Fear Factor Weekend (Day 2)

Round Three --Climbing Mt. Daedunsan 

The Facts:
* the highest peak of Mt. Daedunsan is Macheondae, at 878 meters above sea level
* there is a cable car up to the mountain for 7,000 won (round trip)
* after getting of the cable car, you have ascended 610 metres above sea level –there is the platform which serves as a great look-out point
* 200 metres up, there is a Geumgang Gureum (aka Cloud Bridge) which is 50 meters long and straddles mountain peaks 81 meters high
* the Samseon Stairway is composed of 127 steel stairs ascending up the face of a cliff at a 50 degree angle –so it’s better described as a ladder, which felt both death-defying and unnatural for a person with a fear of heights, or rather a fear of falling from such heights.

“The mountain is not very high, with its highest peak Macheondae rising only 878 meters above sea level. However, the rocky crags and cliffs, which offer spectacular views, make for an arduous hike.” –taken from a hiker’s website I checked out in preparation for Mt. Daedunsan 

After getting off the cable car, this is the view from the platform.

In the left background, you can see the Samseon Stairway and, even higher up, Macheondae peak.

I turned around for a photo op of climbing up the Samseon Stairway and immediately became shaky when I realized how high up I was and how easily I could fall and/or be blown off of the cliff.

This was the view from Samseon Stairway that made my heart leap into my throat.

Bonus Round --Eating Silkworms

The Facts:
* silk worms are apparently a wonderful post-hike treat in Korea
* a cup of silkworms costs 1,000 -2,000 won
* I don’t usually eat bugs for a mid-afternoon snack
* you can convince yourself that the less juicy ones taste like almonds, the more juicy ones taste exactly as they smell –nasty. 

Yummy, yummy.

Jason and I showing off our silkworm snack.