Hiking South Korea's Tallest Peak With No Equipment
Hallasan, South Korea's tallest peak, located on Jeju Island, is a challenging hike at the best of times. Alun decided to take it on in the middle of winter, whilst it was covered in ice, with no equipment... just his denim jeans, barefoot shoes, and an unwavering stubbornness. See you at the bottom!
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TIMESTAMPS:
00:00 - Intro
03:19 - Adam's New Zealand birthday
10:42 - Hiking Hallasan
23:19 - It's all downhill Need travel insurance? We recommend SafetyWing! Click here to get started: https://safetywing.com/?referenceID=26035801&utm_source=26035801&utm_medium=Ambassador
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TRANSCRIPT:
Alun:
[0:02] Hello and welcome to this episode
Introduction to Tripology
Alun:
[0:04] of Tripology. It's the only backpacking podcast that I do with my friend. I'm Alun and I'm here with the ever-biospheric Adam.
Adam:
[0:15] Oh Alun, I have had so much coffee this afternoon in order to stay awake for this recording that I'm getting a little bit anxious. I did just want to take the time to say, mate, you introduce me so well every single episode and we're about a hundred and... I don't know, 70, 80, 90, who knows at this stage, how many episodes we do, every single week for the last three and a bit years. And you're very kind and you say some lovely things. You're incredibly complimentary. And I just wanted to say that you're my inspiration. I don't think we take enough time to talk about how well-travelled you are, how incredible the things you have achieved are. And I look up to you as a traveller, as a backpacker.
Alun:
[0:53] Thanks, mate. Yeah, and if we could just list some of those achievements for me now.
Adam:
[0:57] So my favourite things that you've done, if I was going to do a Top Trump's card, an Alun Davis Top Trump's card, you have spent a year, at least a year, on every continent apart from Antarctica. But we're going to get you there, aren't we, listeners? We're going to invest some money in Alun's future. He deserves it.
Alun:
[1:15] In the travel portfolio.
Adam:
[1:16] You have done a fantastic point-to-point trip, I believe, from Tel Aviv in Israel all the way down to Cape Town.
Alun:
[1:24] It was Jerusalem to Joburg, but gross enough.
Adam:
[1:31] Um and i spent a lot of time in south america i'm incredibly jealous about that the three months or so you did in the amazon where you were rehabilitating animals uh looked.
Alun:
[1:40] After capuchins and a baby ocelot.
Adam:
[1:42] Yeah that's very inspiring of course doing what a lot of backpackers should could and would do teaching over in whether it be africa china or new zealand putting all your skills to good use and uh i don't know if anyone listening to this knows this but last october you were awarded as a producer and host the best podcast. in the UK.
Alun:
[2:03] The best independent podcast in the UK, of course. No one's taking anything from someone who works for the BBC and makes a travel podcast, I guess.
Adam:
[2:13] Yeah, specifically a travel podcast. I think maybe that was implied. Not just the best podcast.
Alun:
[2:17] Your travel podcast is good too, Nat Geo.
Adam:
[2:21] Yeah, there are lots of other podcasts out there and we know and love them, but specifically a travel and adventure podcast. And you're bloody good at it, mate. You're incredibly professional and to do this on the road he's not paying me to say this guys i'm just saying it because we don't talk about it ever um to do this on the road and travel around with microphones and equipment and shit wi-fi and make it sound so squeaky bloody clean and look so professional is all alan's doing i just turn up and press the red button thanks.
Alun:
[2:49] Man adam's groveling because i just told him before we aired that i didn't want to edit this.
Adam:
[2:53] Week's episode dude so we've got to be on our best behavior guys pray for the wi-fi yeah.
Life in New Zealand
Alun:
[3:00] Something something for some reason i just want to say how great.
Adam:
[3:03] You are alan, dear oh dear so you're still in korea i'm still in new zealand i'm dragging my heels mate i'll be the first one to say that i'm procrastinating i've not been doing things as quickly as i should and i think that's because i've got to the stage of my trip now where i've got to sell my van Do you know that I have now lived in New Zealand for a full year?
Alun:
[3:25] Really well congratulations many happy returns and a happy anniversary to you.
Adam:
[3:29] Thank you so much there was actually that period of two weeks where i went to see you in the philippines so it's not technically been 365 days so maybe never never mind then i'll see you on next week's episode and.
Alun:
[3:38] I wish you a happy birthday.
Adam:
[3:39] Then um but yeah i'm holding out another week or two so that i can be uh so it can be a full year but it feels good but it also there's a degree of sadness and now i've got the van and i need to go through the rigmarole of selling that i've got to clean it put a new solar panel on the roof write the facebook marketplace advert and it's very difficult to sell something when you don't want to i.
Alun:
[4:00] Can see how that's difficult i remember selling my first van that i bought in canada and it was a very emotional experience chica the van was called the chickadee the chickasaurus rex i used to have a lot of names for that van i loved it very dearly and it was an emotional goodbye.
Adam:
[4:13] So yeah i i want to keep it there's a big part of me that uh wants to keep the van and there's an even bigger part of me that can't be fucking bothered with all the admin so i haven't sold it yet i've been telling everyone in this hostel for the last week that it is for sale but not yet and um and i'm just kind of enjoying life in auckland sunny auckland where i'm hanging out in the garden with the guys at this hostel there's a really good group of us at the moment great dynamic we've all stayed here for far too long um but i think the fact that i've already been here for a year and seen almost everything that one would see while they're in New Zealand, apart from a wild Kiwi, I'm relaxed. I'm just, you know, I'm at the end of my trip, man. I'm winding down.
Alun:
[4:55] Yeah, well, mate, I'm proud of you for everything that you achieve while you're in New Zealand. I think it sounded and seemed like a very wonderful adventure. New Zealand, of course, very near and dear to my heart for slightly different reasons. Our adventures in New Zealand couldn't have been more different from one another, but I'm glad you had a good, peaceful time there.
Adam:
[5:11] Yeah, there's a little less crack in the previous year.
Alun:
[5:17] Yeah, I was working as a builder. So, that's...
Adventures in Korea
Alun:
[5:25] dear oh dear get yourself a belt boy so mate i've been talking all about my time in korea in a couple of weeks ago i described how i found it a little bit impersonal i was struggling to meet people then i described how it was too personal and people were having sex in dorm rooms next to me this was the week where i finally reached
Exploring Jeju Island
Alun:
[5:48] equilibrium where i found goldilocks balance and I went to a place and a hostel that was just right. I took a ferry from mainland Korea, from Mokpo, all the way to the wonderful island of Jeju.
Adam:
[6:06] Oh, okay. So here we're going to have some reverse jealousy, mate, because it was somewhere I wanted to go when I was there. It was just too bloody cold, I'll be honest. How are you dealing with the temperatures now? Is it better? Better than it was?
Alun:
[6:18] I'm a little chilly, but I've got a parka that was given to me for my friends, so i'm coping it's all okay jeju was warmer than seoul quite a lot because it's the opposite end of the country it's closer to the equator yeah as soon as i arrived in jeju off the ferry and the ferry was a nice experience you know just sort of like a four hour five hour ride across the sea, in the morning in the morning ferry.
Adam:
[6:40] Nice some scenery.
Alun:
[6:41] Yeah and there's like a cafe on board and a 7-eleven and all that stuff it was really nice oh wow okay um, I arrived in Jeju and immediately I took a two-hour bus to the other end of the island, got to the hostel and straight away I was checking in alongside another traveller.
Adam:
[6:59] Oh.
Alun:
[7:00] They arrived at the hostel the same time as me. And then another traveller arrived, all kind of like the same age within five to ten years of my age, you know, 25 to 35. And they just started checking in.
Adam:
[7:13] Sounds like you're reading a kid's story. and then another traveler arrived um oh that's amazing.
Alun:
[7:19] What did you.
Adam:
[7:19] Do the look over the shoulder hi hello all right we're gonna be friends probably.
Alun:
[7:23] I straight up said to them i said oh my god i've not really connected or seen many people this whole trip can i be your friend and they said, we've we're all friends from seoul they'd all met in seoul already oh existing dynamic and it turned out they all knew each other oh dear but they were arriving by happenstance at the same hostel what.
Adam:
[7:42] They were they were traveling separately but had already not and.
Alun:
[7:46] It was just.
Adam:
[7:47] Purely coincidental oh my.
Alun:
[7:49] Goodness that's.
Adam:
[7:49] Amazing that's amazing but.
Alun:
[7:51] It happens more and more of them arrived and there was a loose plan maybe it seemed like it'd been established in seoul that they would all sort of appear and materialize and jade you around the same time there was no less than five of us i prized my way into the group and uh it was just such a cool connected time man and then other people arrived at the hostel we made friends with them there was a korean barbecue event put on by the hostel so we all sat together and i just got to meet these lovely cool people and i was so proud to have a crew for the first time in a long time you know what i mean yeah.
Adam:
[8:25] So jeju i don't know much about jeju because i didn't go there i think it just escaped to my brain once i'd realized it was far too cold and i didn't have enough time someone had told me and tell me this is wrong that a lot of the good things to do on jeju are outdoorsy Thank you. So a lot of walking, a lot of swimming, maybe. Is there some surf there?
Alun:
[8:43] Yeah, there's like sharks and stuff as well, man. There's some water stuff that you can do. I don't know if there's surfing, but I met a Kiwi filmmaker who was filming sharks.
Adam:
[8:53] Oh, shit.
Alun:
[8:54] Or dolphins, one of the two. I'm not sure whether it was a fish or a mammal, but it was something that he was filming out there in those waters.
Adam:
[9:01] Fair enough. So as soon as someone told me that most of the good things to do are probably outdoors for Jeju, i looked at the weather and knew that i'd be too cold and i'd just go there and it would i don't know i'd probably stay inside for most of the time which is why my knowledge of the geography and infrastructure in jeju is non-existent so are there a couple of towns and cities on jeju is there just one village how bloody big is this island there's.
Alun:
[9:24] A main central city but most of the good stuff is on the opposite end of the island so i stayed in i think it's just called Backpackers Hostel Jager and.
Adam:
[9:34] It was like the.
Alun:
[9:34] Other end of the island out with the main city and that was good location because a lot of the stuff to do is like go to the waterfalls hike about that sort of.
Adam:
[9:44] Thing so.
Alun:
[9:44] You don't want to be in the big city next to the airport.
Adam:
[9:46] Gotcha okay that does sound pretty outdoorsy were you all in the same dorm in this place.
Alun:
[9:52] Nope, spread out. It was a huge colossus of a hostel and we all spread out inside it. So I didn't really see them when it was time to sleep. So, you know, it wasn't really social night times, but it was social day times.
Adam:
[10:05] And sharing food. I imagine you said there was a Korean barbecue. Famously good when you're sharing. And then what about all the stuff that you're going to tell us that you did on Jeju? Was it with them?
Alun:
[10:15] Yeah, absolutely. So one of the days we took a ferry to a nearby island called Udo and rented bicycles. And we were ripping around on the bicycles, circumnavigated the island. It only takes like an hour to do the circumnavigation.
Adam:
[10:29] Oh, wow.
Alun:
[10:29] It was really, really fun.
Adam:
[10:30] Really cool.
Alun:
[10:30] And we were just exploring a lot, went to some waterfalls. We met a Korean guy who had a car. So he drove us to some of the more out there waterfalls. And we got to have a look at those together. So that was really fun and nice. But the main event, the big thing, my favorite thing that I did in Korea, actually, the whole of South Korea,
Hiking Halasan
Alun:
[10:50] but especially JJ, is hike Halasan.
Adam:
[10:55] Okay. Tell us about it. I don't know it. Don't know Halasan. Didn't get there.
Alun:
[11:00] Halasan is an active shield volcano.
Adam:
[11:02] What does that mean?
Alun:
[11:03] And it is the largest peak in Korea.
Adam:
[11:07] I'm sure me and hopefully one other listener at least is asking, what's a shield volcano?
Alun:
[11:13] It's funny you ask actually, mate, because the shield volcano is actually a broad, gently sloping mountain formed by the accumulation of low viscosity, fluid, balsatic lava that flows easily and spreads widely. It's often known for its characteristic shield-like profile.
Adam:
[11:29] My God, you are so smart. I am very glad that I asked the question, and so is the listening audience. Okay, cool. So tallest peak in South Korea. That's a thing. That's pretty cool. Can you...
Alun:
[11:40] Yeah, now North Korea has a peak that just inches it out, but it's a really big peak. It's the tallest peak in South Korea and one of the tallest peaks in Korea.
Adam:
[11:49] Okay, cool. And you can summit it, right?
Alun:
[11:54] You can summit that thing. Yeah, absolutely. Now, it wasn't on my radar. I had said to the group, I was like, I would quite like to do some hiking in Hallasan National Park. There's lots of hikes to do that. And one of the people said, I would quite like to summit Halla. Let's go and hike the mountain.
Adam:
[12:13] Oh.
Alun:
[12:14] And I was like, oh, okay, yeah, I'm definitely down, right? And I persuaded another one of us who was quite begrudging. I said to them, would you come with us? He was like, don't really want to. I was like, come on, it's a once in a lifetime opportunity. Come hike with us. And then we started to do the research and planning. Now, there's only 800 spots a day and you have to pre-register.
Adam:
[12:37] Oh, I mean, 800 sounds like a lot, but maybe it isn't. Certainly not in high season.
Alun:
[12:44] Yeah, I think it sounds like a lot as well. But I think you have to register to even enter the trek. and I think a lot of people just go and hike around sort of the base.
Adam:
[12:53] Okay.
Alun:
[12:54] And then there's certain checkpoints along the way that you have to get to by a certain time, otherwise you're not allowed to summit.
Adam:
[13:01] Oh, okay. Is that because there's a change in weather?
Alun:
[13:03] Just because it gets too dangerous and too dark because the other thing I read about this hike is that it's absolutely essential to wear crampons and have hiking poles. Now, I read that, and the rest of my group said, oh, we don't have crampons or hiking poles, so let's not do it. I said, I've hiked Everest. I'm pretty confident when they say it's essential, they're sort of talking about people who don't know much about hiking. I'm really positive it's going to be fine. Like, absolutely don't worry about it. You're with me. I'll keep you safe. Let's go hiking Halasan together.
Adam:
[13:40] And they said, Alun, we listened to one of your previous episodes where you were talking about the fact you chose to wear barefoot shoes with no breaking in period, and now your feet are sore. So we're not going to take your advice.
Alun:
[13:53] No, they said, sounds good. And I was wearing those barefoot shoes as well, man. So we set off in the morning, like you've got to get up at 6 a.m. We set off to get the bus to the entrance of Halasan National Park. We had our registrations that we'd all filled in. And three of us, I only persuaded three of the group to come. We walk into the National Park and it immediately becomes apparent that it's slightly more icy than I expected. I would say that's fair. Quite quickly.
Adam:
[14:27] Okay yeah what was the reaction from the group.
Alun:
[14:29] Initially there were korean people who were just hiking sort of in shoes so we were like let's push on this seems a little bit high like a little bit sketchy but you know we'll push on we need to walk quite fast because we've got to make all these checkpoints along the way yeah right cool we get to the first sort of rest area where it says like oh this is you know rest area one the first checkpoint yeah every single Korean person bar none gets crampons out of their bag.
Adam:
[15:01] Okay fair enough then that's kind of not case closed but even if it's possible to hike the rest of the way without crampons you now are the tourists who are representing all tourists at this point not wearing crampons and still continuing the walk.
Alun:
[15:20] Yeah, so we push on a little bit because we've got to make these checkpoints. I think the latest you can get past the last checkpoint is like 1pm and it's 7am now or thereabouts.
Adam:
[15:31] Can I just, sorry, can I just ask, are you hiking up and back the same way?
Alun:
[15:36] I thought so at this point, yes.
Adam:
[15:38] Okay, cool.
Alun:
[15:39] So there's two different trails. There's an easier trail, which takes longer, but it's less steep.
Adam:
[15:44] Yeah.
Alun:
[15:45] And then a steeper, more challenging trail. we were on the longer slower trail because we didn't have crampons oh.
Adam:
[15:51] Wow i'm thinking about the way down already.
Alun:
[15:53] We start hiking yeah we push on it's just too slippery it's just too icy i'm trying to persuade my team i'm like come on guys it's probably just this little section that's icy don't worry too much about it let's push on one of them goes listen i'm just not comfortable with this it seems ridiculous okay and the other one goes yeah like this is stupid let's turn back i said there's no chance i'm turning back okay i'm a stubborn guy i was excited about the hike i thought, It's probably just a little icy section. I think that I basically, I was talking a bit of smack. I was saying that I basically think everyone, everyone who's wearing crampons on this is kind of like just too scared. You don't need them. I'll be fine. I've got the barefoot shoes on. So my team all turned back and head back to the hostel.
Adam:
[16:48] Oh, no. Was it just so I can understand the conditions, right? Because I imagine it was very icy and slippery underfoot. There was some, was it snowy in patches? Was it kind of soft and defrosting or was it just hard?
Alun:
[17:00] No, there was no snow. It was just sheer ice. like sheets of ice going upstairs to the point where you almost couldn't see the stairs.
Adam:
[17:07] Okay, so it was, was it just really inconvenient and quite difficult or was it very dangerous?
Alun:
[17:14] Right now, I would say it was mostly inconvenient.
Adam:
[17:17] Right, okay.
Alun:
[17:18] I pushed on without my group and it became apparent about half an hour later that it was incredibly dangerous.
Adam:
[17:24] I think even hiking on your own in those conditions is maybe a silly decision. If I can be as bold to say that live on an interview.
Alun:
[17:34] This is a story of a series of silly decisions made by me out of stubbornness. Please, God, if you're listening to this, don't for a second think that this is a brag or a boast about my hiking ability.
Adam:
[17:46] Yeah, no, no, I don't think it sounds like that. I think you probably knew that it was going to be dangerous. Even going hiking on your own in these conditions, I don't, because if something happened to you, mate, what happens then? It's not worth thinking about.
Alun:
[18:01] The hiking got bad enough and slippery enough that every single Korean person I passed without fail looked at my jeans and my shoes and went like, oh no, be careful.
Adam:
[18:14] Oh God.
Alun:
[18:15] Or if they didn't speak English, sort of said something in Korean, which I imagine translated to, oh no, be careful.
Adam:
[18:22] Okay, fair enough.
Alun:
[18:23] I realised at a certain point It's getting sheerer and more icy There comes a point where I'm embarrassed Because like I'm falling over Right okay, And also, if I stop, I start sliding backwards.
Adam:
[18:42] Oh, shit. Is it like, if you were to slide backwards, of course, you're going down this sort of staircase thing or whatever, but what's on either side? Is it a thin, like, ridge walk where...
Alun:
[18:53] Forest.
Adam:
[18:54] And is it at the same level? Like, would you topple over the edge of something and fall to your death, or...?
Alun:
[18:59] You'd just fall down the forest. You'd just be in the bracken and the bushes, you know? It's like a path.
Adam:
[19:04] Okay.
Alun:
[19:04] We'll get to the ravines later.
Adam:
[19:06] Adam. I'm thinking back to...
Alun:
[19:09] Right now we're in the forest biosphere.
Adam:
[19:11] Do you remember when you went to get that water in Pakistan at Patundus? My God.
Alun:
[19:15] It was like that.
Adam:
[19:16] Jesus.
Alun:
[19:16] Yeah. So, mate, I... At this point, like, obviously, obviously, objectively, I should have gone, this is stupid, turn back. But now, I couldn't bear my team, who I'd said, like, this will be okay, this will be fine. They're back at the hostel. I couldn't bear turning up half an hour later being like, yeah, I couldn't do it either. So I thought I'm just going to go for it. And to save my embarrassment and to avoid like falling, essentially, I'm going to run up this mountain.
Adam:
[19:49] Oh, you're joking. You thought that it would be better to keep the momentum going. And OK, right.
Alun:
[19:56] So I just dug in and I start in the barefoot shoes, just like running past, blowing past Korean people before they have a chance to say that I'm an idiot for dressing like I'm dressed. I just start sprinting and I'm like sliding. But because of the momentum, I'm kind of like using the side ropes to pull myself up the icy sections. There's like, you know, like a walkway, like rope section. I'm like forcing myself up this mountain. Long story short, I get to the summit in two and a half hours And it's supposed to be a five hour hike That's amazing.
Adam:
[20:31] How are you feeling? Psychologically, emotionally, physically?
Alun:
[20:35] Like I dodged a bullet because it was just like, it was truly crazy. I honestly.
Adam:
[20:41] Did you enjoy it though? Did you, did you end up enjoying that or not? Were you just hopeful?
Alun:
[20:45] I enjoyed the feeling of getting to the top and the last kind of a hundred meters weren't that icy. So that was fun. But the whole two and a half hours run was like pretty sketch.
Adam:
[20:55] You were thinking, I really hope this works. I hope I get lucky a few times in a row.
Alun:
[20:59] I couldn't wait to send the rest of my team a picture of me at the top. I know I'm coming across like an absolute egotistical tip and I am. But it was like, I was excited about that feeling.
Adam:
[21:09] No, I think surely that resonates with some people. I mean, if you would just turn back and accept a defeat after letting everyone know that you were certain that it wasn't necessary.
Alun:
[21:20] I just thought it was, here is that picture. I just think it was so good to have a picture of that summit in jeans and barefoot shoes.
Adam:
[21:26] Yeah, yeah, yeah. The way you did it is questionable, for sure. We're all very, very glad that nothing happened. Well, it sounds like you fell over a fair few times. No wrist breaks, no sort of clavicles snapping and that sort of stuff.
Alun:
[21:40] I wish this was the end of the story, man.
Adam:
[21:42] Oh, fine.
Alun:
[21:42] Because now is where it gets stupid. Because I'm on a high, right? I've just got to the summit.
The Descent Dilemma
Alun:
[21:48] There's two trails. There's Siongpanak, which is the slow, easy, well, easier way on.
Adam:
[21:55] The one that you've walked up, yeah.
Alun:
[21:56] Yeah. And there's, I think it's called Guan Yuma, right? It's difficult to pronounce, but that's the steep, harsh way down.
Adam:
[22:05] Okay.
Alun:
[22:06] Now, in this situation, do you take the devil that you know and go that same way down?
Adam:
[22:14] Yeah.
Alun:
[22:15] Or do you remember a Google thing that you'd read saying that Guan Yuma, although being steeper and harder and more difficult and more treacherous, was faster and had nicer views?
Adam:
[22:28] Um... So, the correct answer, of course, is that you go back down the way you came.
Alun:
[22:37] Yeah, that would make sense.
Adam:
[22:39] Yeah, I think being quite risk-averse, as we know I am, that is the smart decision. But the egotistical tit inside of me, who also exists inside of you, would have chanced it, I think, in that situation. i probably not knowing exactly what you went through but yeah given the time was of the essence and there had been a section of the track you were yet to explore i think i might have just taken it super slow at least for the first few hundred meters to see how it went.
Alun:
[23:10] Mate i went those first few hundred meters i thought i'm not going to chance missing out on these views, After I went down those first 200 metres, I couldn't get back up.
Adam:
[23:24] Oh, wow.
Alun:
[23:26] There's no way I could have been like, oh, this is actually ridiculous and too dangerous. I'm going to go back the way I came. The first 200 metres were a sheer icy drop that I had to go down on my bottom. It was so steep.
Adam:
[23:37] Oh, no. Oh, dear. So then the decision had been made for me.
Alun:
[23:41] And people with crampons on their way up see me and they're like, how did you get up here?
Adam:
[23:47] Oh, wow. Okay. Well, it sounds like we're all in agreement that you should have had a crampons on.
Alun:
[23:52] Mate, but now I'm trapped. Now I'm on the steep course.
Adam:
[23:58] Yeah.
Alun:
[23:58] And I've got to go all the way down. It's the iciest track I've ever been on in my life, mate.
Adam:
[24:06] Yeah. Was it akin to, well, the Winter Olympics is on at the moment, isn't it? Or is it just finished? The old...
Alun:
[24:11] Yeah, it's like the Winter Olympics, but without Canada's awful cheating.
Adam:
[24:17] Did they really cheat i haven't seen i left i know you mentioned it on another episode um so well actually crampons would have been a hindrance if you were sliding down on your bum because they got too much grip.
Alun:
[24:29] I fell over on my ass full stacked it whiplash.
Adam:
[24:36] Do you have any bruises 15 times on the way down have you got any bruises you don't have to show the camera Mate.
Alun:
[24:42] I fell over on my arse 15 times. Of course I had bruises. I had a completely blue arse.
Adam:
[24:46] Oh.
Alun:
[24:50] Oh no i'm not talking like i had a fall i'm talking about legs flew out from under me like down on my back 15 times on the way down oh.
Adam:
[25:00] My god like a cartoon like how you know you see those those people that scuttle on ice and their legs are flapping and then they sort of flick up in the air and fall on their back.
Alun:
[25:07] Cue this video that i took of me scuttling on the ice yeah oh.
Adam:
[25:11] Shit okay well getting your camera out i mean that's also that's silly decision number five um.
Alun:
[25:17] Yeah it was actually true in truth it was one of the less treacherous sections that i filmed myself sliding around but mate i i ended up having to commit i had developed a hiking technique whereby i would like walk and the second it got too icy i would like crouch down and like surf the ice and just do it like that it looked mental and i you know it was it took me longer to go down took me about three hours to go down oh.
Adam:
[25:43] Wow because you were moving so so um tentatively and.
Alun:
[25:47] Slowly falling over so much god.
Adam:
[25:49] Did you feel did that sort of remove all of the sense of accomplishment or you know do you just think that was that was really stupid and i hope i learned from this.
Alun:
[26:00] No i stopped having a fun time on the way down like genuinely there was a point on the way down where i was like i'm ready for this to be over now was.
Adam:
[26:07] It getting dark as well.
Alun:
[26:07] No okay good no because i started early enough and the whole thing it was like i probably checked in at like 1 p.m checked off the mountain yeah okay cool um but, yeah after all said and done it was my favorite thing that i've done in the whole of korea i was like so proud that i got to the top in those conditions i know it's stupid but i and and like i should have taken the risk but it was a lot of fun it was really cool to have done yeah.
Adam:
[26:33] I'm sure that added to the to the whole experience and maybe the reason why it is your favorite thing is because the conditions were so difficult and trying what did the guys back at the hostel when you said did you tell them how difficult it was or were you just.
Alun:
[26:45] Like yeah yeah and they did think it was cool that i made it all that way to be fair they were actually very like congratulatory because it was it was like a crazy thing and i'm they were they were pretty proud of it actually okay.
Adam:
[26:56] So the takeaway is takeaway is you reckon.
Alun:
[26:59] Don't do stupid shit like that but if you're an idiot who's gonna do it anyway there are so many fingers pointed.
Adam:
[27:05] In the right direction maybe don't do the opposite.
Alun:
[27:06] I got back to the hostel and i was like all beat up and bruised and um i said to the person like oh i just did uh halosan and they were like oh did you um you know there's crampons back here we do free crampons for everyone in the hostel who's gonna hike halosan.
Adam:
[27:22] Oh you're joking.
Alun:
[27:24] I went oh do you really oh you got you got three pairs do you okay great yeah nice i'll let you know if i'm going again yeah.
Lessons Learned
Adam:
[27:32] Okay so maybe ask maybe ask in future you never know um.
Alun:
[27:37] I think so so that's been my favorite thing in korea so far and now i'm in busan i'm getting some work done before heading over to japan but i think it's probably time we go to the patreon section isn't it adam and we can share some more stories and tales over there anyone who wants to listen can go to patreon.com forward slash topology podcast to hear more of the show.
Adam:
[27:55] I'll put the link in the description ipu and i look forward to seeing you all then we're so glad that you made it down the mountain unscathed alan and i won't be putting a photo of your big blue arse on instagram i look forward to seeing you then guys thanks ever so much we'll see you next week bye bye.
