A Single Step: Leg 32: Deoksan Beach to Chuam Beach

At long last, I returned to the Haeparang Trail. As I completed the previous leg, the weather was getting hotter and the humidity was getting higher. The summer was absolutely gross and I didn’t do any of the trail. But as Chuseok approached and the weather became bearable again, it was time to head back out. And with Chuseok being a five day weekend this year, it was a good time to go and make some good progress.

I headed out to the coast a couple of days before the Chuseok holiday, courtesy of my principal who gave us the whole week off. I was able to get out of town before all the Koreans started moving for their holiday. And I would be able to return before they moved back to their daily lives. It all worked for me.

I had left off at a bridge, that had no route sign. When I left off, it had taken quite a bit of waiting to get back into town. The bus didn’t run all that often. But the city bus station was right outside my motel. I got back to the bridge with a lot less effort. The bus driver did question me to make sure I knew where he was headed, though, as it was away from normal places where people go.

The day began quite overcast. But the mists and clouds moving in among the mountains on the coast made for some nice scenery.

The route map was about 500 metres along from the bridge, marking another time when the various route maps didn’t match up with each other. I was getting used to it…

From the bridge, the trail wound back to the beach and the scenery.

Gangwon Province has many glamping spots. Koreans are figuring out camping, but they do seem to enjoy not having to actually set up tents and camping spots, or sleeping on the ground. So there are lots of spots where there are motorhomes and RV’s for rent. I wonder what it costs.

The trail wound up into the hills near a point
and above an expressway…

…before affording a beautiful view down the coast from the direction I had come. The weather was very nice indeed, cloudy enough to keep the sun from being a problem, but not hazy enough to hide the views. It was good to be back on the trail.