Since Kevin and I are early risers, we decided to wake up real early (I woke up at 4am) and start our hike at 5am towards the foot of Baekhwasan in town. I estimated that by the time we arrived at the peak we would be able to see the sunrise. Well things didn't go as planned. Once we reached the top, the skies were cloudy but it created a really nice calming atmosphere since it gave the surrounding landscape a shade of blue. Setting up my camera and my tripod, I started shooting away. Here are the results from early this morning.

A few weeks ago when I making my way down for the top of Baekhwasan, I noticed this clearing which I though to myself would be a great place to get another photo of the sunset. Noticing the weather might be suitable today, I headed up to that spot after work and patiently waited for the sun to set. Once I started taking photos, things didn't go as planned since the sun disappeared under the hazy skyline just before it dipped under the mountains. At least I got a shot which I'm happy with and here it is.

Seeing that the weather was going to the lovely on Sunday, Kevin and I decided to tackle the stretch of Haebyeongil which started at the Hakampo and ended at Shinduri. Know as Pala Gil (바라길), it connects to the Sowon Gil (소원길)  at Shinduri. We took the first bus left for Hakampo and 09:30 and half an hour later, we were at our starting point. We started by exploring the harbour and then made our way to the beach. The tide was low enough today that we were able to walk to one of the islands near the coast. The rocks were covered with oysters which made me wish I had a knife with me to shuck these oysters. After being distracted with the abundant amount of  free seafood, we headed towards the trail were slowly on our way. We passed through the beaches of Guryepo (구례포), Meondong (먼동) and once we arrived at Neugpa Temple, the trail took us into the woodlands. Once we reached the clearing, we arrived at the Shinduri Sand dunes (신두리 해안사구) which we never really expected to see. After another hour of walking, we arrived at Shinduri and took the 14:25 bus back to town. It took a total of 4 hours to complete the 12 km section. Now that I have finished northern section of Haebyeongil, off to the southern section!

It has been a while since I've hiked up the mountain again mostly due to the weather being cold as well as me being lazy. Last weekend when I went up to the top with a few friends, the air was extremely hazy and I couldn't get the sunset photo that I wanted. Seeing that the weather would be clear today, I decided to head up after work to take a photo of the sunset. Using The Photographer's Ephemeris App on my phone, I was able to plan around what time to arrive at the summit before the sunset as well as where the sun will set. I took what I called the easy route since it was a paved road and it took less time. However, the sun didn't set where I expected it to (according to the app, I have to wait until September) but I did manage to get some shots that I am pleased with.

After having a good nights rest from the 22km trail yesterday, I decided to tackle the Pado Gil (파도길), which is a 9km trail starting from the fishing village of Pado and meets up with the Sowon Gil (소원길) at Manripo. With my friend Kevin, we took the 1130 which was headed to Pado. The bus dropped us off at the beginning point of the trail and we were on our way. On route we passed through Pado beach, Eoondul beach as well as a small beach which apparently the locals found gold flakes in the sand. The hike took us through several small hills where we were able to get a panoramic view of the coastline. Once we arrived a Mohang harbour, it was not before long we arrived in Manripo. Not bad for a 3 hour hike on a Sunday afternoon. 

Feeling guilty after eating two instant noodles for dinner the night before, I decided to tackle one of Taean's most famous trails, the Haebyeongil's (The Coastal Trail) Manripo to Shinduri section know as Sowon Gil (소원길), which is approximately 22 kilometers. I got up early the next day and took the 0630 bus which headed to Manripo beach and started from there. The trail overlaps with some of the roads so in order to know if you were heading in the right direction required  paying attention to the Haebyeongil logo. Along the way I got to visit the beaches of Manripo, Cheonripo and Baekripo and then after a hike over a mountain, I arrived at Uihang. I hiked my way to the northern tip of the peninsula which was called Taebaek Observation Point. From there I got to see my finish point, Shinduri beach, which was still 12 kilometers away. Interestingly, parts of the trail consists of several causeways and seeing that the tide was low today, I was able to walk along parts of the coast line which would have been inaccessible during high tide. Along the trail there are numerous seawalls which I think were constructed in order to reclaim land for farming. By the time, I arrived at Shinduri, I spent a total of 6 hours walking and hiking 21 kilometers from Manripo. Although it was a long walk/hike, this section represents only 1/5 of the Haebyeongil Trail system in Taean. Would I do this section again? Probably not but the other sections are definitely on my to do list once the weather gets warmer.

Baekhwasan is a small mountain located right next to downtown Taean. It is one of the few places in town where you can get the panoramic view of the downtown area, and if you arrive in time, you'll also be able to watch the sun slowly set into the yellow sea. It takes roughly around an hour to hike up the mountain and once you reach the top, the view is breathtaking.

As some of you may not know, I’m currently teaching in Taean, located in the province of Chungcheongnam-do, off the west coast of South Korea. One thing I love about my job is that on Monday mornings I head off to a small elementary school in the fishing village of Uihang (의항/蟻項) which is situated in a small peninsula north of the well known Manripo beach. Right beside the school there is a trail called the “Haebyeongil (해변길)”

“Haebyeongil,” which literally means “The path by the sea,” is a trail system which more or less follows the coastline of Taean. The Uihang peninsula is part of the “Sowon” section of the trail, which allows hikers to walk along the shores of the peninsula.