflection of the temperature swings I can expect during next week's walk: According to the National Weather Service, it'll be around 5ºC (41ºF) when I step out of the train around 9 p.m. Temps will be freezing (0ºC, 32ºF) for several hours between about 2 a.m. and 7 a.m., then around 1ºC (34ºF) at about the time I finish, close to 8 a.m. So I'm wearing my coat, my hat, and my gloves for most of the walk. I might take my scarf, too. The first half of March is still technically winter.

If nothing else, I'm looking forward to this practice walk. It's mainly just to make sure I can do the distance. And if I can do 33K, then the 40K I have to do on Day 1 of the upcoming walk (this coming Monday) ought to be no problem. I'll spend the next few days doing shorter practice walks with my Gregory backpack to get used to the weight.