Seoraksan Part II

Seoraksan Part I Continued...

This is a very important photo because it is proof that Rick likes to take challenges and almost fall, hit his head, and die in front of his English speaking wife in a Korean speaking National Park.  On our way up to the cave at the top of ALL the stairs we passed by this rock formation.  Rick thought it would be cool to stand between the two "kissing rocks" (that's the name I made up, not Rick).  He must have been thinking about it our whole journey up the mountain because he was ready to tackle it when we came back down.  Unfortunately the picture does not do it justice.  These were two large boulders that were touching eachother.  In the picture it looks like there is another rock behind that he could stand on but that rock was unreachable--it's just the way the picture looks with the sun hitting it.  Here is a collage of Rick climbing on to the rocks:

It was quite challenging for him to get up between the rocks.  I told him to abort abort because if he would have slipped and needed help I knew I'd be fairly helpless.  Lucikly all went well, mission accomplished, boy happy but boy said he shouldn't have attempted mission in the first place.  Remember this story, it comes in handy the next day.

The next day,

We went on one of these

There's Budda, way down there

.

We hiked up that.  One lady hiked in her bare feet!  It was an intense hike in your shoes, can't imagine it without shoes.

At the top

You could see everywhere!

Out to the ocean

I was a little nervous about all the chipmunks

We kept finding rock creations throughout the park

Ahhh, the picture with the story:

Rick decided he really did want a distressed wife who couldn't speak Korean try and save her husband who is almost double her size in the middle of nowhere.  This picture is actually not the exact waterfall that Rick decided to scale!  We didn't take a picture of that because he had the camera in the hopes of getting pictures from the top.  We hiked all that we could (aka all that a normal person could) because the trail ended at a waterfall.  Rick was convinced he'd read in the guide book that there was a "an unfrequented trail leads from this pool around the left side of the falls and up to the end of this narrowing valley to Towangseong Waterfall...it's one of the most enticing in the park".  He was set on getting to this other waterfall.  It's a shame we don't have any pictures because it is obvious that there is no trail to the left of the waterfall from where we were sitting, almost getting attacked by chipmunks but that's a different story. 

Rick decides to go up the side of the mountain.  I stay put.  There is no trail that I can see and I am fine with that.  He seriously is climbing up the side of a mountain with no trail and tons of brush.  He aborts that plan but decides to scale up the side of the waterfall.  At first I am thinking he will try it and then come back down after he sees it is not smart and extremely risky.  Nope.  He keeps going.  I am getting nervous.  We've hiked quite a ways since seeing someone and I have no first aid kit and I doubt I will be able to move him after he's fallen.  Later he tells me the climb was okay in the beginning but then his hand hold was getting slippery from the wet moss the waterfall created.  He is also in some sprawled out positions trying to get up the side of the waterfall.  It's gotten to the point for him where it's risky to go up but going down would be harder.  He yells to me.  I can't hear him over the noise from the waterfall.  Suddenly, a Korean hiker appears from above.  She is decked out in hiking gear and appears to have a rope.  *Hence, the last post of us joking that the Koreans took their hiking gear a little seriously.  We're not joking anymore*  She crosses the waterfall and is now on the same side as Rick but on the landing above.  Others appear up top on the opposite side, but they stay put.  It is up to the woman to save Rick. 

She begins to throw down the rope and I am thinking, there is no way she is going to be able to pull him up or lower him down.  But then she ties it to a ring shaped anchor in the side of the rock.  He grabs a hold and climbs up the side of the waterfall.  Meanwhile, the men are just looking on.  Rick is saved by the Koreans, well the Korean woman, with all the gear.  We now have a vow in our family never to make fun of Koreans with their outfits and gear.  They are hardcore.  Everyone motions to me to go back and I have no idea when or how I am going to see my husband again.  I hesitate but go back to where we came from hoping to meet up with Rick again back by the entrance gates or somewhere by the bus when I hear people coming down the mountain.  The trail was to the left of the waterfall but 100 yards or so to the left!  Here comes Rick down that trail all in one piece, just the way I like him.  Turns out the really beautiful waterfall he was trying to get to would have been half a day's journey away--it was really far away. 

Lesson not learned day one.  Hopefully lesson learned day two.  I like my husband in one piece.