shanja
10-27-2008, 11:41 AM
A chill wisp danced through the ensanguined forest as scarlet and gold tears danced merrily earthwards from the half opened canopy above us. Cutting the clear blue heavens to our left was the bold cream spire of Insubong and the broad sweep of Baekundae. The vegie toast breakfast I'd washed warmingly down with gulps of sweet plastic-tent coffee, was mingling with butterflies as we scanned the sheer granite flanks. Here and there lines revealed themselves....Chouinard A and B, the Oasis, Croney Crack and on the eastern edge where shadow and sunlight were fighting to control the peaks contours...Go-dok (eui)-gil.
Hyo-hon (Mo-Mo), Les, Su-jin and myself gazed i contentment through the deshabille branches at the wee specks of others. It was like a vertical slice of fairy bread with but a handful of coloured sprinkles to savour.
Gearing up and setting off the pitch we were joined by another small team, with whom the company proved really cheery and relaxing. We were to spend the entire day leap-frogging each others lines and folk to the very summit and right through the walk down. A thing normally to be dreaded, the crowding, became a bond of new friendships and banter. Mr Park of the Gyo-Dae Mountain Club was leading two 1st timers up this cool little route, and their whole show was being conducted with such bon-hommie that we felt glad of their presence. That they were all using English threw us at first, suspecting them to be Gyo-pos or the like. Not so dear readers. Mr Park and Ye-Seul were both fully Korean and with them was a French exchange student "Marie". So it was quite the hubbub of English, Korean and French as we ascended the steps and cracks and slabs - and how marvellously these newbies climbed! None the less so our own Su-jin on her second ever outting!
We were sure the heavens were sure tobe smiling along with us.
Rolling in all grey and dank came the low clouds, at first a dark mist swallowing the apartments and roadways below, then creeping up and over us upon the last pitches. Drizzling drops and a bustling erratic wind, that danced madly the impenetrable mists to reveal ephemerally torn windows of sight this way and that, a drop down of hundreds of feet, a jagged ridgeline with twisted pines. Atmospheric and beautiful our patchworked world.
Soaked with fingers wooden and muddied ropes, we hunkered momentarily in the fissures atop the peak...to find only they amplified the racing winds powers. No time for kim-bap lunch here! Out! Out! Down to the rap stations and into a line up of other retreating souls. Oh the descent to hell be damned this was not so speedy nor easy. In our own happily shivering group it was the first ever rap for three! And what a first rap! In swirling wind driven mists and through the overhang, to be plucked and twisted like a door chime. 60m down to the breach where the hiking trail from North to South busted through the defenses of granite walls.
Ropes pulled, shoes changed and gear stowed in packs we slip-slopped down the bouldery trail again in a shield of red, yellow and green. The odd bum was slid upon, the odd foot went skywards, with unexpected quickness, but no harm was done...our spirits were unassailable. We'd had another perfect Autumnal day here at Insubong.
Hyo-hon (Mo-Mo), Les, Su-jin and myself gazed i contentment through the deshabille branches at the wee specks of others. It was like a vertical slice of fairy bread with but a handful of coloured sprinkles to savour.
Gearing up and setting off the pitch we were joined by another small team, with whom the company proved really cheery and relaxing. We were to spend the entire day leap-frogging each others lines and folk to the very summit and right through the walk down. A thing normally to be dreaded, the crowding, became a bond of new friendships and banter. Mr Park of the Gyo-Dae Mountain Club was leading two 1st timers up this cool little route, and their whole show was being conducted with such bon-hommie that we felt glad of their presence. That they were all using English threw us at first, suspecting them to be Gyo-pos or the like. Not so dear readers. Mr Park and Ye-Seul were both fully Korean and with them was a French exchange student "Marie". So it was quite the hubbub of English, Korean and French as we ascended the steps and cracks and slabs - and how marvellously these newbies climbed! None the less so our own Su-jin on her second ever outting!
We were sure the heavens were sure tobe smiling along with us.
Rolling in all grey and dank came the low clouds, at first a dark mist swallowing the apartments and roadways below, then creeping up and over us upon the last pitches. Drizzling drops and a bustling erratic wind, that danced madly the impenetrable mists to reveal ephemerally torn windows of sight this way and that, a drop down of hundreds of feet, a jagged ridgeline with twisted pines. Atmospheric and beautiful our patchworked world.
Soaked with fingers wooden and muddied ropes, we hunkered momentarily in the fissures atop the peak...to find only they amplified the racing winds powers. No time for kim-bap lunch here! Out! Out! Down to the rap stations and into a line up of other retreating souls. Oh the descent to hell be damned this was not so speedy nor easy. In our own happily shivering group it was the first ever rap for three! And what a first rap! In swirling wind driven mists and through the overhang, to be plucked and twisted like a door chime. 60m down to the breach where the hiking trail from North to South busted through the defenses of granite walls.
Ropes pulled, shoes changed and gear stowed in packs we slip-slopped down the bouldery trail again in a shield of red, yellow and green. The odd bum was slid upon, the odd foot went skywards, with unexpected quickness, but no harm was done...our spirits were unassailable. We'd had another perfect Autumnal day here at Insubong.