Achievements of Adventure

It’s almost April. We’ve been “on the run” since the end of last June and we came home for the holidays, making it almost seven months we’ve been on the road. I didn’t want to wait until I was retired. Nor did I think I could have conquered some of these milestones when I got there. So, instead, I did them at 30 years old.

Tomorrow I will have to go back to work.

Tomorrow I will have to figure out protests between workdays and scheduling conflicts, making phone calls to my representatives between phone calls to wedding vendors, a new future under threat of Federal job loss…

Tomorrow will be more difficult than today, even as we spent this year climbing mountains, biking bridges, and trekking miles of wilderness.

Today, I can say that I biked the Shiminami Kaido cycling route, hiked Mount Fuji (twice!), did a New Zealand Great Walk, and attempted to summit Baegundae Peak in South Korea. There’s so much out there in the world. There are ten other New Zealand Great Walks we haven’t done, the Great American Rail Trail isn’t fully constructed yet, we weren’t able to actually summit Baegundae Peak. But I am so proud of what we have managed, what I have managed. I have never been particularly fit. I do not run unless chased, and even then, it’s a calculated decision of “Well, if I’m not outrunning this bear, I might as well not run at all.” I struggle with consistency as I am unable to stop moving for any reasonable length of time. Even when David and I were climbing “regularly,” we had difficulty making it more than twice a week, if that. So, the fact that I have overcome these feats is more incredible than you may be aware of. And I hope, maybe, that my successful struggle is inspiring to you.

Major Accomplishments AKA Mortal Feats AKA B̶u̶c̶k̶e̶t̶ L̶i̶s̶t̶ AKA F̷u̷c̷k̷ ̷I̷t̷ ̷L̷i̷s̷t̷ . . .

Jennifer’s Successful, Silly, Active Adventures List

4. Guknyeongsa Temple Hike, South Korea

The total distance to hike Baegundae Peak in Bukhansan National Park, South Korea, is roughly 5.5 km (3.4 miles) round trip. The elevation gain is around 820 meters (2,700 feet). Unfortunately, land slides or rock falls had closed off the path near the peak, so while we did trek quite a bit of the Fortress trail towards the peak, we didn’t make it. We got turned around, and instead my friend Naomi led us to Gungnyeongsa Temple. That hike is only 4.5 km (2.8 miles) and doesn’t gain nearly as much elevation. However, we got to see the hidden gem of one of the biggest sitting Buddhas in southeast Asia. The beautiful golden station sits nestled between mountains. David’s knees gave up, but we think this had more to do with the entirety of Seoul and its ungodly love of stairs than Bukhansan National Park.

3. Mount Fuji Yoshida Trail, Japan

Coming in a surprising third is Mount Fuji. This is the tallest mountain in Japan, but we ended up foraying into multiday trips, which were naturally just longer and more arduous in scope. The Yoshida Trail is approximately 14.5 km (9 miles) round trip, with an elevation gain of ~1,500 meters (~5,000 feet) from Fifth Station, which is where we began the hike. If I ever do it again (and become even more of a fool?), I might just start from sea level. It is in fact possible, just not frequently done, and rumor has it that the cost of the trails is increasing. Not only is Yoshida charging hikers, all of the trails are now, and they all charge in excess of 3000 yen. The Yoshida trail is incredibly beginner hiker friendly. There is a first aid station, restrooms, hot ramen, and more along the very well-marked and cleared trail. This trail attracts over 150,000 hikers annually. The rock scramble is legitimately fun and a good break from the switchbacks. The view of the sun rising over the horizon from this mountain is the most beautiful sight I have ever seen in my entire life.

 

2. Hump Ridge Track, the 11th Great Walk, New Zealand

The newest and most modern Great Walk is the Hump Ridge Track. Almost as far south as one can go on the southern island, nearest No Bear Land, this trail wonders out into the fiordlands for a day and a half before taking the southern coast back to the carpark. The trek takes three days and is roughly 60 km (37 miles) with an elevation gain of ~1,900 meters (~6,000 feet). This gives the incorrect impression that these mountains are taller than Fuji – they are not. The difference is that this hike begins and ends at sea level. It also doesn’t align with any of the paths taken by the Fellowship of the Ring, so you don’t really feel like a hobbit or elf prancing around Middle Earth, but the New Zealand wilderness is still incredibly magical and beautiful. I think we took around 7 hours each day to complete our three day hike, and enjoyed the snot out of our hot showers at each accommodation. Great Walks are incredibly well maintained and marked New Zealand trails, partially or fully funded by the government, and attract domestic and international hikers. Getting lost in the wilderness for three days, truly away from it all, is a unique and wonderful experience.

1. Shimanami Kaido, Japan

The Shimanami Kaido cycling trail is around 70 km (44 miles) long and, despite being for bikes and cars, has an elevation gain of ~1,300 meters (~4,000 feet). This trek is most comparable to the New Zealand Great Walk, and is indeed renowned as one of Japan’s most scenic cycling routes, attracting cyclists from around the globe. We choose to do it over two days, despite being able to do it in one, and took about 4 hours each day to complete our rides. The visages were truly amazing; the Japanese archipelago is stunning and the architecture of the bridges (and the bike ramps up to them, honestly) is incredible.

And so…

Achievements of Adventure

The Shimanami Kaido trail was the longest distance David and I traveled together on a manpowered mission at 76 km. Mount Fuji was the greatest elevation we reached by our own four feet, despite not being our greatest elevation gained, at 3,776 meters (12,389 feet) tall. The Hump Ridge Great Walk was our longest, most arduous adventure, taking three whole days with two overnight stops at lodges along the trail. The Guknyeongsa Temple Hike was the least strenuous and most poorly marked and cleared of all the trails and paths we’ve taken on this list, though the others are pinnacles of their home nations. David went into this whole adventure in better shape than he came out of it, despite these incredible accomplishments, and I am just glad I survived. I’m happy I tried exercising before adventuring, but inevitably I always came down with something and was completely off my feet at least three weeks before traveling. So, I think, anyone can achieve their dreams if they put their minds, and maybe their feet, to it. Who knows what adventures the future holds, but I hope I can continue to push my mind and body for many years to come!