Bulam-san in Autumn

Trevor, Rachel and I went searching for sport climbing Sunday, on the mountain across from our apartment. The hail storm sometime the night before scrubbed the dust and smoke from the skies, leaving us a bluebird fall afternoon. Not a whole lot of climbing but a few fun rappels and some serious downstepping on slab.

Still the skinny kid with army pants you knew a month ago.

Bulam-san seems to have a lot of smooth sloping granite, known as slab in climbing circles. While few people I know seem to have grown really comfortable walking or climbing slab, I'll just put this out there straight..... It scares the shit out of me. While moderate inclines may provide enough friction to keep your feet from sliding, an unprotected fall here would leave only square centimetres of your skin still attached (at least you'd get off the slab fast....). Walking upright on a 45 degree angle provides the greatest downforce on your feet, while the tendancy to want to hug the rock will start you sliding, with all of Seoul below, watching. The worst part of all of this are the 45 year old Korean men walking by with hiking boots, wool socks pulled up to their knees and an ice axe, asking if you are OK. If I can't beat them, I'd better join them. Or at least make a last-ditch frantic grab for their helping hand.

Fall has arrived in Seoul, bringing cooler nights, occasional lightning storms and brilliantly coloured leaves. The earthy smell of grounded leaves on Bulam-san is a powerful reminder of the 2-day autumn back home, before wind or snow whips the golden cotton-wood leaves from their branches. Two days of glory.