Drinking with both hands: Heading out of the city

I had big plans for this weekend. Friday night was my last night of mandatory teacher training so all of the teachers were going to meet out and party to celebrate class being over. A guilty little secret of mine is that I didn't hate the class like most people did and I actually enjoyed seeing the other people's teaching styles and getting tips from them. At the very least it was a good excuse to see everyone again and it forced me to learn how to use the buses.

I went out with a sizable group on Friday night and we made it to the designated meeting place. Once you reach a critical mass of more than 8 people decision making becomes painful, the group meanders and most of the time is spent aimlessly walking around. I wasn't keen to be in a large group that night so I split off from the group with 2 friends. My decision to split off from the large group with Trev and Joanne was two-fold. First I wanted a relaxed time to chat with people in a quiet setting. I didn't have anything against anyone else, I was just craving some chill time. The second reason is that I had a 7am rendezvous with my friend Dale the next day and past experience has shown the power of just one beer to lead to 18 more and inhibit any grand climbing plans.

Trev, Joanne and I skipped the group dinner and opted for a coffee shop instead. After some awesome shakes and complimentary tea we left to meet up with the rest of the gang. I was vacillating between having a beer with the already inebriated fun bunch, but I somehow chose to abstain. It wasn't easy leaving, but visions of mountain hiking were already dancing in my head so it made my leaving a little less hard to take.

I woke up the next morning at 6am and got ready. I phoned Dale and after an arduous bus ride he made it to my side of town. We walked towards what I thought was the closest bus stop we were passed by the bus we wanted and learned that the next stop wasn't that close to us after all and only comes every 20 minutes. By the time we got to the stop and the bus came we were creeping towards 8am. Thankfully, we made it to the base of the mountain just before 8:30.

One of the many differences that I have noticed between the US and Korea is the attire that people don while pursuing outdoor activities. In Wisconsin in the summer it isn't unusual to see families out hiking with the dad wearing cut off jean shorts, a proud beer belly that might (or might not) be covered by a t-shirt. Shoes are the same as what they wear to mow the lawn in. The mom will wear the female equivalent of dad's clothes and the kids will wear anything from sandals to sneakers that light up when they walk. Now before all you hard core outdoor-enthusiast Wisconsinites take up arms against me, I am not trying to paint you (us, really as I will always identify myself as being from WI, no matter where I am living) with the same brush as the hillbilly hikers we see at Devil's Lake on the weekends. I am merely trying to illustrate a difference between Korea and America and yes, perhaps I am taking too many liberties with my generalizations. That is how this one way conduit of information works though.

In Korea, people look like they are setting off on a major trek when they go hiking. They wear the newest pants made out of space-age fabrics. Jackets are made from brightly colored gore-tex and packed with gadgets and gizmos. They have GPS units, radios and backpacks full of other hardly necessary cargo. And they all have trekking poles. Most people have at least one, but some will use two. I have no idea what the kids wear because kids don't hike. I assume it is because they are too busy studying and when they are done they go to the PC rooms to play computer games.

Dale and I chose clothes and gear that were a mix of the Korean techy style and the unashamed midwestern utilitarian-functional variety.

Maybe this is a good time to mention that Dale is from South Africa and from what I have gathered, is a huge fan of the outdoors and adventure. It seemed like he was jonsing for some activity and this was just what he needed.

We set off on a path, cruising past a group of geared up men and moving pretty fast on a trail through a valley that followed a crystal clear stream. We made it to a fork and chose what we thought would be the better of two routes. Within one minute we were off trail and exploring the rock outcroppings that were all around us. The higher we hiked, the more exposed rock we found. It ended up being a sharp, slightly overhanging granite that trashed our fingers within a few moves. Neither of us had brought proper climbing shoes but we still played around on the grippy rocks, cursing our soft, callus-free hands as we drew blood from the sharp rock.

From what I have gathered, this is all virgin rock, aka rock that no one has climbed on and no routes have been established there. It wasn't just a slab or two with half a dozen routes. This seemed like it had potential for somewhere close to a hundred new routes. To quote an old climbing friend, Eric Bernard, "The best climbing has yet to be discovered..." I couldn't agree more.

We finally made it to the ridge and sat on a boulder to enjoy the view and have some food and water. We took the path down as more people started coming up. I saw teched out hikers who seemed to be around 40-55 years old. As we descended more, we came across knotted ropes tied to bolts in the rock. This was meant to assist the hikers as they ascended the steep, featureless rock. I was almost in shock. In the states this would never fly: Steps would be cut, warning signs would go up and fences would surround the area. Instead, people just climbed up and didn't think much of it.

Dale and I made it down as large groups of people started coming up. We checked out the shops at the base of the mountain and noticed that there are not one, but 2 spas there as well as a handful of restaurants. Next time we go, I want to have another early morning hike followed by lunch and spa time. The cost shouldn't exceed $15 for the day.

That afternoon I raced to the KTX train station so I could meet my friends who had already left for Daegu. I found that the afternoon's tickets had been sold out and I couldn't go until 8pm. I decided to stay in town and meet up with friends who stayed behind instead.

We met at our friend Euclide's place on the 17th floor of a downtown building. I subjected everyone to the music on my ipod and we had a little party. Then we left for what was supposed to be "the best club" in town. As far as I can tell, it was. As one of 5 westerners there, I was treated like a celebrity. It was a great time, followed by eating tasty street food afterwards.

I woke up on Sunday morning to amazing weather and went for a wonderful 8 mile run. It turns out that I am surrounded by farms once you go about a mile from my house. As strange as it may sound, the area around my house reminds me of when I lived in New Mexico more than anything else. I was eyed by several stray dogs as I ran and saw several piles of burning refuse on the side of the road. The roads themselves where in various states of disrepair and the houses seem to have been built without a plan in mind for cars to travel to or from them.

I felt a little sickness coming on so I met my friend Joe (The Wildcard) out for some time at the jimjilbang. It was packed with people and felt like a real community gathering place.

I had plans for the weekend and nearly none of them happened yet I ended up having one of the best, most fulfilling weekends I can remember. Now that spring is here, I am even more excited than ever to see what Korea has in store.