Vacation Aborted

After spending today in a torrential downpour, I decided to abort my vacation plans and head home. I spent today walking from a town called Kangchon to the Gugok Falls. The umbrella served nothing more than psychological purpose. By the time I made it to the park entrance after walking about 3 miles, I was completely soaked. The plastic bags I tied around my feet kept as much water in as out. My backpack was soaked clear through. Nothing was dry.

Despite being the only visitor at the park this afternoon, I decided to walk up the trail toward the waterfall, only to "chicken out" once I got close to the base of the falls. It was mid-afternoon and had been pouring all day. It's a huge waterfall anyway, and the rainfall fueled it all the more. The stream below it was very close to the trail and exceptionally forceful. Since I was the park's only visitor, I didn't want to risk slipping on the slick walkway. The falls created such a strong wind that it was hard to walk and keep my balance, and I couldn't hold the camera still for the close up photo below. I can only imagine how strong it was closer to the falls. I'm definitely planning a trip back in nice weather.

Click on the photos for a larger image:

Above: The North Han River, looking upstream (east) from Gangchon in the direction of Chuncheon.

Below: Gugok Falls, just southwest of Gangchon. That's as far as I was brave enough to walk. I could hardly hold my camera and umbrella and stay standing to take this photo.