Reflections and contemplation on the road, and never-ending adventures

Dreams and desires, careers, love, marriage, breakups, friendships, circumstances… .
The author, now in his thirties, receives topics from acquaintances and reflects on the problems faced by young people in this era.
As autumn deepens, the author stands at the end of the road, his physical and mental muscles strengthened.
And then he says:
If I did it, you can do it, too. After completing the PCT, he crossed over to Canada to participate in the Victoria Marathon and then cycled from Seattle to Mexico.
His next challenge is to walk the 5,000km Continental Devide Trail (CDT) along the Rocky Mountains in the central United States and cycle from Mexico to the tip of South America.
"4,300km" is a helpful book for those preparing for a long-distance trek, those seeking self-reflection through extreme walking, and those seeking new inspiration and courage in their everyday lives.

As soon as we started out in the morning, we ran out of water, but we had no choice but to keep walking because it would have been more painful if we stopped.
I finally passed 200 miles, but I didn't have time to worry about that, I just kept walking forward.
It seemed like a mirage was appearing more and more.
The stone in front of me looked like a water jug, and the large shape in front of me looked like a water tank.


On the second day of the PCT, I put down my tripod.
I put my sandals down.
I put down the books and put down the Jack Daniel's.
But there are still many things I haven't been able to put down.
How much will I carry at the end of this road? Yesterday, I longed to go home, but today, I longed to see myself standing at the end of this road.

I rarely changed my clothes.
I always wore only one set of clothes, except when I stopped by the village to do laundry.
I kept wearing my socks until they were torn, then I threw them away and bought new ones to wear.
Of course, if you are diligent, you will have many opportunities to wash, but if you do not come across a village, you will most likely have to wash in a valley or stream in the mountains.
So it's not uncommon for hikers to go a week without showering.

Tonight's ride was literally a moonlight hike.
The moonlight was bright enough that I didn't need a headlamp.
Imagine how bright it must have been, with my shadow clearly visible in the moonlight.


It felt like stars were pouring down before my eyes.
The starry nights of the PCT that we will encounter countless times in the future.
Someone did.
Have you ever slept in a million-star hotel? I have, and will have, slept in it countless times in the future.

I know how difficult it is to travel with someone, so I tried my best to accommodate and be considerate.
It was because I knew that it was not a wrong trip at all, but that each person was on a different journey.

Until this morning, I was hitchhiking in the blazing sun, grumbling, and then sighing while looking at a frozen pizza. I never dreamed that I would be spending such a happy day.
This is life!

The events of the past three days, which seemed like a dream, swirled around in my head.
From the day I first met him, Aunt Trish took care of me like a mother, cooked for me, made my bed at night, and patted me on the back to tell me to sleep well. And Uncle Mark prepared me warm coffee every morning.
They smiled and said they were so happy to meet me, and even the scene where they printed out my painting and put it in a frame because they liked it so much… one by one…
I will never forget the kindness and warmth they showed to the young Oriental strangers.


The benefits of civilization that I had tasted after a long time were sweet, but at the same time, it was also scary.
That also means I'm afraid of going back to the PCT.

Feeling lonely towards others is the first step, and the moment I go beyond that and make myself lonely, I die.


Challenge or complete the PCT.
It doesn't really matter to me whether it's the first in the country or not.
What's important to me is that it's the first challenge, experience, and goal I'll achieve in my life.
So I'm proud and happy about my first PCT.

To be honest, for me, PCT was a means, not an end.
A means to achieve the goal of enlightenment.

They are not just taking up this challenge in words, they are walking this path themselves.
I am walking towards my goal, for my own happiness, like Gatsby, not because someone forced me to.
It's a challenge anyone can do, but not everyone can become just anyone.
Hikers meet in the evening, laugh, and chat, but the next morning they move on according to their own schedules.
Never harm others or show off yourself.
Each of us walks today to achieve our goals.
That's why hikers are great.

Andrea was sitting in front of me, and she listened intently to my story.
At one point, my heart pounded as I realized she was looking at me with her hands on the table and her chin resting on it.


I gave her the oranges I had brought from the hotel.
“Are you giving it to me? Why are you giving it to me?”
She asked with a smile.
Instead of saying I was giving it to you because you were pretty and I liked you, I foolishly said this.

“It’s leftovers from breakfast.”

Many people may be focused and interested in completing the PCT and applaud me more when I reach the end of the trail, but I think I can be satisfied just knowing that I'm heading in the direction I want, even if I don't reach the end of the trail.

This road that I thought would last forever also has an end.
I want to reach the end as soon as possible, but on the other hand, I want to reach it even a day later.


“I don’t understand why you try to trample on the growing sprouts instead of watering them so they can grow well.”

At the table, an American, a Dutch American, and two Koreans were sitting together, enjoying American coffee, Italian sausage, French toast, and Korean kimchi.
A combination of international people and international food.


It's a little later than originally planned, but so what?
I reminded myself once again that things just have to go their own way and that it's not over until it's over.


“If you want to give up now, then do so.
But if you want to finish, don't worry, I'll carry you even if it means carrying you on my back."

There are times when I get scared on the descents of the PCT, and that's when I realize that the peak I see on the other side is where I have to climb again.
It's going down happily, but you have to climb up just as hard.

I saw Heenam walking in front of me several times, but I deliberately did not follow him.
In this last moment, I felt like I wanted to walk entirely for myself.


He confessed that there were times when he wanted to leave me and go alone, but Heenam endured it well, saying that since we decided to be together, it would be more meaningful to end it together.
I too have had a few hard times, but if I had stood at the end of this road alone, I would have definitely regretted it.
Reaching together, not alone.
In some ways, that may have been our biggest goal.

Nothing drastic will change once we get past this point.
But I know that things will change little by little.
That's what travel is like.
The journey truly begins from the moment it ends.
There is one thing that will not change.
I absolutely do not regret taking this path.


I'm not leaving because I have the courage.
It may be that you lack courage and are running away from reality.
Perhaps you, who have stayed in that position until the end, have made a more courageous choice.

I don't think it's that I don't have time, it's that I don't have the heart.
We have plenty of time.
But maybe we are so afraid of time that we use it as an excuse to hide our feelings.
Let us not fear time.
Let's take courage.

I am a poor traveler.
Of course, you might think that traveling itself is not poor, but I am definitely not a leisurely traveler.
Over the past few years, I've been so pressed for time that at one point I found myself losing even my mental composure.
That was scary.
I just didn't want to be poor in spirit.


'If we listen to the voice of the earth, we will know what we must do.'

We know.
No one knows whether it will be today, tomorrow, or years from now, but we will continue to walk our separate paths well, and one day we will meet again on this path.
So I say this.
'See you on the trail.'

--- From the text