Road Trip: Taedunsan

Another stop on our road trip - 대둔산 (Taedunsan, or Daedunsan, depending on which romanization you prefer - and believe me there's no standard, so feel free to switch on a whim!).  Taedunsan is famous for it's two iron bridges, one which is strung between two peaks, and another that's more like a very steep, slippery ladder.  

Apparently it used to be quite a trek to get to these bridges, but now there's a cable car which takes you up the hill so you can do the whole walk in about 30 minutes or so.  But don't be fooled in to thinking this is a leisurely stroll - the Bridge of Doom, Ladder of Potential Heart Attacks and the Goat Track of Peril (as we renamed them) are still delightfully challenging.  And if you are a bit scared of heights like me, the ladder type bridge is especially delightfully challenging (and by 'delightfully' I mean one step short of a complete panic attack).

Every single day before and after our visit to Taedunsan was blue sky, sunshine and a pleasant 20 degrees.  But on the day of our walk it was cold, wet and grey.  I mean, it actually literally properly snowed. We were completely unprepared for this sudden flash back to winter, and arrived sans any warm clothing what so ever in the manner of the worst/best hiking survival stories.  Thank goodness this was hiking Korean style (it's the best way to do it!), which meant there were restaurants and beer joints and shops selling scarves and warm socks everywhere.  One happy ajumma and four ridiculous looking beanies later, we were properly kitted out and on our way.

Despite the fog and cold it is a truly beautiful part of the world, and the walk is on the right side of difficult (enough so you feel like you've accomplished something, but not so much that it becomes a boring trudge).  Lovely.

ps. If you want more Daedunsan action, head on over to my Flickr (you may also find a picture of The Big Garlic here, if you have a good look around!).