D+14 Solo Car Camping Trip: Goseong → Yanggu

2021.06.06(Sun)

After bidding farewell to the East Coast with a heavy heart, today I headed toward Yanggu.

Originally, I had planned to go to Cheorwon, but since it was over three hours away, I decided to stop midway in Yanggu instead.

If I couldn’t go to the sea, I figured I should at least visit a valley. While searching, I found out that Yanggu has the pristine Cheonmi Valley, and I immediately set off.

Up until now, I had mostly driven on highways, but this time was different. The road from Goseong to Yanggu was… wow. For two straight hours, I twisted and turned through mountain roads so winding that even I—someone who doesn’t usually get carsick—felt my insides tangled up.

Wanting to save the 3,300 KRW toll, I had chosen the old Misiryeong road instead of the new tunnel. If I had a time machine, I’d go back to that moment and slap myself for making that decision.

As I drove endlessly through the mountains, my fuel gauge dropped below one bar. With no gas stations—or even signs of people—anywhere in sight, it suddenly hit me: “Ah… I’m screwed.”

The road was not only endlessly winding but also dangerously steep, with signs everywhere saying things like, “There are no experts in driving here.” Every second demanded full concentration. Honestly, I think any beginner driver who survives this road would come out with seriously upgraded skills. (Though at the risk of their life…)

To top it off, my ears even popped from the altitude.

Just as my tank was about to run dry, I finally found a small gas station in a mountain village and filled up. Then, once again, I set off into the twisting forest road. Along the way, hunger struck, so I stopped for a bowl of makguksu and a plate of potato jeon before continuing the winding journey.

After endlessly twisting the steering wheel through the mountain roads, I finally arrived at Cheonmi Valley.

Since it was tucked away deep in the mountains, there weren’t as many people as I expected. The heat was unbearable, so I rushed straight to the water—and wow, so this is what first-class water looks like. The valley, hidden in the remote mountain gorge, was breathtakingly beautiful, a moment where I could truly feel the power of nature with my whole body.

The moment I dipped my feet into the valley water, every pore in my body tightened, and all the sweat instantly disappeared. In the crystal-clear stream, I found unexpected joy in watching the tiny tadpoles swimming around.

Since there was no one else at the valley, it felt like I had rented the whole place for myself. After snapping plenty of photos and reading a bit, a wave of old Cyworld nostalgia hit me, so I blasted those classic hits from back in the day, singing loudly while swimming.

The feeling of soaking in the cool stream under the blazing sun, singing along to my favorite songs, was simply indescribable. This was paradise on earth.

After spending a long time in the water, blending with nature, I headed back to my car. Watching a movie there, I suddenly realized night had already fallen. Since it gets dark quickly in the mountains and there wasn’t much else to do, I decided to call it a night early.

I was never really interested in valleys before, but after today, my affection for them has tripled.

And just like that, the day came to an end.

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14. People tend to think more when times are tough, and the more comfortable life gets, the fewer thoughts they have.”

:Lately, since I haven’t really been worried or stressed, I feel like my thoughts have been fading too. So now, I can’t even think of what to write...

What comes to mind instead are the little tadpoles I saw earlier at the valley.

They swim tirelessly between the rocks, and whenever they encounter a stone even slightly bigger than themselves, they keep swimming toward it endlessly. Of course, they can’t push it away or break through it. If they just changed their angle a little, they could go much farther, yet instead, they spend a long time flailing in front of the stone.

When I waved my hand through the water, the tadpoles, sensing danger, instantly summoned superhuman speed, detouring and darting off in another direction.

I couldn’t help but think—aren’t our thoughts the same? Even though people are endlessly greedy, once they’ve achieved enough or reached a comfortable state, while they may feel happy and less stressed, they don’t really burn with passion or desire for more.

But when faced with instability or crisis, the situation changes. People start to blame themselves for where they are and, in order to leap toward a better life and environment, they think endlessly and struggle desperately.

I, too, have wondered lately why my mind has been so cluttered. The answer, it seems, was here all along. Of course, I have the privilege of wonderful parents, a safe room where I can stretch my legs, and food on the table every day. Yet, as someone just stepping into society, standing precariously at this uncertain point in my early adulthood, perhaps it’s natural that my thoughts are multiplying.

Still, I don’t believe this is always a bad thing. The more unstable the period, the more I dig in my heels and strengthen the muscles of thought. I see this process as part of moving forward.

In life, there is no reverse gear—only forward. Even in stability, instead of clinging too tightly to comfort and staying put, it’s important to find balance, look back, regroup, and then practice moving forward little by little, steadily.

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