Aug. 8 - Aug. 15: Seonunsan
Sunset over Seonunsan.
Well, I swore to myself I would relax a bit, as I still have yet to catch up on sleep and any form of physical or mental recharging since my trip to China, but of course I refuse to waste away a good, three-day weekend.
Friday night I met up with four climbing buddies, crammed ourselves into a tiny Korean car, and made our way far south to Seoununsan National Park. We arrived around 2:00 am, pitched our tents beside a river, and passed out.
The next morning, we awoke to a screaming woman telling us that the park "monks" forbade us to camp at the river. We then dragged our things to an inconspicuous spot next to a lake...fortunately, the road was rarely used so we were not bothered by any grouchy ajummas or monks for the rest of the weekend.
We eventually made our way to the crag, where we found an abundance of difficult climbs and very few easy, breezy, made-for-Tiffany routes. My friend Erin and I decided this was the perfect opportunity to practice "lead climbing." This is when you climb without a rope hooked at the top and you must climb in places without any protection as you stick your rope in many little anchors, or draws. In other words, it is very possible to take a hard fall and hurt yourself! Fortunately, the day came without any mishaps, except for the painfully ripped-up hands we received on the rough limestone.
That evening, after a swim/bath in the lake, we had a scrumptious cooked meal of ramen before crashing into our sleeping bags. Sunday morning we awoke to another gorgeous day of climbing. I do not know what was placed in our oatmeal, but Erin and I had a most-retarded (sorry...don't know a PC adjective) day. It began with my taking about a year to climb my first route, to her getting her braids stuck in her belay device, to her falling down the side of the mountain on a potty break, to other unmentionables. All in all, it was a fun day, but the Koreans were definitely embarrassed for us!
Sunday night was another wonderful night of swimming, eating, and gazing at the stars...we counted seven shooting stars in a matter of minutes! Pretty impressive stuff after living in Seoul for nearly a year and hardly being able to see the moon!
Monday morning was a quick climb followed by another refreshing swim in the lake, before we finally had to catch the train back to Seoul. I can officially, officially say I am so addicted to climbing it is disgusting! It's great to finally have a real hobby...even though it is extremely tiresome!
Friday night I met up with four climbing buddies, crammed ourselves into a tiny Korean car, and made our way far south to Seoununsan National Park. We arrived around 2:00 am, pitched our tents beside a river, and passed out.
The next morning, we awoke to a screaming woman telling us that the park "monks" forbade us to camp at the river. We then dragged our things to an inconspicuous spot next to a lake...fortunately, the road was rarely used so we were not bothered by any grouchy ajummas or monks for the rest of the weekend.
We eventually made our way to the crag, where we found an abundance of difficult climbs and very few easy, breezy, made-for-Tiffany routes. My friend Erin and I decided this was the perfect opportunity to practice "lead climbing." This is when you climb without a rope hooked at the top and you must climb in places without any protection as you stick your rope in many little anchors, or draws. In other words, it is very possible to take a hard fall and hurt yourself! Fortunately, the day came without any mishaps, except for the painfully ripped-up hands we received on the rough limestone.
That evening, after a swim/bath in the lake, we had a scrumptious cooked meal of ramen before crashing into our sleeping bags. Sunday morning we awoke to another gorgeous day of climbing. I do not know what was placed in our oatmeal, but Erin and I had a most-retarded (sorry...don't know a PC adjective) day. It began with my taking about a year to climb my first route, to her getting her braids stuck in her belay device, to her falling down the side of the mountain on a potty break, to other unmentionables. All in all, it was a fun day, but the Koreans were definitely embarrassed for us!
Sunday night was another wonderful night of swimming, eating, and gazing at the stars...we counted seven shooting stars in a matter of minutes! Pretty impressive stuff after living in Seoul for nearly a year and hardly being able to see the moon!
Monday morning was a quick climb followed by another refreshing swim in the lake, before we finally had to catch the train back to Seoul. I can officially, officially say I am so addicted to climbing it is disgusting! It's great to finally have a real hobby...even though it is extremely tiresome!
posted by Tiffany Joiner @ 7:19 AM
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