Day 17, Leg 15

It was a long, slow day, but a good one. At one point, Naver went naughty and routed me through a different part of the city than it's done in the past, but I'd guess I was off the official trail for no more than a mile. Except for that detour, every other part of the path was familiar to me. Maybe it's sometimes better to navigate by sight and not by instrumentation.

I started a bit late—5:45 a.m. on a 32K day. I saw that Naver had glitched: it was saying the walk would be 34K from Libertar Pension because it was plotting a weird and unnecessarily zigzaggy course from my front doorstep when all I needed to do was make a beeline for Gumi Dam, cross the river again, and be on my way. Once I was across the river, I re-plotted my course, and Naver showed the proper 32K figure. Naver is generally quite reliable, but it's not perfect. This is going to be a problem in Busan on the last day as well, but I developed my workaround for that problem a few years back.

I crossed over and under a lot of bridges today. The path also had plenty of long, gentle curves and extended straightaways, but there were no major hills. It was also heartening to see so many Joro spiders out: I was beginning to think they'd mostly retired before the coming winter. 

It was 5:45 p m. by the time I limped into the Yi Lee Motel (이 모텔). Including rest breaks and some small diversions (mainly to go take a piss somewhere), that's 12 hours to do 32 kilometers. Subtract an hour for all those breaks and diversions, and that's 32K in 11 hours, or a super-slow 2.9 kph. There must be a reason for the slowness: maybe I'm not calculating the cumulative break time correctly. 

Fog seems to be the recurrent trope or running joke of this trip. I wake up to it almost every morning. Things tend to clear up and brighten around lunchtime; I guess fog is just part of the late-October experience. As on previous days, the morning temperature today wasn't cold enough for me to need gloves. 

Today's walk led me past many open spaces; some of it was parkland, and some of it had been converted into park-golf terrain. I wish old Korean people had a venerable pastime like the French pétanque to occupy them. Park golf just seems so corny and contrived—an awkward combination of croquet and miniature golf, played with a large ball and mallet-like clubs on a flat green with occasional, minimal hills only a few inches high. While I imagine getting good at the game requires finesse and dexterity, it still seems silly. Then again, I'm prejudiced against regular golf, which also strikes me as abysmally silly. (Sorry, Scots.)

Since the weather has been kind ever since I dropped below a certain latitude, I may as well describe the phases of my day. I didn't bring a heavy coat, so in the mornings, I start my walk wearing my windbreaker and my poncho: my hands are fine in the cool morning, but it's just cool enough that my torso needs some layers to keep it warm. Same with my head, so I wear that head covering that looks like a ski mask: it leaves my eyes uncovered, but it covers the rest of my entire head and neck. As the sky lightens, and the temperatures rise slightly, the head covering is the first thing to come off, to be replaced by my bandanna. Next to come off is the poncho, soon followed by the windbreaker. At that point, I'm down to my tee shirt and toshi, which is fine. When the fog clears, and the sun is out, I break out my hat, which I flop right on top of my bandanna. (You never just rip your hat off: to keep the bandanna on your head, you have to press a finger or two onto the part of the bandanna covering your forehead. With the bandanna locked in place, you can now safely peel your hat off using your other hand without taking the bandanna off your head.)

The Yi Motel is under new management. The new old lady running the place is friendly but maybe a bit addled. She first gave me a room key for Room 110. I unlocked the room door and when in... only to discover there was a very startled person already in the room. I quickly apologized and backed out. When I went to talk to the lady about this, she scratched her head and muttered a bit before giving me a key to Room 202, one floor up. (This old building follows the Continental European floor-numbering system in which the ground floor is "0," and the next floor up is "1." So Room 201 is on what we Yanks would call the third floor.) Things have changed since my last visit here. The bathroom sink has no plumbing problem, for one thing. And there's strong WiFi now! In 2017, when I asked the then-manager whether there was 무선인터넷/museon-inteonet (wireless internet, i.e., WiFi), she looked at me as if my head had transformed into talking buttocks. This time around, I've got good, if not secure, WiFi. My VPN will, I hope, take care of security. 

The motel manager initially tried to ring up my room fee with my check card, but the machine wouldn't allow me to sign when it requested my signature. I offered to pay in cash, but it turned out I had only W50,000, and two nights at the motel would run me W80,000 (that's W40,000 a night for you slower folks). So I knew I'd have to walk across the way to the Chilgok Dam admin building, which has a convenience store and an ATM inside it—kill two birds with one stone. So I walked through a tunnel leading under the nearby freeway, got my cash and my dinner, and walked back to the motel. The lady gladly accepted my W80,000, then she kept offering to provide services for tomorrow like room cleanup, new towels, and more water. I told her none of that would be necessary, but she seemed insistent on doing something. I knew she was trying to be nice, but it's inconvenient to me, on a rest day, to be on the alert for someone who might come barging into my room at any moment. I hate that feeling of constant expectation, especially when no specific time has been set for the barge-in to happen. I guess I'll just wake up early, and we'll see what happens.

Right—time for info and images.

Today's path followed the river closely.

almost 5,000 calories

Gumi Dam in the early morning

yet another strange larva

Regarding the above photo: I have two photos from several days ago, when I was walking to Suanbo (the place famous for pheasants). I came across two dead larvae that were frighteningly huge. The second larva, when I palpated it with a finger, looked armored but turned out to be soft and fleshy-feeling. Gross. Both larvae were ass-ugly. When I publish the full photo essay later, you'll see the horrors for yourself.

purple bird vetch that I haven't seen in a while

close to the riverside

quaint mailbox at a rest stop

small webs spun by small orb-weavers

a sad fraction of a glove

one of my many beloved straightaways with Gukto Jongju notation

To review: the above four syllables say gukto jongju (國土縱走/국토종주). Guk = country; to = ground or earth; jongju = end-to-end path. So: an end-to-end path across the nation's territory. Originally, a jongju was a path along the crest of a mountain range, from one end to another. In the current context, it refers to a country-spanning path. I had initially thought gukto jongju referred exclusively to the Four Rivers path, but I've since learned it's a generic term for many country-spanning paths on the peninsula.

So for example, the Four Rivers path is one gukto jongju. But the Nakdong River also has its own gukto jongju running from the Andong Dam to Sangju to Busan. The part from Sangju to Busan is shared by both trails, so signage along this part of the path can refer to either or both. You'll therefore see signs for "Four Rivers Gukto Jongju" as well as signs for "Nakdong River Gukto Jongju." This has all been mentioned before.

sunset and bridge maybe 3K from the end of my walk

The statue below, one of several naughty statues in this motel, has always struck me as having preternaturally long arms. And big hands. I know you're the one.

"If you want this slut-slut, then it goes in the butt-butt!"

Tonight, we're laundering everything. Tomorrow, if the clothes are dry enough (actually wearing the clothes can dry them faster through movement and body heat), I'll take a walk across the dam and the river to the nearby hill where there's an old-school lookout point that got extensively discussed during a previous walk. There's also a nearby Holly's Coffee where I'll eat a simple lunch before returning to my room. With luck, the front-desk lady will work her elf-magic while I'm out and about.

Weather this week is looking good... until Saturday, my second camping day. Rain is forecast for the morning that day. If that's the case, I might either re-plot my course so I can crash at some nearby lodging, or I'll just power through another 26K to Namji, the town after my camp day, and stay in Namji for three nights instead of two. (Walking straight to Namji, bypassing the campsite, means a grueling 44K walk.) Namji is traditionally where I eat my favorite fried-chicken tenders. No diet can stop me from eating those. If I stay there for three nights, though, I'll be tempted to eat chicken tenders two days in a row, which might not be a good idea health-wise. Carbs'll kill you, man. Beware.

Basically, if it rains on Saturday, I'm probably not camping. I could theoretically survive a cold, rainy night with the equipment I have, but it'd be a bitch, and I don't want to risk a cold so close to the end of the walk.

PHOTO ESSAY

Goodbye, Libertar Pension.

recrossing the river to get back to the Four Rivers path

The river ever stops a-roiling at these dams.

I've always wondered what sort of cert center this is.

Inside the glowing triangle: "Slow."
Glowing horizontal script: "Sharp curve."
Glowing vertical script: "Place with frequent accidents."

cabbages braving the misty dawn

Sign, top panel: "Safe speed, 20 kph."
Middle sign: "Nakdong River Jongju Bike Path."
Bottom sign: "Chilgok Dam: 32.6 km."

another toppled marker

These bike images built into the fencing/guardrails are fascinating.

Dewey Webb's cousin, Soggy Webb

We're always turning right, it seems.

Danger Guy and Unsucessfully-Hide-the-Crotch Turtle warn of deep water, so absolutely no playing or fishing.

closeup of this version of Danger Guy

Chilgok Dam is now 30.4 km away.

metatruck

Bikers go one way, and walkers go another... but I'll be following the bikers.

Looks to be a six-legger. Female war vet.

ramshackle

On a dewy morning like this, there's no worry of a fire. But when it's dry...

A spider stands guard.

Not so much abandoned as off-season.

I think these are called fleabanes.

falling/leaning and rotten

Look how all of these trees are deformed by some sort of blight. Gross.

a close look at one such afflicted tree

another

and another

more

You can almost feel the trees' vegetal pain.

Enlarge to see the huge web more clearly.

Yoda renovated.

"Accidents from negligence are a concern in rain and snow, so please refrain from using these routes at those times."
(The literal translation of anjeon-sago/안전사고 is "safety accident," which makes no sense to me.)

256 km to final goal

tee-hee

Dewey Racknid

We swerve right.

254 km to final goal

Someone wrote on the fence that this is a no-smoking zone. No disagreement from me.

The bench warns you not to throw down your tissues and cigarette butts and reiterates this is a no-smoking zone.

The green font says, in hangeulized English, "Green City." The blue font says "Gumi." In Korean, there's a pronunciation rule: if an "s" sound precedes an "ee" vowel, the "s" becomes an "sh," so the pronunciation of "Green City" sounds Connery-esque: "Green Shitty." (Well, "Geu-reen Sheetee.")

A good slogan associates itself with orgasms.

water(re)source protection area

"Construction in progress: vehicles are forbidden entrance."

This is a pretty typical Korean fence. It's rare to see US-style chain link.

Wet enough for ya'?

another big, gross mystery grub (moth grub?)

the forlorn sun

When mallards ruled the earth... remember the duck god?

far

near

252 km to final goal, plus the Four Rivers symbol

Get out of the pedestrian lane, fucker.

cow house

These are cows, not bulls, so I assume this is more about milk than beef. Are used-up cows slaughtered?

ladies

another idiot

Chilgok Dam, 24 km

another lone tree

Could we call this a... copse? Or is it too open and spread-out?

These loner trees must be introverted kindred spirits.

The work is never done.

more bird vetch

Is the day finally starting to brighten?

What a wreck.

ville à distance

22.5 km to Chilgok Dam

more fencing with bike images

Litter, the undeniable reality along much of the trail.

more litter

nice riverside view

Rest stop, so I'm stopping here for a bit.

the ever-running faucet (which I turned off)

the big bonsai

another big bonsai

the quaint post box

back on the trail with 249 km to the final goal

I wonder what it'd be like to boat the entire Nakdong from Andong to Busan.

blurry spider

clear spider: a tiny orb-weaver

finger in search of glove

As always, a warning about playing near the water and fishing.

Danger Guy looks clearer in this image.

Another live snake!

Ssssssss.

graves (묘/myo, tumuli) on the mountainside

digital zoom

And you thought the last mantis corpse was bad.

Gukto Jongju: the right direction

neighborhood, digitally zoomed

We're approaching Daegu. Soon, my sweet.

19.5 km to Chilgok Dam

more park golf

It like this stretch despite the park golf. It's open, well manicured, and peaceful.

a sign for park golf and an educational institute of some kind

I'm guessing that the misprint "Cydeway" is an OCR mistake from a poorly scanned "Cycleway."

Chilgok Dam, thataway

Saho Bridge, and into the city

turtle with a broken flipper

park golf seen from afar

Yes, Gumi! Yes, yes!

a rare left turn

Here, we go right to go left.

The ramp, see?

Who's that member of the lumpenproletariat?

Four Rivers + Nakdong River sign

This looks as though a BMX course and a putt-putt-golf course had a baby.

Crossing back... maybe I shouldn't have crossed the first time.

"You are a very precious person to us." So don't off yourself today!

But would a suicidal person appreciate a turtle's ass?

He looks a little grumpy. I think he'd also prefer people not to stare at his rear end.

The tree leans so heavily that it needs support.

Indong-hyang gyo/인동향교 —I think this is a sign for an old, traditional school.

The blue sign, left of the stairs, confirms the place's name. I think this is Confucian.

This is a slightly different route from the one I've taken before. So all of the following photos show things that are new to me. I'm paralleling the river.

downtown, it would seem

a look down a side street

There's the river.

I instinctively move back to the water.

more bike imagery

another incongruous windmill

This path is nice because of the lack of traffic.

Gumi City Cycling Education Center

Funky modern bell... I have to see this.

Gumi Electronic Bell

A baby bell... now I'm thinking of cheese.

"$20 billion export... celebration of achievement" (I think)

a look back, and a public restroom

details on walking correctly (I'm sure I'm failing at all of these things)

I'm liking the roofing "tiles" made of what seem to be chunks of wood.

more fucking park golf

I really want to know this place's story.

old-school shwimteo

Koreans lurve their abstract sculpture.

And I'm tellin' ya', man—Koreans also love disembodied hands.

dawgs frozen in time

the hanging place

elevated shwimteo

whoa

3 Gongdan Bridge

a dry fish ladder

when cyclists mate

We're now following a familiar path.

dux

I wonder whether they're guests here... or about to meet their fate. Lots of duck restos in Korea.

repeated bike motif

haven't seen a snake splat in a while

This looks vaguely martial.

239 km to the final goal

Chilgok Dam, 10 km

Even more lovely parkland... I love this stretch, too.

What's it say? Hard to read.

This one, too.

going straight

grrrrrr... car

Afternoon shadows grow longer.

old folks and their scooters

Seokjeok Park Golf Course

yeesh

And on the other side of the path, looking left...

Chilgok Dam, 5.7 km... more than an hour's walk at my slow, end-of-the-day pace

234 km to final goal

3.3 km to the Chilgok Dam cert center

A site full of garbage. At least I didn't camp here.

Nakdong River Estuary Barrage (final destination): 233 km

This nearly headless retard is apparently called a "Chinese grasshopper."
I may have mentioned him before.

Gukto Jongju

We turn away from the river, then go back to it. One of those annoying not-quite-detours.

Enjoy the lack of dew, sister.

Danger! And all the fun things you can't do: swim, waterski, fish, cook, camp.

Not going right because my motel is up ahead. We leave the path and follow local roads now.

Left.

See the squashes?

Maybe more than I wanted to see.

Chilgok Patriots and Peace Commemorative Site

70 years of the US-ROK alliance! Facing the future together. (Not everyone here is behind that sentiment.)

the sign for the entrance to the Patriots and Peace Center

über-landscaping

cute fighting vehicle

At last! My lodging, the Lee Motel.

foreground: a place to dump used clothig for the poor

Lee Motel entrance

Pyracantha coccinea?

almost in

the kneeling girl with the weirdly long arms

Miss Thunder Thighs

I've never rested here.

half-buried house

I settled in, dropped my stuff in my room, then crossed the freeway via an underground tunnel to the ther side, where there's an admin building and a convenience store. Got my food from there.

The drama of my feet continues as things worsen:

Sorry for the blur.

A blackened nail means it'll eventually fall off.