Jangsu

I saved these photos in a folder called ‘the foot of Jirisan’. The GPS disagrees: it puts the cabin in Cheoncheon-myeon, Jangsu, about forty-five kilometres north of Jirisan’s main peak. Fair enough. Jangsu belongs to Mu-Jin-Jang — Muju, Jinan and Jangsu — the highland counties people call the roof of Honam, and in the dark it all felt like Jirisan anyway.

The first photo is from 10:42 p.m.: pines lit from below like a stage set. In the morning the deck turned out to be built straight into the forest — a table, three log stools, a grill, and nothing but trunks in every direction.

No summit this time. Some mountain trips are just about sleeping close enough to hear one breathe.