All our stuff: we obviously cut a lot out for our hiking section (and still are!)
At the airport - the last time I'm going to see that car for a while!
The Start! Chris and I at the start of our hike.
My host family!!!
My host parents - THANK YOU!!!
When the Japanese occupied Korea they drove iron stakes in the ground along the Baekdu Daegan. These are a couple they have removed.
Boep-gye-sa Temple in Jirisan N.P.
Boep-gye-sa
The temple was building several new buildings. People donate money for the buildings by buying roof tiles and people can write messages on the underside of them.
Looking south from Beop-gye-sa.
There was a helicoper long-lining a bunch of supplies in for the construction and we think construction along the trail. This was no more than a couple hundred feet from the shelter we were staying in - no one seemed concerned about how dangerous this could be.
Cheon-wang-bong: The higest peak in Korea and the official start of the Baekdudaegan.
Looking back from where we came, Cheonwangbong is just to the left of Chris. We walked along the ridge to this point.
There were lots of cautions about bears - apparently there are 16 in the park. We didn't see any nor any sign of them.
One of many longest staircases in the world.
Not sure what these are, but they were on a large altar near the end of the trail in Jirisan.
Looking up at Nogodan - the altar at the end of the Jirisan ridge.
Chris diligently studying the Korean phrasebook at the Nogodan Shelter.
The national park mascots. They smile like that too when they are telling you a trail is closed for the next ten years - or you should look out for bears or forest fires.
This picture is not nearly as funny as it was at the time - Chris using a fixed line to descend from the last peak. Koreans is seems have no use for switchbacks so over time the trail becomes heavily erroded and well, treacherous - the fixed line is to help haul your self up if you need that little extra giddyup.
Off the ridge, we found a minbak (guesthouse). We were able to shower and have a large meal (with beer!).
