Day 4, Leg 4

It took longer than expected, but I left Yangyang and am now in Gangneung. Here are some stats for the day:

Distance: about 23 km

Time: from 5:30 a.m. to about 1:30 p.m. (rainy today, so I moved a little faster, and it was a shorter route)

Steps: 37,462

Calories Burned: 4,218

Calories Consumed: 3,620 (deficit = 598)

I find myself remembering back to the September I spent in Nice, France, before heading off to Switzerland for an academic year. I would often walk down to the surf to sit and listen to the great Mediterranean roaring. The noise was relentless. I'm experiencing that now, as I make my way slowly down the east coast of South Korea. I'm currently in a way-too-expensive seaside motel with a gorgeous view of the ocean right outside my window. It'll be tempting to stay a bit late in my room, tomorrow morning, to witness the sunrise as if I were watching a movie. But, no: I'll go out and greet the sun en plein air, assuming it's not too cloudy.

As is my wont, I look at the ocean and find myself contemplating gravity, and how our planet's mass warps space-time enough to make all those billions of tons of water behave. And yet, while the water's surface appears flat from a distance, up close, you can see it rebelling against gravity. Other forces are at play, here: various planetary shifts and tremblings, changes in water temperature and pressure, the misty effects of evaporation, the movement of living creatures inside the water, the gravitational pull of the moon... all these factors and more keep the water from ever becoming quiescent. It's all quite fascinating.

I got to Gangneung early enough that I could afford to sit and contemplate things for a while. Today's walk was pretty good, and there were even segments between towns where I almost felt as if I were away from civilization. Alas, those segments were probably no longer than 2 kilometers apiece, but the silence and the general lack of traffic were a welcome change. (This has otherwise been a very noisy walk.)

I did take some ibuprofen last night, but I apparently no longer need painkillers at the start of, and during, my walks. The blister on my right foot continues to swell, and my nose has entered the peeling phase (European-Korean genes = a cycle of burn-peel-tan for me). Soon, my hands will do the same, then my neck and upper chest. 

Over the past few days, the walk has featured a few hills, but nothing to get me breathing hard. Some of the terrain reminds me of the rolling hills and low mountains of Virginia.

Sand is rapidly becoming an issue, though. My left shoe, in particular, is likely to pick up some stray grains that then quickly become a painful nuisance. When that happens, I have little choice but to pause, remove my shoe, bang it on something to release the grains or pebbles, put the shoe back on, then continue down the road. I don't recall dirt being this much of a problem on previous walks. Come to think of it, I've seen several convenience stores with signs that say, "Clean off your shoes before entering." It's a real bother out here. Remember Anakin Skywalker's much-parodied whine about sand?

If we theorize that elements of human life repeat quasi-fractally, then this walk has already provided plenty of evidence for that theory. How many times have I rounded a bend or crested a hill and found myself staring down at a wharf or a village or another beach? How many minbak and pensions and restaurants and surf shops and kitschy tourist traps have I passed and/or photographed? (For some of these places, the marketing is utterly beyond my ken. Today, I passed a café called Negative Vibes. No shit.) Repeat, repeat, repeat, with every town like the last one. 

One thing I regret not photographing is this one row of buildings. The middle building was a simple Korean house, maybe a bit more vertical than most such freestanding dwellings, but a more-or-less typical Korean suburban residence. On one side of the house was a retail store; on the other side was a coffee shop. I thought of my Kiwi buddy John when I saw those three buildings together; John had once remarked that Koreans don't do urban planning or zoning; they just build wherever. This was a beautiful example of the truth of that sentiment. 

At least the rainy morning was a relief; I didn't have to worry about my burned skin screaming under the punishing glare of the bright sun. It rained on and off all morning and didn't clear up until the afternoon. Now that I'm done with the day's walking, the skies are all bright and friendly. Fuck you, Mother Nature. (But you know I say that with love.) I made it through the rain without having to break out my poncho; my not-quite-waterproof windbreaker proved to be enough. At one point, the rain fell hard enough to persuade me to stop taking photos. This happened right as the path led me onto the shoulder of a major freeway. I ended up on the wrong side of the road: the side without a sidewalk. Luckily, it was early enough in the morning (not mention today is also Chuseok, so Happy Chuseok!) that I was able to cross without having to play Frogger.

Went overboard on food again today, and am kind of regretting it. I can also feel the effects of eating unhealthy cuisine. While my belt tells me I haven't gained any weight in four days, it's also saying I haven't lost any, either. So I think the idea of eating liberally is going to have to go. After losing all those pounds and having learned all that discipline, I think I'm going to have to go back to being strict with myself, even though I'm on vacation. One thing that makes this decision easy is that I'm not actually enjoying the indulgences I've been allowing myself. The reality is that I'm a changed man since the stroke, and I need to own up to that fact. There is simply no going back to the pre-stroke Kevin.

But enough with the meditation. You're here for the visuals. Without further ado, here's a selection of 20 of today's hundreds of pics (come back after October 13 to see all the thousands of pics in their full splendor):

I left on time for once, at exactly 5:30 a.m.

A few hundred meters down the street was this hotel. This might have been a better place to stay. I'll never know. Not that I regret my choice: last night was the best night of sleep I've had thus far on the trail.

nifty silhouettes

path to mystery, and the lure of the open road

the things people do with a perfectly good bike

I gather this was sponsored by Coca Cola.

how I feel at 5 a.m.

a view through the pines to the sea

The sign warns that this is a sculpture and not to be touched. Damn.

one of many beaches passed today

I initially assumed these murals were done by local townspeople, but they all share a similar style, which now makes me wonder whether I'm looking at commissioned art.

I regret today's overindulgences, but not this waffle, which was hot from the iron. It absolutely hit the spot. I got this, but the way, at the little set of shops right at the 38th parallel.

a few more quiet segments like this would be nice

camping (but it's not real camping), parking, beach

cosmos flower

Negative Vibes! I told you! Who the hell thinks up these names?

tidal pool

an even prettier cosmos

tetrapods up close, with waves

finally, a shot of the day's cert center

PHOTO ESSAY

early departure

could have stayed here, maybe

on the right track

turning into leather

dog sends mixed signals, barking and wagging its tail

I see a glove, I snap a shot

still not lost

every pirate trope in one statue

I'm sure someone will be triggered by this.

maybe I was wrong about the landlubber thing

Pepsi, Pepsi, Pepsi

"protect nature," the right- hand side says

Pull back, and this is the reality. "Protect nature," indeed. 

love the cartoon

cool... and what kind of car is it?

well, there we go

sculpture, only for looking
DO NOT TOUCH

rentable surfboards

water pooling in folding chairs

yikes

tons of estuaries

waffles being made

hot and delicious

the 38th parallel isn't the DMZ

split, furry seeds

some monument across the way

still on the path

Which way? There are times the signs are of no help. And in this case, there are no signs. 

very steep downhill

precariously perched

Ah, two columns. All is revealed. 

Who's that?

That's a colorfully painted bunker. 

horribly Photoshopped

A pun! I get it!

blue toupée attacks

Frida, risquée, and another illustration

old money?

tucked-away shwimteo

half a halfpipe?

bad marketing

cute

What's being said, here?

Gwangjin Beach

follow the arrow

a very antiseptic campground

ugh

some rare jangseung

just hangin' out

lighthouses always look more distant in my camera lens

reflections

These guys seem familiar, but they're not the same.

lots of faux camping

some sort of teepee-ish structure

weirdly eroded rock

"Don't step on the flowers! It hurts them!"

The goal is within reach!

and here we are

a bikes-first path

another lovely reflection