The Plan, Part 1: Deokjeok-Do, Definitely Maybe

The following is Part 1 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 announce my intent to spend the 4th of July on Deokjeok-Do. See related posts (The Plan, Part 2: July 4th on Deokjeok-Do, Definitely; 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.

Although still in the planning phase, I'm looking into a trip to Deokjeok-Do for the weekend of July 3rd (Saturday) to the 4th (American Independence Day). I cannot yet provide more details because this one is being organized by a local group called Backcountry Camping (BC) (http://cafe.daum.net/bushcraft), the largest forum for backcountry campers in the country (over 8,300 members as of this writing).

Deokjeok-Do is a small inhabited island off the northwest coast of the peninsula. From Seoul, a 1-hour subway station to Incheon, followed by a short taxi ride to Incheon (Yeon-An) Ferry Terminal, then about 1.5 hours by boat or 40 minutes by hydroplane. It's primarily a farming community, although a growing part of its tiny economy consists of tourism, particularly foreign tourists who come for the beaches and hiking trails. The island has several small hotels and restaurants, though everything (linguistically, gastronomically, culturally) is strictly local; reports suggest that essential communication is never a major problem, however, so long as the cash is in won (Korean currency).

Rumor has it that a significant congregation of American expats (among others) make a yearly pilgrimage to the island sometime around the 4th of July to celebrate. However, I haven't yet been able to ascertain whether this is an organized event or something more organic. Part of my desire to go this time is to see how the thing is run, assuming there is a "thing," establish contacts, spread the word about this blog. In fact, during a recent informal discussion with BC's leader/administrator, he mentioned that a significant benefit (perhaps even factor) in planning the trip for that weekend is the potential to encounter members of the international community who are interested in camping.

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That said, the BC event will most likely not be in direct relation to nor in proximity of whatever activities may be part of the American celebration. Again, I cannot speak officially for the group, but we would probably arrive on Saturday morning, start with a short (8km) hike to a campsite on a less populated end of the island, followed by some kayaking during the day and night-trekking after dinner. Contact with other groups would occur, if at all, on Sunday afternoon on our return to the main drag.
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If you are already planning on going to the island on the weekend in question, or have some knowledge or experience of what goes on, I would appreciate any information or insight you could offer. I would also welcome any questions from those interested in going.