Luca arrived to my flat and we needed to get a photo with the suit....
as always before leaving Bundang, a few beers and talking about the plan at the local Family Mart.
we drove to Inje...arrived around 3am, crashed at a motel we've visited on a kayak safari a few months ago....in the morning the Naerincheon is looking pretty full....
830am bungee jumpers...getting there morning adrenaline...which we will be getting on the rio
driving towards the mountains of Gangwan-do..such a beautiful area and great time of year to be traveling with everything so lush....
well...we made it to the put-in...drove down river to leave some shoes at the take-out and to check the km of the river...which amounted to 5.5km.
suiting up and getting excited...definitely enough rain and continued to rain off and on throughout the day....
ready to go....
the put-in to Jinbu Creek. Not sure what exactly is down stream, which makes for a great adventure....
the view from the bridge...
sitting in and making adjustments...thinking what a view!
just around the corner we arrived at the first rapid...
i noticed a wire or line that was on the other bank and dangling into the rapid...decided to jump across and take care of it...
a little wider than i thought....but not bad...the rock seemed to be a little slick from the rain...
lined up and getting a boof stroke in....
not bad...i did land on a right brace and smashed my elbow on a rock...luckily i remembered my elbow pads, but it still managed to hurt a bit....
this puts the drop into perspective...
Luca taking a last look...
different view as I'm setting up for a photo of luca...
Luca having a better line, went a little deep but made it look smooth...
feeling the Mystic...
the creek can definitely hold more water...we enjoyed a good flow for the first time down...as there are feeder creeks coming in the further down we go
scouting another rapid...made for a good seal launch!
stylin' it in the project 62..although would enjoy paddling a creeker ;)
about to drop out of site
taking a closer look
luca almost ready to launch...
side creek, maybe with more water, it could be a possibility for some creeking.....
arrived to one of the bigger rapids....i'm going to get a closer look, definitely feeling in my element :D
super excited to be here...it's definitely one of the gems of S.Korea...the best one yet!!!
climbing back up to run the rapid...
decided to run the river right side slide and drop...
fun boof...about ready for take off!
getting the boof stroke....
and smiling after a soft landing....
Luca climbing up...
Luca took the same line, but was going to try to get over to the main flow on the river left......
didn't make it and ended up running the boof...
climbed up for another run in hopes to hit the line...but didn't :(
another rapid..started with a nice boof.....
getting into the double drop....the gorge really gets steep here...it kinda surprised us...we thought we were nearing the end....above i'm making the entrance move to a 12 ft. drop to a big pool then a 25 ft. (?) drop.
nailing the line....
Luca coming through the entrance...then got into a bit of trouble....ended up getting flipped by some swirly water and....
going down the drop on the river right upside down....
then lost his paddle and took a swim....i ended up grabbing him before the 25' (?) drop.... managed to save the boat, but the paddle disappeared
as luca had no paddle, he decided to hike out and i got in the mystic and soloed the rest of the river... :D I just had to see what was down stream....
above getting ready for the waterfall... it's funny, it's been about 2 years since I've been on a run like this ('07 Colorado season) the excitement and adrenaline felt so good to me!
nailing the line...what a feeling....
wow...i forgot what a creek boat felt like....thinking maybe i should get rid of the Project 62 and get a big boat...
scouting the bottom section...
downstream...
looking back up at the two drops...
luca heading out with the project....
what's down below...
a couple nice rapids and solitude!
looking up towards the bridge is another creek. the road is closed off up the creek which sucks because it looks sweet with two big drops visual from the bridge. :D we'll get on it soon, most definitely !!!
beautiful area...i ended up finding luca's paddle floating in an eddy near the end of the run :)
the take out
meeting up with Luca, and getting ready to walk/hitchhike to the put-in....I think all-in-all we spent about 5-6 hours on the river...taking our time to enjoy a new run!
it was around 630pm, a bit chilly and wet...luckily soon after we got a ride!
back at the put-in... the river definitely came up since we put on, as you can see it's coming over the bridge.....we may have to come back tomorrow
found a BBQ place in Inje...
Luca with an Italian twist...brought a nice bottle of red wine
not too busy on a late rainy night...
night life in Inje...
heading to a motel, since it's like a ghost town...
the korean motel atmosphere...
breakfast....
time to head to the river....
well we drove 1.5 hrs to the Misan Valley to check out a 1st Descent. The normal run was running big, so there must be some good water in the creek we've discovered last season...
at the put-in...it looks good, but could use some more water....we decided since Jinbu had water to head back for round 2.
the creek as it leaves the road....a private road in which a man was trying to tell us something in Korean....
the gate was open before as we strolled in, after the man noticed us...he closed the gate and parked a big truck in front...nothing is going to get through now...what does he think?!? we are driving a tank! LOL!
feeling tired, we need round 2 of italian espresso.
this is funny....we stopped at a Family Mart and grabbed some water and a few candy bars...i was surprised to see a Whatchamacallit and grabbed one because i'm not sure when the last time i had one was....so i ended up driving the 2 hrs back to Jinbu and asked Luca to grab my Whatchamacallit....i kept saying it and he was puzzled, i said just look in the bag and grab my Whatchamacallit....anyhow it made for a good laugh ;)
back at the put-in, and gearing up for round 2 on Jinbu....YAHOO!
it's a bit higher than when we put yesterday, but not has a high when we took off....should be good!! :D
Luca having a good line in the first drop....
going deep again...if you look close you can see a bit of his paddle blade..
i decided to take the left line since i hit my elbow on the right channel yesterday....ended up being a nice line with out getting my hair or hands wet.
well...maybe around the 2nd good rapid, luca broke his paddle....not his weekend on Jinbu. So...with most of the run left (maybe 4km) i decided to go for another solo mission...luca gave me his Mystic and i was ready for action...
giving a salute goodbye :D there's something to be said about being on a creek by yourself...you get in the zone, every move is made with "maybe" more precision and focus, your totally on your own, so safety is key and knowing your ability and when to run a difficult rapid and when to walk...definitely have to be aware of your inner feelings. Thus, I was ready and super stoked to finished Jinbu.... (disclaimer...this action is not being suggested to anyone)
leaving eyesight
Luca at the take out with a disgruntled look at his paddle...
OK...as your soloing you may notice more of your surrounding...
getting to one of the bigger rapids...i leaned over a rock looked at the line we ran the day before...and away I go.... :)
heading to the horizon line for the 7' boof
looking back up at the rapid....
self portrait above the 25' (?) drop.....
styled the drop and scouting the lower section...
yesterday was overcast and rainy, today a beautiful sunny afternoon....
a different view of the two drops....
can't even begin to explain the feeling...
giving a hell yeah! a great solo in the mystic!
decided to add this one...since it's been about two years and i forgot what's it's like to use a creek boat :D much more preferred over the play boat...
Leaving the Jinbu Valley..what an incredible weekend...We'll be back the next time it rains in Jinbu, Goseong-Gun, Gang-Won-Do, South Korea....
Hope you enjoyed the show.....
See you soon!!!
Ciao, Ciao :D
