The following is Part 2 of a 4-part series about my trip (in a manner of speaking) to the islands of Deokjeok-Do (덕적도) and Jangbong-Do (장봉도) from 3-4 July 2010. Here, I post my itinerary for the 4th of July weekend on Deokjeok-Do. See related posts (The Plan, Part 1: Deokjeok-Do, Definitely Maybe; Part 3: ...Of Mice and Men; Part 4: Plan B, Jangbong-Do) (Survey, Part 1: Leader of the Pack; Part 2: Luxury Digs) for additional photos and comments.
[Editorial note: Although the text below is written in the present tense, as if I'm giving a retrospective play-by-play description of events as they actually happened, I was in fact writing prospectively on how things would play out if all were to go according to plan. Nothing, as it turned out, went according to this plan.]
Getting to the Island: I take the first subway train of the day on Line 1 out of Yongsan Station (ETD 05:29) to Dong Incheon (ETA 06:26). After at least 15 minutes of misdirection, I transfer to local bus no. 12 or 24 to Incheon Port International Passenger Terminal (ETA 07:15). (Depending on service times for the local bus, however, I may need to take a taxi instead.) At the terminal, I rendezvous with my group, Backcountry Camping (BC). We take the ferry (ETD 07:40) to Deokjeok-do (ETA 10:40) (past experience suggests that the ride should only take about 1.5 hours; if it does take 3 hours, as posted on the BC page, it may be because the first boat of the day makes numerous stops along the way, perhaps for supply deliveries to some of the smaller islands). Along the way, we eat a simple breakfast--the boat will sell ramyun (instant noodles) and other snacks.
Basecamp: Upon arrival at Jinli Dock (see photo right; little guy with flag represents starting point), we hike for 2.5 hours along the southern coast until we hit Seopoli Beach (shown in photo below right, represented by tent on center mini-peninsula) (ETA 13:00). After setting up camp, we eat lunch--probably nothing too fancy, as we're all eager to get on with day's main activity. I'm planning on a can of Chef Boyardee Mini Ravioli, which should be a hit (the problem with bringing something unusual is that everyone wants a sample, which leaves very little or sometimes nothing for me; but sharing is key at BC, and it'll come back to me ten-fold in goodwill, and there's always way too much food to go around anyway).
Water Sports: Not quite sure how this is going to work, but somehow we're supposed to go kayaking. While I'm generally supportive of the activity in principle, I'm skeptical of the implications both logistical (are we lugging the kayaks from the docks along our 2.5-hour trek to basecamp?) and practical (are we kayaking in the ocean?). In any event, that's what BC has in store for us. I look forward to it, reservations aside.
Feast: The social highlight of all trips, dinner promises to be a big affair. As I will someday soon (I swear) share in posts on prior trips, particularly with BC, the evening meal is invariably a potluck-type affair featuring the full array of Korean classics, including BBQ, bibimbap, and assorted anju (bar food), as well as a few wildcard entries (usually from me), such as a Chinese stirfry or Mexican fajitas. As it is the 4th of July weekend, and as a US citizen, I feel it incumbent upon me to bring a taste of American backyard BBQ to this event: to that end, chili dogs. And we can't forget the booze, usually between 8-10 different varieties, mostly Korean, but also a few wildcards (usually from me), such as kaoliangjiu or tequila. In keeping with the Independence Day theme, I suppose I should go with a bland American lager, but I was stupid enough to pack a can of Bud for lunch on our last trek (just because it had the World Cup logo on it), and boy was that a wasted effort, so it should be something more reliable, and still American, like Jack or Jim. That said, I anticipate that this trip's dinner will be relatively less extravagant for two main reasons: first, because we will be trekking our way to the campsite--indeed, from the port of Incheon--our team members will have to think twice about carrying all the grub and hooch that they otherwise would like to (although given the size of some of their packs--e.g., Mystery Ranch Kodiak 114L--volume isn't too big of a concern); and second, the itinerary for this trip calls for night trekking immediately after dinner, so we simply won't have the time, and perhaps slightly less inclination, to get stuffed and plastered as we are generally wont to do. I suspect that BC's leader, Ahn Ki-Yong, intentionally planned for the night trekking perhaps to cut down on what was becoming an unwelcome tradition of bacchanalia into the wee hours--I'm the biggest glutton-lush on the peninsula, but I'm glad for the respite nonetheless, whether it's intentional or not.
Haunted Houses Oh My!: The final planned activity is "night trekking" (ETD 20:30) for about 2 hours (4 hours round trip), through the southwest region of the island to Neungdong in the northwestern corner (in photo right, general vicinity of destination indicated by ghostly virgin). That part of the island, apparently, is littered with deserted houses...which means that it's spooky and maybe even downright scary for the faint of heart... and therefore, fun, for all...I guess. Sarcasm and cynicism notwithstanding, I look forward to the trekking-at-night aspect of it and, well, BC has yet to disappoint, so who knows about the horror part? As with everything in life, it's safer to have low expectations.
The Day After: Breakfast for those who can get up in time--mostly ramyun, but a few die-hards will insist on making a fuss over hang-over remedy-type stews. I'll pack a can of Campbell's Minestrone, as usual, but I doubt I'll get to it. We gear up and leave (ETD 11:00), following the same course back to the dock. However, the plan does call for a brief stop at Batjireum Beach (in photo, beach umbrella on southeast coast), maybe for 30 minutes or so. While the official BC itinerary doesn't mention any purpose behind this layover, I'm fairly certain it may have something to do with a prior conversation I had with Mr. Ahn, in which I'd mentioned my intent to start this blog, to which he'd been quite enthusiastic. He recalled that, in past years, he'd encountered swarms of foreign campers on this very island on this very weekend (4th of July, apparently, is when they swarm to the island), and had wanted to make connections with them, perhaps even introducing them to BC, but failed on the account of the language barrier. So, he promised me to schedule the BC trip for this year on this weekend to this island, so long as I would promise to go--for mutual gain. I agreed. So here we are. Whatever happens at the beach, we arrive at the dock (ETA 14:00), take the ferry (ETD 14:40) back to Incheon Port (ETA 16:40) (see what I mean about that 3-hour boat ride?). And then a final round of food and drinks somewhere in town, because, well, we never seem to want to get rid of each other.
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