The season is here, so I packed my gear.
Hopped on the ITX-Cheongchun at Yongsan Station.
I freaking love double-decker trains~
Sitting on the 1st floor of a double-decker car and watching the platforms go by is always a trip.
Arrived at Cheongpyeong Station, today's destination, faster than expected.
Anyway, walked about 10 mins from the station to the trailhead.
Way more snow than I thought, so I slapped on my crampons immediately.
Nothing beats the refreshing feeling of being the first to leave footprints on untouched snow.
Kept grinding my way up.
The sun set while I was climbing, but...
It's not my first rodeo backpacking, so I just threw on the headlamp and kept going.
Arrived at Gitdaebong, the goal.
Route from Cheongpyeong Station to Gitdaebong.
Tent pitched.
Fully armored with a folding mat + self-inflating mat + Gore-Tex bivy + sleeping bag + liner, just chilling and watching YouTube.
Meanwhile, it's -10ยฐC (14ยฐF) out.
Let my guard down for a second and my water bottle froze solid, had to break it open with a knife.
Zero clouds and clear skies, so I took a ton of star photos.
In the meantime, it dropped past -20ยฐC (-4ยฐF). My thermometer couldn't even read it.
Inside the tent stayed around -9ยฐC. Slept like a baby in that setup I mentioned earlier.
Woke up at 6 AM and happened to see the ISS passing by. That star-like thing in the middle. It passes over Korea more than you'd think, but it's super clear out in the boonies. Looks like a star but moves fast, pretty cool.
It's called Gitdaebong (Flagpole Peak) because of this wind vane flagpole. But taking star photos at night, the sound and shape of it kept scaring the crap out of me because it looked like a person.
Doggy? Kitty?
Sadly, no view of the sunrise from this angle.
Even with the sun up, it's still below -20ยฐC.
Anyway, packed up fast.
Saw some sus tracks on the way. Deer? Goral? Boar? No idea, but the round shape is cute.
Moved from Gitdaebong to the Undusan summit.
Tried to take the fastest route down, but wait... what's this? Some military-style training facility in the middle of nowhere? Didn't want any trouble, so I took a massive detour.
But that detour was 3x longer...
Finally made it down after all that drama.
Quick calorie recharge at the convenience store.
Took the train back home from Daeseong-ri Station.
"OP is out here surviving a literal ice age for the 'aesthetic.' Community is mostly just shocked by the -20ยฐC sleeping conditions."
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