Hiking and Random Updates

K. will be arriving in Korea on the 14th.

I met a venomous pit viper in the woods today! I have been hiking a lot, because my bike isn't here yet, and my knees haven't been feeling up to running. And I live on the side of a mountain, with awesome hiking trails. If you follow the university campus to the terminus at the uphill end of campus there is a hiking road (an ollegil) and a trail. The trail I walked on twice, but especially when it has recently rained, it gets a bit mucky. Despite my initial resistance to walking on the road, which looked so uninspiring, I finally went up and discovered that it goes quite a distance. The first couple of times I couldn't go the whole way, because the road crew was working, but during the holiday I went to the end of it. I have also talked, twice, with a member of the road crew. I have learned it is 3 kms long, and they're able to build about 1.5 kms a year before they run out of money. The money is coming from the city of Yong'in, not the university, and the land is owned by a variety of people, foundations, and the city. The lower half was completed last year and is better landscaped. When they feel it necessary, they've roughly paved it (the lowest end of the paving has culverts to direct the water), this is mostly on the switchbacks (it climbs steadily). Mostly it's packed sand and gravel, until the new section, which is still constantly churned up dirt. I met the pit viper because they were working on the road today, before the nice trail down the mountain (a wide and well maintained trail), which allows me to make a giant 3.5 mile circuit. So I decided to explore up a narrow almost unnoticeable trail. In a short skirt and footie socks... leaving much too much ankle and calf exposed to snakes! I had been warned about snakes and previous serious snake bites, but hadn't given it much thought until I met this sucker today-- two feet long, at least, with a diamond-like head that just said to me "I'm a scary snake." There are about 15 kinds of native snakes in Korea, I looked through the photos and identified him after I got home. He was a bit cold and moving slowly, but we did have a stand off for awhile as I hoped he'd move off the trail (more like opening between the trees) and he stopped for a break.

There is also a lot of great and less strenuous hiking to be done down in the agricultural areas around here.

This weekend there is a huge festival, but I decided not to go because I feel too pressed to get things done for my classes, and since my computer is too fragile to move, I can't do class planning and prep in a yogwan room in Andong. It's a 9 day festival, I will go next week. I don't feel like I have a choice-- the festival is that important! I also was lured to attend a local performance this Saturday... I went, but it was rained out, so I guess I just took a long bus ride, and that's all.

The lower section of the Ollegil looks very nice, with lots of cosmos, because it was finished more than a year ago. Some sections with more erosion danger are paved. 

Late afternoon sun shines on some trees making it look even more like fall is coming (it is!)

Near the end of the hiking road (Ollegil) they are still in the thick of their work to stabilize the road bed

At this point it was very dark, but this is what the path down the mountain looks like at first... if you look upwards. It's a staircase... pretty steep! 

Mother and Daughter Time

One of the most precious things about spending all this time at home is getting to reconnect with my family. Actually my mom and I have been pretty close for a darn long time-- she always makes such an effort, including visiting Korea (twice), visiting L.A. and meeting my friends there, even helping grammar proof my dissertation.

Today she had to go to the cemetery to take a photo for some genealogy buffs (my mom is one of those, too) who wanted to see the gravestone of their ancestors on Lopez. She asked if I'd like to go and then go hiking at Shark Reef.

If you come to visit Lopez Island here are your beautiful must-see places:

-. Iceberg Point
-. Watmough Bay, the marsh and next door Merk's Mountain (sometimes called Chadwick Hill)
-. Point Colville
-. Shark Reef

There are lots of other beautiful places, but none that are as magical and beautiful as these four. Fortunately for you, all are public lands that you're welcome to visit (as long as you're respectful of the plants, the mosses and lichens, the wildlife, the trees, etc. and take all your trash away with you). Sharf Reef is the most northerly, but it's still on the south end of the island, as are the other three. Really the southend is the best. Even people who live on the northend can only say things like "at least the village is close" or "I don't have to drive as far to the ferry" but they can't actually say they live on the best part of the island. It's just a fact.

There is even an outhouse, a parking lot, and a bike rack at Shark Reef.

This is the headstone of "Uncle" Phil, who was my next door neighbor  from when I was born until his death in 2007. The pipe is so that we can go talk to him and tell him all the gossip. I told him about gay marriage passing, and about some marriages and births and what not. I always talk to him when I go to the cemetery. 

I know, we're super cute, right?!!

Shark Reef~~

Lots of awesome lichen on the trees

Walking at Shark Reef