[whimsical music playing]
WITH THE FINAL CLIMB AROUND THE CORNER,
THEY ARRIVE HERE
THE TRADITIONAL MEDICINE PACKAGE'S
LAST PART
A TRADITIONAL MEDICINE FOOT BATH CAFE
[laughs]
THE FOOT BATHS BEGIN
[Hyeon-yong] For your feet,
they've worked so hard.
[woman] Turn it towards you, it's hot,
and the other way, it's cold.
THEY FIRST FILL THE TUBS WITH WARM WATER
[sniffs] It smells nice.
[Tarzzan] It's turning purple.
FRAGRANT TRADITIONAL MEDICINE
FOOT SOAK IS ADDED
[crew] Is this right?
CAREFULLY DIPPING IN
ONE FOOT AT A TIME
It's so warm.
[sighs] This is so nice.
[sighs deeply]
TIME TO RECOVER FROM FATIGUE
BEFORE THE FINAL HIKE
[Hyeon-yong] Now, I'll briefly explain
tomorrow's trail.
Okay.
[Hyeon-yong] Jirisan
has been in its "WPP" since March.
That stands for
Wildfire Prevention Period. So Jirisan--
ACCESS TO TRAILS ARE RESTRICTED
OR SHUT DOWN EVERY SPRING AND FALL
JIRISAN HAS BEEN RESTRICTED
TO PREVENT FOREST FIRES
There are only two trails
we can hike on Jirisan.
AMONG COUNTLESS RESTRICTED TRAILS IN RED
BAEKMUDONG, CHEONWANGBONG, JUNGSAN
CHEONWANGBONG, JIRISAN
First, the Baekmudong Trail
and the Jungsanri Trail.
Those are our options.
Those two trails converge
at a place called Jangteomok Shelter.
Then, you'll climb
to Cheonwangbong Peak together.
JANGTEOMOK SHELTER IS LOCATED
ON THE UPPER MIDDLE PART OF JIRISAN
DESCEND CLUB WILL SPLIT UP INTO PAIRS
AND GATHER AT JANGTEOMOK SHELTER
THEY WILL HIKE TOGETHER
TO THE PEAK, CHEONWANGBONG
The Baekmudong Trail
is a bit difficult at first.
The latter half gets a little easier,
as you approach Jangteomok Shelter.
BAEKMUDONG TRAIL
DIFFICULTY LEVEL IS HARD AT FIRST
BUT IT BECOMES EASIER LATER ON
AFTER SUFFERING COMES JOY
BAEKMUDONG TRAIL
So Baekmudong and what else?
-[Hyeon-yong] Jungsanri.
-Jungsanri.
[Hyeon-yong] As for the Jungsanri Trail,
the beginning is moderately difficult,
then the latter half gets tough.
JUNGSANRI TRAIL
DIFFICULTY LEVEL IS MODERATE AT FIRST
BUT IT BECOMES VERY HARD LATER ON
GETS WORSE AND WORSE
JUNGSANRI TRAIL
People say the Jungsanri Trail
is a pretty difficult hike.
AVERAGE GRADIENT IS 22.7%
UNTIL JANGTEOMOK SHELTER
JANGTEOMOK SHELTER
AVERAGE GRADIENT IS 31.8%
PAST BYEONGGIMAKTEO SHELTER
ALTHOUGH OPINIONS VARY ABOUT EACH TRAIL
MOST AGREE THAT JUNGSANRI IS HARDER
Okay, I choose Baekmudong.
-I'll hike Baekmudong as well.
-[Chae-min] I'll choose Baekmudong.
-Junsanri.
-[Hyeon-yong] It's not that bad, really.
We get to decide, right?
[Hyeon-yong] Yeah. Whatever you prefer.
Since they took
the Gwaneumsa course last time,
this time, we'll hike
the more difficult trail.
Keep it short and intense.
CAR-THE AND CHAE-MIN
PICK JUNGSANRI
-[Hyeon-yong] Wow, so kind.
-[Dowoon] So cool.
-[Hyeon-yong] Wow, so kind.
-So cool.
Very nice of you.
DOWOON AND TARZZAN WILL TAKE BAEKMUDONG
[Hyeon-yong] The Baekmudong team
will leave earlier in the morning.
So, we'll get 30
more minutes of sleep. Fine by me.
THE JUNGSANRI TEAM
WILL DEPART 30 MINUTES LATER
-Okay, Team Hot and Not Hot.
-[all laughing]
"Not Hot" is such
an old-school term. "Not Hot."
AND SO, THE TEAMS WERE FORMED
DOWOON AND TARZZAN
THE BAEKMUDONG TEAM UGGOS
CAR, THE GARDEN AND CHAE-MIN
THE JUNGSANRI TEAM HEARTTHROBS
THE SUN SETS BEHIND JIRISAN
THE LAST MORNING COMES
CURRENT TIME
[Dowoon] Let's do this, Car!
Today's the last day!
[mumbles excitedly]
DOWOON IS EXCITED FOR THE LAST HIKE
THE CAMERA OPERATOR SUFFERED WITH HIM
AND HE PATS HIS SHOULDER
HE STARTS TAPPING HIS POLES RHYTHMICALLY
[Yung-suk] He's so excited.
Since you'll be so relaxed,
maybe you'll discover
the real joy of hiking.
-I think today will be the best.
-It'll be the most fun, yeah.
I think today's hike will be the most fun.
I'm going to descend like this.
-Come down like you're skiing.
-Yeah.
I hope it's similar to the Yeongnam Alps.
What's the holdup? Let's go!
Let's go!
-[Hyeon-yong] Have a safe trip.
-See you after the hike.
-Good luck.
-Have a safe trip.
THE MOST ENERGETIC START TO DATE
THE BAEKMUDONG TEAM DEPARTS BASE CAMP
You should always
climb a mountain this happy.
Oh, I feel great.
THEY RIDE ON HAPPILY FOR 1 HOUR
197-3, GANGCHEONG-RI, MACHEON-MYEON,
HAMYANG-g*n, SOUTH GYEONGSANG PROVINCE
JIRISAN, HAMYANG
Whoa, it's cold.
-Yeah, it is cold.
-[guffaws]
HIS BREATH FOGS AS HE LETS OUT A LAUGH
CURRENT TEMPERATURE: -2.1℃
My puffer jacket is clutch right now.
For sure.
EVEN IN MARCH,
YOU NEED PADDED JACKETS HERE
JIRISAN'S BAEKMUDONG TRAIL
DISTANCE TO JANGTEOMOK SHELTER
BAEKMUDONG PARKING LOT
SOJIBONG PEAK
HARD DIFFICULTY
CHAMSAEM SAFETY REST AREA
JANGTEOMOK SHELTER
MODERATE DIFFICULTY
FOR ABOUT 2 HOURS
STONES, SNOW, LEAVES, ICE
WHEN THE DIFFICULT SECTION ENDS
FOR ABOUT 2 HOURS
DIRT ROAD
FLAT GROUND
RUBBER MATS
A GENTLE INCLINE
A KIND AND FRIENDLY TRAIL
IS IN LINE FOR THEM
JOY IS CERTAIN TO COME AFTER THE SUFFERING
ON THE BAEKMUDONG TRAIL
ESTIMATED TO TAKE 4 HOURS
TO GET TO JANGTEOMOK SHELTER
THE BAEKMUDONG TEAM STARTS HIKING
THE BAEKMUDONG TEAM WALKS
WHILE BREATHING IN THE MORNING AIR
THE TRAIL IS PRETTY EASY
UP UNTIL THE ENTRANCE
HOWEVER
THEY IMMEDIATELY ENTER
TO THE DIFFICULT PART
THE STRUGGLE BEGINS
A ROCKY PATH WITH NO SUNLIGHT
FROM THE BEGINNING
EXHALING
This must be the hard part
of the hike, you know?
-I think so, yeah. How is it so far?
-Right?
Right now, like, it's not a mountain.
Compared to the other struggles
you put us through.
For sure.
Hey, Jirisan is nice.
Jirisan.
[enthralling music playing]
THE EXCITEMENT OF THE LAST HIKE
MAKES THEM FORGET THE TRAIL'S DIFFICULTY
[Dowoon] Wow, the mountain's nice.
PRAISING JIRISAN
-[laughs]
-The air is so darn fresh.
PRAISING JIRISAN AGAIN
-Wow, the sound of the water is so nice.
-Yeah, man, it's pretty.
-Right?
-So nice.
EVEN THE WATER SOUNDS NICE
Oh, the phytoncide.
I can smell the cedar.
A MONTH AGO ON HALLASAN
[Hyeon-yong] Cedar trees
emit a lot of phytoncides.
-It just smells like trees.
-[chuckles]
Oh, the phytoncide.
TODAY, HE MENTIONS THE PHYTONCIDES HIMSELF
[laughs]
JUNGSANRI PARKING LOT
SAN 112-1, SANCHEONG-g*n,
SOUTH GYEONGSANG PROVINCE
CURRENT TIME
THE JUNGSANRI TEAM IS PREPARING TO DEPART
-[Chae-min] Not too windy today, right?
-[Hyeon-yong] No.
The wind is pretty light today.
A light breeze.
WIND SPEED
GENTLE AT 1.5 M/S
[Chae-min] Thank goodness
it's not too windy.
STRETCHING BEFORE DEPARTURE
[Hyeon-yong] Weather's not great.
NEW GEAR
ANKLE BRACES
I have to say, I showed up determined.
-I even brought these.
-[Hyeon-yong] I see.
-I put these on.
-What are those, though?
When I used to work construction,
you can't have your clothes
getting caught
on steel or other materials.
-I see.
-That's why I put these on, like this.
[Hyeon-yong] Your clothes are brighter,
your socks are pink.
[Car] I ordered the wrong socks.
BABY PINK
Yeah. I hadn't opened them,
just brought the package.
I opened them here and was shocked.
-[Hyeon-yong] That explains it.
-[Car] They were pink.
LUCKY PINK SOCKS FOR THE LAST HIKE
They're bright.
What if you meet a bear today?
[Chae-min] Have you ever
seen one in person?
I haven't seen one in Korea.
But I have seen them
in Japan and in the U.S.
-[Chae-min] And you just stayed still?
-[Min-gu] Yes, you can't move.
[Hyeon-yong] I thought
you'd only seen snakes.
I meant I've only seen snakes in Korea.
[chuckles] You think he's lying?
-[Hyeon-yong] No, just asking.
-Why are you doubting him?
-7:02.
-Let's go.
-[Chae-min] Cold standing still.
-[Hyeon-yong] Yeah.
[Car] Seriously.
FILMING WAS DONE SAFELY
UNDER THE GUIDANCE OF EXPERTS
[Chae-min] Let's go.
-I hate this.
-Me too.
GROANS
THEIR STAGGERING HIKING TRAIL
MAKES THEM GROAN
It's awful.
THE JUNGSANRI TRAIL
ANOTHER WELL-KNOWN JIRISAN TRAIL
IN THE YEONGNAM AREA
IT HAS ITS UNIQUE LANDSCAPE
CREATED BY ROCKS AND VALLEYS
BUT IT REQUIRES MORE THAN AVERAGE STAMINA
MODERATE SECTION
FOR 2 HOURS AND 30 MINUTES
HELLISH INCLINES THAT NEVER END
DIFFICULT SECTION
FOR 1 HOUR AND 20 MINUTES
SUFFERING COMES AFTER SUFFERING
ON THIS TRAIL
5.3 KM TO JANGTEOMOK SHELTER
TAKES ABOUT 4 HOURS
Oh, it's starting off cold.
CURRENT TEMPERATURE: -2.1°C
COLD FOR MARCH
[Hyeon-yong] As I mentioned yesterday,
this trail starts out moderate,
in terms of difficulty,
and then gets tough
for an hour, in the second half.
LEARNING ABOUT THE TRAIL AS THEY GO
-It's tough for an hour?
-Yeah.
-Did you come from far away?
-Sorry?
-To get here?
-We came from Seoul.
THE JUNGSANRI TEAM HAS A NEW MEMBER
You could say, as hikers,
we're representing Seoul.
ARROGANT
-[Chae-min] Have you been to Seoraksan?
-Yeah, a lot.
[Chae-min] Oh, really? You have? Nice.
HE CAN FEEL THE VIBE OF A VETERAN
[hiker] Definitely. And here,
more than 2,000 times.
-Two thousand times?
-Over 30-something years.
Over 30 years?
THE NEW MEMBER
HAS AN INCREDIBLE TRACK RECORD
Wow. You're a veteran.
I'm a Seoul hiking expert, sir.
-That's great.
-Yeah.
If you have any questions about hiking,
feel free to ask.
-He's not responding.
-[laughs]
I think he's choosing to ignore me.
If I follow you long enough,
I'll know if you're an expert.
Okay.
AS HE FOLLOWS IN THE STEPS
OF THE SELF-PROCLAIMED EXPERT
[Hyeon-yong] This is Jungsanri Valley.
LOCATED NEXT TO THE TRAIL
JUNGSANRI VALLEY
[Hyeon-yong] We'll be
following along Jungsanri Valley
and then climbing straight up there.
There are viewpoints along the valley.
BEOPCHEONGYEGOK VALLEY
A waterfall.
YUAMPOKPO FALLS
An ice wall.
And beautiful scenery and landscapes,
just the way Car likes it.
I forgot to wear a beanie,
so his voice is even louder.
BICKERING WITH THE DOCENT TODAY
Should've worn a beanie
to muffle the sound.
THEY'VE ONLY WALKED 0.2 KM
EXHALING
BREATHING OUT
UNLIKE HIS USUAL SELF,
CHAE-MIN IS BREATHING HEAVILY
[grunts and sniffles]
HE DOESN'T SEEM TO BE IN GOOD CONDITION
[Hyeon-yong] Does he have a cold?
[Car] Are you coming down with a cold?
I had allergies yesterday,
but this is a cold, I think.
I took my allergy medicine, even at night,
my nose kept feeling
kind of like, just a little weird.
I brought some cold medicine
on the hike, so I took that.
LAST NIGHT
HE TOOK HIS ALLERGY MEDICINE
THIS MORNING
[clears throat]
HE EVEN TOOK COLD MEDICINE
My symptoms were pretty mild,
but the moment the cold wind hit me,
they got way worse. Yeah.
THE ACE'S FIRST CRISIS
-Oh, this is bad. Come on. Let's go.
-[laughs]
LET'S GO HOME
[Chae-min] I'm fine.
Doing this will help. I'm good.
CAN CHAE-MIN OVERCOME THIS HURDLE?
MEANWHILE, THE BAEKMUDONG TEAM
IS IN GOOD CONDITION
It turns out I don't hate mountains.
CURED HIS MOUNTAIN ALLERGY WITH POSITIVITY
-Jirisan is so lush.
-Yeah.
[Dowoon] This is nice.
-[Tarzzan] The path is well maintained.
-[Dowoon] True.
POSITIVITY MAKES THE SNOW-COVERED
MOUNTAIN LOOK GREEN
This is Hadongbawi Rock.
-[Tarzzan] Wow, that looks cool. Whoa!
-[crew] What a great reaction.
[Tarzzan] It says it's 13 meters tall
and 15 meters around.
-Wow, dang, that's crazy.
-Right?
TARZZAN VOLUNTARILY BECOMES
A DOCENT FOR THE FIRST TIME
DOCENT TARZZAN'S FIRST EXPLANATION
HADONGBAWI ROCK
[Dowoon] I mean, dang, this is refreshing.
CAN'T WAIT TO SEE
HOW POSITIVITY IMPACTS THE HIKE
And great weather.
WHAT WAS YOUR FIRST IMPRESSION
OF THE BAEKMUDONG TRAIL?
Oh, it was so nice.
I think it was kind of
a dopamine overload for me.
Tarzzan and I were just laughing.
It was so nice. I don't know why,
but today was perfect.
I was having such a great time,
now that the end was finally near.
"THE PROBLEM IS THE ATTITUDE,
NOT ALTITUDE"
MOUNTAINEER ALBERT MUMMERY
MEANWHILE, THE JUNGSANRI TEAM
HAS A LOT OF PROBLEMS
[panting heavily]
[Car] There are a lot of rocks.
SMALL ROCKS
MEDIUM ROCKS
BIG ROCKS
IT'S ALSO SLIPPERY FROM THE RAIN AT DAWN
THE PATH GOES ON WITH ROCK OF ALL SIZES
[Chae-min] There were so many rocks today
that it kind of felt
like I was rock climbing,
with my feet at least.
It was tricky to figure out where to step.
So your feet become very tense.
So, this mountain
had me stressing out for many reasons.
[Hyeon-yong] Look at this.
THEY ARRIVE AT THIS LOCATION
-[Car] Kalbawi Rock?
-[Hyeon-yong] Kalbawi.
KALBAWI
THE LANDMARK OF THE JUNGSANRI TRAIL
THE ROCK'S TIP LOOKS LIKE A BLADE,
HENCE THE NAME
[Hyeon-yong] The most iconic landmark
of the Jungsanri Trail.
This thing?
YES, THIS
Is that a small blade, then?
BIG BLADE, SMALL BLADE
[Hyeon-yong] Good point.
INCREDULOUS
That reaction was kind of annoying.
[Hyeon-yong] This is the landmark that
signals the start of the Jungsanri Trail.
I'll keep my explanation short.
It says that we're 800 meters
above sea level.
KALBAWI
MADE IT HALFWAY
TO JANGTEOMOK SHELTER
-[Hyeon-yong] As you can see, this slope--
-It's steep.
[Hyeon-yong] Yeah, the difficulty rating
is above average.
The altitude increases
faster than you think.
AS THEY KEEP CLIMBING
[Chae-min] Oh, what is this?
A SWINGING BRIDGE
[Car] That was kind of scary.
Oh, damn.
ROCKS
[grunts]
CHAE-MIN EXHALES
[Car] So many rocks.
A SCREE TRAIL
STAIRS
[Hyeon-yong] This is Jungsanri Valley.
[Car] Wow, the water is so clear.
[Chae-min] It looks so clean.
VALLEY
-Oh! That surprised me.
-[Car] Why?
Nothing. I just thought it was a fish.
EXHALES
THE ROCKS HAVE SCARY DROPS
[pants]
STAGGERING
COULD TWIST YOUR ANKLES
ON THIS SCREE TRAIL
[coughs]
THE STAIRS SLOW THEM DOWN
AFTER ENDLESSLY GOING UP STEPS
AGAIN AND AGAIN
[pants]
-This kind of reminds me of Seoraksan.
-Yeah, they're similar.
THEY'RE REMINDED OF SEORAKSAN
Both of them feel like
we're using our whole bodies to climb.
-They're similar.
-[Chae-min] Exactly.
SEORAKSAN AND JIRISAN WERE SIMILAR?
Simply put, there are no sections
of this trail that feel easy to hike.
And, the whole time,
you just get this feeling.
Oh, it's bad.
THE BAD FEELING
THAT IT'S SIMILAR TO SEORAKSAN
A FLAT GROUND
FOR THE FIRST TIME IN A WHILE
-Can I have a chocolate bar?
-[crew] Sure.
[Hyeon-yong] Let's stop.
TIME FOR THEIR FIRST TRAIL FOOD
TAKING A BITE RIGHT AWAY
-You can share this one.
-[Hyeon-yong] Okay. Thank you.
EVERYONE RECHARGES WITH CHOCOLATE BARS
Are we a third of the way?
[Hyeon-yong] A third
of the way to the shelter.
THEY'RE ABOUT TO SET OFF AGAIN
-[Car] Hello.
-[Chae-min] You got this.
[hiker] Where are you all from?
-We're from Seoul.
-[hiker] From Seoul?
-Yeah.
-[hike] You arrived this morning?
On one of those buses?
Yesterday, when we were climbing,
older folks kept starting conversations
with us, especially Car.
He seems to make people feel comfortable.
Like, if you just look at his face,
he might seem hard
to approach, in the city,
but when you're hiking, it looks like
he just lives in the mountains.
He's got that vibe about him.
PERFECT FACE TO TALK TO WHILE HIKING
He's got such a nice, approachable laugh.
The older folks like that.
PROBABLY THIS KIND OF SMILE
[Hyeon-yong] The strange thing is--
Is this your first time here? Or…
-It's our first time here. Yeah.
-[hiker] Oh.
There's still snow
near Cheonwangbong Peak. It's slippery.
-Oh, we brought crampons.
-[hiker] Oh, okay.
-Then, you're good.
-[laughs]
Have a great day, sir.
[hiker] I'm not old yet, I'm not quite 70.
-You're like my big brother.
-[laughs]
Have a good day, big brother.
I feel better now.
THEY RESUME HIKING
THE CLIMBING SECTION STARTS AGAIN
I'm making a scene getting up these rocks.
FROM CHAE-MIN'S CAM
CLIMBING OVER BIG ROCKS
[Chae-min] The rocks were pretty big,
and they were all spread out.
Whoa.
CHAE-MIN IS STRUGGLING MORE THAN USUAL
I want to go this way.
PASSIONATE
[upbeat music playing]
SKILLED
PERFORMS A TRICK
HE STAYS IN THE LEAD
SHOWING HIS NEW SIDE
-[crew] Car's hiking super well.
-[Hyeon-yong] What?
EX-SPECIAL FORCES CAMERAMAN
ACKNOWLEDGES IT
-[crew] Car's doing well.
-[Hyeon-yong] I know.
I was watching him and thought,
"Wow, he's doing great."
DESCEND CLUB'S ACE AGREES TOO
And I was in worse shape, I think,
so that balanced us out.
[Hyeon-yong] So, Car raised
his game a bit.
And you lowered yours.
Yeah, just a bit. We leveled out.
THE PERFECT COMBO
THEY WERE POLAR OPPOSITES
We were here before,
but it felt like we were here.
[groans]
SEORAKSAN
This is no fun. This sucks.
-Go on ahead. [groans]
-Okay.
HE WAS BUSY GIVING UP THE LEAD
TAEBAEKSAN
-I'm a little--
-[Chae-min] Should we stop?
I'm close to crashing out.
It's about to tear.
GONE ARE THE DAYS
WHEN HE SUFFERED FROM A LACK OF SKILLS
SOUNDING SURPRISED
[Hyeon-yong] Car,
how are you climbing so well?
It's scary here,
so that makes me hike faster.
CURRENT LOCATION
HOMBAWI ROCK SHELTER
1 HOUR AND 50 MINUTES PASSED, 8:53 A.M.,
ARRIVAL AT HOMBAWI SAFETY SHELTER
-[Hyeon-yong] It's been almost two hours.
-That we've hiked?
-An hour fifty?
-That's good progress.
A SHORT BREAK TO REGROUP
FLUNG ONTO THE GROUND
[Hyeon-yong] Hey, what's this?
Hey, what's this? What did you do?
[exclaims]
-[Chae-min] Is it gone?
-[Car] I'll save it.
-I'll rescue it.
-[Chae-min] My hand went limp.
MAKING USE OF HIS GOOD CONDITION
-[Chae-min] Nice, Car.
-[grunts]
-Thank you.
-[Car] I'll stay here for a second.
-[laughing]
-It's comfortable.
A MERMAN FOUND ON JIRISAN
[Hyeon-yong] What was that?
Drop something else.
[Hyeon-yong] We should have
brought him a pillow.
SO I CAN LIE DOWN LONGER
[Car] Look at him.
Seriously, what are we doing here?
GRATEFUL BUT FLUSTERED
[Dowoon] We should put these on.
THE BAEKMUDONG TEAM
ENTERS THE ICY AREA
Should we hike a little,
then stop to put on our crampons?
-[Tarzzan] Sure.
-Sounds good. [groans]
THEY KNOW WHEN TO WEAR CRAMPONS
THEY NATURALLY SIT ON A ROCK
Ah, this is nice.
THEY PUT ON CRAMPONS WITH EASE
Ah, this is so good.
I can see why
our team leaders like to hike.
HE'S FIGURED OUT THE MINDS
OF CORPORATE BOSSES AFTER 5 HIKES
1 HOUR PASSED, 7:52 A.M.,
CRAMPONS ON
[Tarzzan] Breaks make it feel manageable.
It's been so long
since I've worn crampons.
It feels weird. [chuckles]
[Dowoon] What the heck? Are these stairs?
APPEARING AS SOON AS THEY PUT ON
THE CRAMPONS
A SNOWY PATH THAT HAS LOST
ITS FUNCTION AS STAIRS
THE SLOPE'S GRADIENT EXCEEDS 27% AS WELL
FROM TARZZAN'S CAM
The snow pack
definitely makes things harder.
It twists your ankles. Yeah.
ANKLES HAVE TO BEND
AS MUCH AS THE AMOUNT OF SNOW
This kind of feels like the final stretch
on Seoraksan, right?
CHUCKLING
No, this feels more doable.
DIAGNOSIS
EXTREMELY POSITIVE ON HIKING
Even on Seoraksan,
I'd be in a good mood today.
[Tarzzan laughs]
Shall we get going?
One, two, three, here we go.
Here we go.
Hey, on all of our hikes,
I've never seen you
as happy as you are now.
You go ahead.
Make sure they get
a lot of footage of you.
I will.
WILL KEEP CAMERAS
ON THE ROSY-CHEEKED DOWOON
[crew] I heard that they reached
the staircase of hell just now.
The staircase of hell? [exclaims]
Oh, that would have been terrible for us.
[Tarzzan] That was a close one.
COLOR DRAINS FROM HIS FACE
AT THE NEWS OF THE STAIRS
LAUGHS
CHUCKLES
GIGGLING
LAUGHING
CAN'T STOP LAUGHING AT THE THOUGHT
OF HOW THE TABLES HAVE TURNED
[Tarzzan] This is super motivating
THE ENJOYABLE MODERATE SECTION BEGINS
[Dowoon] Hey, is this even a mountain?
Come on! This is great.
EVERYONE LAUGHS
This is what hiking is all about.
This course is perfect.
If the trail stays like this,
we could hike forever.
If it's all like this,
we could even run it.
-We could hike back to Seoul.
-I know, right?
THEY STILL HAVE STAMINA,
SO THEY PLAY "FINISH THE PROVERB"
[crew] Let's play Finish the Phrase.
-[Tarzzan] What?
-[crew] Proverbs.
-Okay.
-[crew] Many hands…
-Many hands make light work.
-[crew] Wrong.
A thousand-mile journey…
-It is faster if you ride a bike.
-[buzzer sounds]
-Should start after you knock.
-[buzzer sounds]
-[crew] Isn't that the stone bridge one?
-Oh, the bridge, right.
A stone bridge.
LOOKING AT THE WRONG ANSWER
[crew] A journey of a thousand miles
begins with a single step.
-Should be given treats.
-[buzzer sounds]
[crew] When one gets slapped in Jongno…
Someone got slapped in Jongno, bro.
-Wow. You should report him.
-[sirens blaring]
This tree is kind of sick.
SO RELAXED THAT HE BECOMES
A DOCENT HIMSELF
It looks so cool.
DOCENT TARZZAN'S SECOND EXPLANATION
KOREAN STEWARTIA MADE BY JIRISAN
This would look cool on a hoodie.
HE WANTS A HOODIE WITH THIS PATTERN
Pretty. Let's go.
But isn't this so pretty?
We have to go all the way over there.
-[Dowoon] Where?
-Over there.
HE SEES THE SHELTER WAY OVER THERE
[Dowoon] So that's the shelter?
Over there?
[crew] Do you remember the name of it?
-Jangteo…
-[Dowoon] Right.
Jangteo Village.
-[crew] Jangteomok Shelter.
-Jangteomok.
[crew] Guess why it's called "Jangteomok."
It must have been
a marketplace at one point.
[crew] How'd you know that?
They climbed up
the mountain to sell things there?
PEOPLE CLIMBED UP THE MOUNTAIN
TO SELL THINGS HERE
JANGTEOMOK SHELTER
THE HIGHEST SHELTER IN KOREA
AT 1,653 M ABOVE SEA LEVEL
MARKETS HAVE BEEN OPEN HERE
SINCE THE THREE KINGDOM ERA
IT WAS A PLACE WHERE PEOPLE CONNECTED
Those people must have been incredible.
If they started a business nowadays,
they'd eat CEOs for breakfast.
A NATION OF HIKERS
-We're almost here.
-Yeah.
Oh, jeez.
[Tarzzan] We're here!
[Dowoon] Let's freaking run.
[exclaiming]
I need a break.
Let's take a break.
Resting is my favorite.
THEY START RUNNING TO REST
[Dowoon] Oh, jeez,
you're a good runner, man!
Damn.
[exclaims]
Be careful.
-How are you so fast?
-[Tarzzan] What?
THE STAMINA OF A HIKING NATION DESCENDANT
Let's go!
[exclaiming]
ARRIVAL AT JANGTEOMOK SHELTER
ARRIVED 30 MINUTES EARLIER THAN EXPECTED
[panting]
[crew] True mountaineer.
[Tarzzan] Yeah, mountaineer.
From the looks of it,
we did come pretty high up.
[Dowoon] Whoa, this is high.
CHEONWANGBONG
THE JUNGSANRI TEAM IS STILL GOING UP
-This trail looks endless.
-[Car] Yeah.
-This feels like Seoraksan.
-[Car] It's basically the same.
And it's supposed to get worse.
-[Chae-min] What?
-It gets harder.
-[Chae-min] Harder from here?
-[Car] Yeah.
THE REAL HIKE HASN'T EVEN BEGUN YET
[Hyeon-yong] So far, this has been
the moderate section.
Different lines, same hike.
So far, the average slope
has been 19.2 degrees.
The rest is 31.8.
[Chae-min] It's only been 19 up till now.
THE REMAINING PATH IS 1.5 TIMES STEEPER
[Chae-min] But this is…
[Hyeon-yong] The way I feel,
this isn't "normal" difficulty.
-This is much harder.
-Yeah, it's been pretty difficult.
[Hyeon-yong] Yeah.
From hard to super hard.
THE START OF HARD DIFFICULTY
THE GRADIENT JUMPS DRASTICALLY
THE PATH THICKENS WITH SNOW
IT'S ONLY BEEN JUST A PREVIEW SO FAR
FROM NOW ON, IT'S THE TRUE JIRISAN
Yes.
LEAD: CAR, THE GARDEN
TAIL: CHAE-MIN
FROM CHAE-MIN'S CAM
[Chae-min] What is this place?
The Gwaneumsa trail has a steep incline,
but the Jungsanri Trail is even steeper,
according to an online review.
The reviewer said,
"Think of it as walking on a wall."
"It went straight up."
That's how the reviewer described it.
FROM CHAE-MIN'S CAM
And today, I definitely saw why
they had described it that way.
This place is not easy.
IT'S NO JOKE FROM THE START
[Hyeon-yong] Director, take a break.
Take your time.
[panting]
THE TRACKING SHOT CAMERA OPERATOR STOPS
IT'S HARD EVEN FOR THOSE WITH GOOD STAMINA
[Hyeon-yong] Okay.
AND THE ICY SECTION CONTINUES ON
THEY PUT ON CRAMPONS
AND START ON THE ICY ROAD
[pants]
GROANS
[Car] This is an exhausting path.
TWICE THE AMOUNT OF SNOW
THAN THE PREVIOUS PATH
CHAE-MIN HIKES WITH HIKING POLES
TAP
STRATEGY: USES HIS POLES
TO CHECK THE NEXT STEP TO TAKE
CAR, THE GARDEN HIKES HANDS-FREE
FROM CAR, THE GARDEN'S CAM
STRATEGY: MAKES FULL USE
OF THE ENVIRONMENT AROUND HIM
[Chae-min] Wow, this slope is insane.
Whoa.
THEY WALK UP THE STEEP AND ICY STONE STEPS
FROM CAR, THE GARDEN'S CAM
THE TOP HAS FROZEN OVER COMPLETELY
GOING DOWN ON ALL FOURS IMMEDIATELY
-What is this?
-I know, right?
CAR, THE GARDEN REACHES FIRST
FROM CHAE-MIN'S CAM
[panting heavily]
Oh, that won't work.
GETS DOWN ON ALL FOURS TOO
FROM CHAE-MIN'S CAM
HE GETS THROUGH
THE ICE WALL-LIKE FROZEN PATH
[Hyeon-yong] It's more frozen
than last time.
[crew] The trail didn't look like this.
-[Hyeon-yong] It's worse than before.
-[crew] Yeah.
[Hyeon-yong] This is hard.
CHAE-MIN FOLLOWS SLOWLY
GROANS
Crazy.
GRIMACING BUT NOT STOPPING
FROM CAR, THE GARDEN'S CAM
REGARDLESS OF THE PATH, HE KEEPS WALKING
THE PACEMAKER IS DILIGENT TODAY
SIGHING
[Car] It's so exhausting.
IT'S NOT EASY FOR HIM
But honestly…
most people who like
hiking in the mountains
aren't coming to places like this.
I'm serious. What we're doing is useless.
We're only hiking trails
that people who enjoy hiking avoid.
[Chae-min] They go to Gwanaksan.
They'll watch this
and know they should avoid it.
You're welcome, everyone.
TO THE VIEWERS
SUDDENLY THE HIKING AMBASSADOR
Just enjoy yourselves.
If you think you can
handle this place, go for it.
But if you're out of shape,
like me, never come here.
It's reckless arrogance.
-It's a waste of time. Life is short.
-[all laughing]
Don't waste your time on useless hikes.
Spend your time meaningfully.
I mean it.
[Hyeon-yong] Know your hiking limits.
-Know what hikes you're built for.
-[Hyeon-yong] "What you're built for."
FROM SOMEONE WHOSE MEANS
WEREN'T SUITABLE FOR JIRISAN
I don't think we're built for this.
About how much further is it?
[Hyeon-yong] About three or 400 meters.
-Four hundred.
-[Hyeon-yong] It's 10:07 right now.
And we're supposed
to get there by 10:30.
-We're on pace and close.
-[Hyeon-yong] Pretty much in range.
That's good. Chae-min, we got here fast.
You know, Car, I think that…
THANKS TO THE PACEMAKER,
THEY'RE MAINTAINING THEIR SPEED
[Hyeon-yong] The crew is pretty surprised.
-…frustrated with you right now.
-We're very disappointed.
THE ONLY CELEBRITY
WHO IS DISAPPOINTING IF HE CLIMBS WELL
[Hyeon-yong] Seriously.
The crew was pretty disappointed.
Fair enough.
[Hyeon-yong] They thought you'd go slowly.
I suppose I owe them an apology.
[Hyeon-yong] The crew was shocked
by how much you've improved.
The crew did not anticipate
working this hard.
-They thought we'd be moving slow.
-Oh, no.
ABOUT 400 M LEFT
[Chae-min] Wow, the slope here is insane.
THEY BARELY CAN TAKE A STEP PER SECOND
FROM CAR, THE GARDEN'S CAM
It's getting harder.
This is endless.
THE PATH GETS STEEPER, LET ALONE END
GROANS
[Car] Oh, my gosh.
A BRUTAL AREA WITH A GRADIENT OF 31.8%
HE CLIMBS ON ALL FOURS AGAIN
FROM CAR, THE GARDEN'S CAM
SIGHS
THEY TRY TO PICK UP THE PACE
[panting]
THEY PAUSE AFTER LESS THAN TEN STEPS
THEY CAN'T EVEN RAISE THEIR HEADS
FROM CAR, THE GARDEN'S CAM
HE PULLS HIMSELF TOGETHER
[rapid panting]
PANTING
IN THE END, HE STOPS AGAIN
[Car] It's so exhausting.
[both panting]
THEIR STAMINA RUNS OUT QUICKLY
DUE TO THE STEEP SLOPE
[Hyeon-yong] It's only ten more minutes.
-What was the hardest part?
-[sighs deeply]
-So, right before the shelter.
-[Hyeon-yong] That stretch?
That stretch was merciless.
SICK OF IT
What did it want from me?
What does it want me to do?
It was like, "Hike this, or don't."
That's what it felt like.
STRAINING
NEGATIVE GARDEN IS GETTING MAD
Where's the end?
-Jangteomok feels so high up.
-[Car] It's so high.
Chae-min got
a little irritated today. Yeah.
It's rare for him
to get frustrated like that.
That's how hard it was.
SAYS THE PERSON WHO'S THE MOST ANGRY
GETTING MORE AND MORE WORKED UP
Oh, for Christ's sake.
RELEASING THE CURSES
HE'S BEEN HOLDING BACK
TWO MONTHS AGO AT SEORAKSAN
I can't stop swearing. Seriously.
If you're exhausted, you can curse.
Oh. Sure. But I can't stop.
Go ahead and curse. Blurt it out.
THE MODEL STUDENT DOES AS TAUGHT
-[grunts]
-[chirp sound]
-[exclaims]
-[chirping sound]
[chirping sound]
MAKING FULL USE OF WHAT HE LEARNED
-This sucks.
-[chirping sound]
USING HIS MOUTH AS A SPEED BOOST
HE SQUEEZES OUT
THE LAST DROP OF ENERGY TO CLIMB
-[Dowoon] Come on, Director!
-[Tarzzan] You got this!
They're already there.
-What?
-They got there.
They're over there.
JUNGSANRI, BAEKMUDONG
THE BAEKMUDONG TEAM IS WATCHING FROM ABOVE
[Tarzzan] Let's go!
Let's go!
NO, I CAN'T
[pants]
JANGTEOMOK SHELTER
IT'S REALLY RIGHT IN FRONT OF THEM
CAR, THE GARDEN'S FACE
IS SEVERELY CONTORTED
Right up till the end.
-Oh, wow. We can't joke.
-Car, the garden!
-Or we might get punched.
-Oh, yeah?
Yeah. Be nice.
He does not look happy.
SIGHING
[chirping sound]
[pants]
[Dowoon] He's gonna hit you.
[Tarzzan] Chae-min looks angry.
It must have been bad.
[Dowoon] They look exhausted.
[Tarzzan] Normally, he'd be smiling.
[both panting heavily]
FROM CAR, THE GARDEN'S CAM
[Car] Go on, Chae-min.
Go ahead. Go first.
-I'll stop with you.
-[Car] Okay.
I'm gonna die.
SQUEEZING OUT THE LAST DROP OF ENERGY
FOR THE HOMESTRETCH
GOSH
Wow. We made it.
[crew] You made it!
THE JUNGSANRI TEAM ARRIVES
AT JANGTEOMOK SHELTER
[panting heavily]
-[Tarzzan] It's giving Huiungak vibes.
-Don't say anything to him.
Seriously, this trail was…
-[chirping sound]
-…was just impossible.
I wouldn't call that a hike.
-It's a…
-[chirping sound]
A HEAVILY CONDENSED REVIEW
Seriously.
I have nothing else to say. Seriously.
HE'S STRANGE
[Hyeon-yong] When you arrived,
you swore a lot.
Yes. I can curse some more.
I want to hike, and not swear so much.
-But…
-[chirping sound]
It sucked.
TREMBLING
Seriously.
Please censor this, so you can air it.
WE KEPT THE PROMISE
[Dowoon] Great work!
[Hyeon-yong] Look at them sweating.
JUNGSANRI TEAM ARRIVES
AT JANGTEOMOK SHELTER
-[Car] I can't help it.
-Wait. Look at Chae-min. Chae-min!
[Tarzzan] Just look at him.
I think I must have sweated out a liter.
Seriously, a full liter.
-To be honest…
-[Car] It's like Seoraksan.
In terms of difficulty,
this is harder than Seoraksan.
-I didn't sweat on that hike.
-I've never seen you struggle like this.
But seriously, it was brutal. So hard.
Yeah, I'm glad
you didn't have to hike that.
Because if we were all like this,
the vibe would've been hostile.
THANK GOODNESS
I'm glad you had a better experience.
The map said the beginning was tough.
YOU LOOK LIKE YOU HAD IT A LOT WORSE
[Hyeon-yong] Did it start tough
and end easy?
-Yeah.
-That's what I heard.
[crew] But even the beginning wasn't bad.
-[Hyeon-yong] Oh, really?
-Okay.
Team Gwaneumsa was ready for it.
Should we eat?
-[Dowoon] Let's eat.
-[Car] Let's eat.
JANGTEOMOK SHELTER KITCHEN
We were hungry so we ate a little.
TODAY'S LUNCH: RAMYEON
CAR, THE GARDEN BROUGHT
CAMPING COOKWARE AND A PORTABLE GAS STOVE
RUMMAGING
THEY EACH BROUGHT THEIR OWN CUTLERY
TARZZAN BROUGHT 4 PACKS OF RAMYEON
DESCEND CLUB'S SELECTION
SNACK RAMEN
-[Tarzzan] We have to buy ramyeon.
-[Chae-min] Let's do it.
What should we eat?
-This one.
-How about this? It takes two minutes.
-Snackmyeon?
-[Car] Easy to cook.
And it's good.
-[Dowoon] You could eat it raw.
-[Chae-min] Nice.
2ND TIME COOKING IN A SHELTER
PREPARED FOR LUNCH WELL
-That's enough.
-Yeah, that's good.
-Nice.
-[Dowoon] Here, I'll light it.
[clicking]
[Tarzzan] It's on.
Oh, you got it. It's working. Any second.
THEY GATHER ROUND
AND WAIT FOR THE WATER TO BOIL
It's starting to bubble up.
SHAKING
ADDS THE RAMYEON SOUP BASE FIRST
That's right, put in the soup base first.
Exactly.
STUFFS IN ALL 4 PACKS OF NOODLES AT ONCE
DESCEND CLUB'S OFFICIAL RAMYEON COOKER,
CHAE-MIN
-[Chae-min] It needs more time.
-[Tarzzan] A little longer?
MEANWHILE, CAR, THE GARDEN PACES AROUND
Aren't you tired? It's exhausting.
BADMOUTHING THE MOUNTAIN
This makes no sense.
I hate that we have to keep hiking.
Am I too miserable?
SMILING GARDEN
LONG-FACED GARDEN
I'm depressed.
I wish this was Huiungak
and we could head back down.
-That'd be nice.
-We thought that too.
DESCEND CLUB NEVER CHANGES
-Oh, it looks delicious.
-Good, right?
[Chae-min] Halfway up,
I was thinking about eating this already.
I was like, "Two kilometers to ramyeon!"
The noodles look al dente.
Let's eat.
THE RAMYEON IS READY IN AN INSTANT
Okay.
The soup--
Okay.
So good.
[slurping]
Okay.
[slurping]
[Car] The best ramyeon
I've had in a while.
Right?
ONE BOWL CLEARED
[moans]
Wow. Honestly,
I don't usually like ramyeon that much.
But it's great today.
Yeah, it's delicious.
[crew] He said he doesn't usually like it.
HE SAID HE DIDN'T LIKE RAMYEON
This is heaven.
-[sighs in relief]
-This is heaven.
POURING A CUP OF BROTH
Try the soup. It's good.
Lift it up.
DISTRIBUTING SOUP
[Dowoon] It's hot in here.
NOT LEAVING A SINGLE DROP BEHIND
[Hyeon-yong] Is the soup gone?
-Yeah, we ate everything.
-[Hyeon-yong] Oh, yeah?
That was filling.
TIDYING UP IN PERFECT UNISON
WITH THE WET WIPES DOWOON BROUGHT
[squeaking]
A SIMPLE WIPE DOWN FOR THE COOKWARE
ALL THE TRASH IS KEPT IN A BAG
THE COOKING AREA CLEANLY WIPED DOWN
THEY CLEAN UP PERFECTLY
TO END A PERFECT LUNCH
TIME FOR THE LAST PART
OF CLIMBING TO CHEONWANGBONG
[Hyeon-yong] 1.7 kilometers
to Cheonwangbong Peak.
An hour and a half.
Let's go!
EVERYONE IS SILENT
DIFFICULTY LEVEL UNTIL CHEONWANGBONG
HARD
[traditional folk music playing]
CHEONWANGBONG
REMAINING DISTANCE: 1.7 KM
ESTIMATED TO TAKE 1 HOUR AND 30 MINUTES
THEY DEPART FOR CHEONWANGBONG
[Chae-min] Here we go.
DESCEND CLUB HIKES AT FULL STRENGTH
-Oh, it's cold.
-[Chae-min] Yeah.
-My body's stiff.
-[Tarzzan] Mine is too.
THEIR BODIES BECAME
COLDER AND STIFF WHILE RESTING
LEAD: CAR, THE GARDEN
MIDDLE 1: DOWOON
MIDDLE 2: TARZZAN
TAIL: CHAE-MIN
MATCHING THE SPEED OF THE PACEMAKER
STARTING WITH STONE STAIRS
AS THEY CLIMB THE STONE STAIRS
It's pretty cold.
SNOW HASN'T MELTED IN SOME PLACES
HANDRAILS SOON APPEAR
WHEN THERE ARE HANDRAILS…
IT MEANS IT'S SO DIFFICULT
YOU NEED TO HOLD ONTO HANDRAILS
CHAE-MIN QUICKLY RUNS OUT OF BREATH
[sighs deeply]
What do you mean, it's easy?
[Hyeon-yong] The beginning
is the only tricky part.
-Just here?
-[Hyeon-yong] Yeah.
[Chae-min panting]
HE STILL FEELS UNWELL
I think, after the shelter,
the first part felt extremely difficult,
both physically and mentally.
We got a long rest, with some hot food,
and got to sit down.
So, my body felt so relaxed.
I'd completely lost my drive.
I was running low on energy,
and my muscles were like,
"I thought we were relaxing."
So it felt like my body was telling me,
"This is as far as we go."
I'd given it everything I had already.
We should've gone down after the shelter.
Just like we did at Seoraksan.
[Hyeon-yong] Just up and back?
So, like, after we ate…
I think I was kind of bloated.
It was so tough. [yawn]
BASHFUL
Yeah.
[groaning, panting]
THE JUNGSANRI TEAM IS STILL SUFFERING
[groans]
PAUSES
THE BAEKMUDONG TEAM HAD STAMINA LEFT
BUT IS NOW TIRED TOO
Oof!
My legs are k*lling me.
[pants]
THEY END UP TAKING A BREAK
AFTER ONLY 5 MINUTES OF HIKING
Oh, my body is stiff.
From the ramyeon.
DAZED
Did you hike up a lot of rocks?
-Us?
-Yeah.
No.
[all panting]
It was like this all the way up for us.
Seriously, I'm not lying.
I was so pissed off, you know?
It was like this the whole time.
Right?
Some parts were like,
"What are we supposed to hold on to?"
[Dowoon] We started with Baekmudong,
and then suddenly,
we were on the other trail.
And apparently, it was just like
our opponent's trail.
Wait, not "our opponent."
Jung-won hyung's team.
Like, "Wow, you hiked like this
for three and a half hours?"
I was thinking about that like…
Oh, man, we had it so easy.
-For us, Jirisan…
-Seriously.
…was a piece of cake.
[Car] But you guys deserved
an easy course, too.
The problem is,
my legs are starting to cramp.
[Dowoon] But, Car,
your pace is super-fast.
This is my pace.
[Dowoon] I was worried
that you'd get exhausted.
Yeah. I am exhausted.
-Oh.
-I've tried every approach on this trail.
I tried going super slow.
[Dowoon] But going slow
is painful in its own way.
-It feels like it'll take forever.
-[Car] Yeah.
-Right?
-[Dowoon] Yeah.
[Car] That's it exactly.
"IF YOU'RE GOING THROUGH HELL, KEEP GOING"
"THAT IS NO PLACE TO STOP"
-WINSTON CHURCHILL
[Hyeon-yong] Watch out for
the icy spots here.
This part is frozen solid.
Be careful.
SLIPS
Didn't he just warn us?
THE JUNGSANRI TEAM NEEDS TO BE CAREFUL
SINCE THEY'RE NOT WEARING CRAMPONS
[Car] You can do this.
You got this.
What is this?
It's slippery.
OTHERS PASS SAFELY
How do I do this?
FROM CHAE-MIN'S CAM
CHAE-MIN TAKES A STEP WITH DIFFICULTY
Whoa. Whoa.
TARZZAN WAITS FOR CHAE-MIN
[Tarzzan] Is it slippery?
[Chae-min] Yeah,
I should put on my crampons.
Whoa, that was close,
without my crampons on.
JUST LOOKING AT HIS FACE MAKES HIM LAUGH
[laughing]
[Car] Oh man.
NOW, THE RIDGE IS FREE OF ICE
Wow, we've climbed so high.
LOOKING AROUND
I don't see a higher mountain.
How much further?
FULL OF CONCERN
[Hyeon-yong] Do you remember
those Christmas trees
that we passed in the grove?
Yeah.
-[Dowoon] Yew? Yew tree?
-[Hyeon-yong] No.
Korean fir.
WRONG!
HERE COMES THE EXPLANATION
[Hyeon-yong] This is a Korean fir grove.
These are used to make Christmas trees.
[Chae-min] Where are they?
A COLONY OF FIRS
How pretty.
HALLASAN
KOREAN FIR TREES
EVERGREEN CONIFERS NATIVE TO KOREA
THAT GROW WILD AT ELEVATIONS
AT LEAST 1,000 M ABOVE SEA LEVEL
AND HAVE SPREAD OVERSEAS
AS CHRISTMAS TREES
JIRISAN
[Hyeon-yong] They're restoring
the Korean firs here.
It's an important place.
ON THE VERGE OF GOING EXTINCT
DUE TO CLIMATE CHANGE
[Car] Feels like Jeju Island.
KOREAN FIR COLONY AT JESEOKBONG PEAK
[Chae-min] Man, I'm sleepy.
[Tarzzan] Yeah, I'm sleepy too.
[Dowoon] Let's stay at the summit
for five minutes, then head back.
Let's descend quickly.
A RESOLUTION BEFITTING OF DESCEND CLUB
Isn't this the summit?
I wish this was the summit.
THIS PLACE WITH OPEN VIEWS ISN'T THE TOP
JESEOKBONG SHELTER
CURRENT LOCATION
That's not it, right?
Is that it?
-[Hyeon-yong] It's that.
-What?
What?
-It's that?
-That's the peak.
CURRENT LOCATION
THAT IS CHEONWANGBONG
Where is it?
-The far one?
-[Tarzzan] Over there.
What?
COLLECTIVELY DISAPPOINTED
Which one is the peak?
[Hyeon-yong] The peak that's in front.
[Chae-min] It looks so steep.
CHEONWANGBONG
What a mistake.
I mean, at least it's…
beautiful.
I'M [A PINEAPPLE] FINE
Okay, this is the last one.
[Hyeon-yong] We've hiked 700 meters.
One kilometer left.
[Car] You remember Hallasan?
It's just as deceptive.
Seeing it gives false hope.
Maybe false hope isn't right.
No, it's false hope.
[laughing]
Oh my gosh, Car.
[Car] Everyone deals with that in life.
If I could, kind of like, predict
what's to come, and see it for myself…
it's okay.
But if I can't see it,
I feel hopeless.
But we could see Cheonwangbong Peak,
so it was okay.
[Dowoon] Car was just like,
"There's still hope if you can see it."
But I was like,
"Wow, will we make it there?"
That's all I could think about.
It was so far away.
Yeah.
Different perspectives.
Yeah.
I don't think perspective
has anything to do with this.
CHEONWANGBONG LOOKS FAR AWAY
BECAUSE OF PERSPECTIVE
Oh, I love this downhill part.
Right?
IT'S DOWNHILL FOR ABOUT 300 M
[peppy song playing]
THE HIKING BLUE CHIP
TAKES THE STAIRS FOR HIMSELF
Oh, be careful here.
NIMBLE
HIKING SAFELY WITH HIKING POLES
A FORK IN THE ROAD APPEARS
CAR-THE GOES TO LEFT
DOWOON GOES TO RIGHT
Oh my gosh.
-Why are there two paths?
-[Hyeon-yong] What?
I'll go this way.
DOWOON ARRIVES FIRST
I was just following you, Dowoon.
[chuckles]
That was a good idea.
My road is easier, right?
You're a true pioneer.
Of course.
TEAM BAEKMUDONG SHARES A DEEP BOND
Bam, bam. Quickly.
Step, step, step, step.
[chuckles]
CHA JUNG-WON SHOWS OFF
HIS HIKING WITH IMPROVED SKILLS
Boop, bop.
And then boop! You just tap the rocks.
Wisdom.
HE VISUALIZES
And then…
Tap tap, tap.
Bop, bop. There. Three steps.
I'm bored today,
so I'm talking to the camera.
THE DOWNHILL SECTION ENDS
THEY PASS THE FLAT AREA
700 M TO CHEONWANGBONG
THE SNOWY UPHILL PATH BEGINS
It's just a snowfield.
STILL COMPLETELY COVERED IN WHITE SNOW
Ha, ha!
[both sigh]
Good.
I can do this.
STARING
Hey, we're almost there.
CHEONWANGBONG
-It's right in front of us.
-I can see it now.
This is sick. I'm going to conquer it.
FROM DOWOON'S CAM
-Turning on the jets.
-[Dowoon] Okay.
Whoa! [laughing]
ATTACKED UNEXPECTEDLY
It's this hill, sorry. I needed the boost.
I thought… you were about to go faster.
FLUSTERED BY THE UNEXPECTED CHEMICAL GAS
I needed some momentum.
TURNS OUT TO BE LAUGHING GAS
A SUSPICIOUS-LOOKING CAVE APPEARS
[Hyeon-yong] Oh man.
That's Tongcheonmun Pass.
It means "gate that leads to the sky."
THE NAME MEANS "A GATE TO THE SKY"
A GATE FORMED BY ROCKS
MUST WALK STRAIGHT UP THROUGH THE ROCKS
IT'S NARROWER AND STEEPER
THAN IT LOOKS WITH A LOW CEILING
IT'S FROZEN, SO YOU MUST BE CAREFUL
[Hyeon-yong] Watch out
for the rock above your heads.
Be careful of the falling icicles.
[Dowoon] What is this?
Like, is this Kartrider?
[Car] Wow, icicles.
THEY ENTER
He's right, there's ice here.
[Tarzzan] Wow, a door to the sky?
Oh, this is nothing.
TODAY'S ACE, CAR, THE GARDEN,
PASSES WITH EASE
HE ARRIVES AT THE SKY
[Car sighs]
Whoa, this is almost…
like rock climbing.
[Chae-min] Whoa.
This is wild.
[Dowoon] Oh, jeez.
DOWOON ARRIVES AT THE SKY TOO
[Tarzzan screams]
[screams]
-[Chae-min] What happened?
-I hit my head.
[Chae-min] What?
FEELS BAD FOR HIM
[Chae-min] What even is this?
[Car] Chae-min, watch your head.
[Chae-min] Okay.
It's so narrow here.
IT WON'T LET YOU PASS EASILY
[Hyeon-yong] You hit your head?
I hit my head.
[Hyeon-yong] Careful over there.
Your brain is a little slow already,
hitting it won't help.
-Aw, car! What are you saying?
-[Car] You hit it on a rock?
Come on, I'm not that dumb.
CHAE-MIN PASSES THROUGH TOO
[Chae-min] This place is insane.
[Hyeon-yong] Watch out
for the holes in the ground.
-[Car] Okay.
-[Hyeon-yong] Please be careful!
[Car] Yeah, be careful here.
THEY PASS TONGCHEONMUN, THE FIRST GATEWAY
[Car] I'll admit,
this mountain's beautiful.
I just don't want to hike all the way up.
CHEONWANGBONG
Almost there.
Are we really?
[Hyeon-yong] Just the Stairway to Heaven.
I'm going to cry.
I'm going to cry.
Chae-min, almost there.
We're almost there.
Almost there, Tarzzan.
THE SECOND GATEWAY TO CHEONWANGBONG,
THE STAIRWAY TO HEAVEN
A LONG STRETCH OF STAIRS IN FRONT OF THEM
The stairs are rough.
Oh my gosh.
[panting]
Marginally better than the rocks.
GOING BACK AND FORTH
WORKING HARD
Should we sprint the rest? Do we run it?
You got it in you?
-I can do it.
-Five minutes of hiking left?
-Try climbing like a squirrel.
-Okay.
[Hyeon-yong] Five to ten minutes.
Don't we just have to get up there?
[Hyeon-yong] I think so.
Yeah.
-[Hyeon-yong] Almost there.
-All right, young guys.
YOUNG CANDIDATE 1
-Young people.
-Anyone that can run it.
YOUNG ONES: DOWOON AND TARZZAN
-Let's do it.
-Let's go.
Wait, let me eat a jjondeugi.
This isn't jjondeugi.
A MyChew?
-Is it mango?
-Yeah. Do you want one?
[Car] No. Go.
Take your time.
-Be careful with the crampons.
-Okay.
Then, bring your car around again.
[Dowoon] Okay. Huh?
Okay. Huh? What?
-Bring the car like last time.
-Like last time.
What if we get up those stairs
and there's more to hike?
-Oh, come on.
-No way.
SNORTS
-Why are you laughing?
-What?
Is it because he knows the truth?
No. That's the end.
-Let's run.
-[Tarzzan grunts]
THE YOUNG BAEKMUDONG TEAM STARTS RUNNING
[groaning]
FROM TARZZAN'S CAM
[groaning]
FROM DOWOON'S CAM
A CLEAN CORNER TURN
[panting]
THE DISTANCE GROWS IN AN INSTANT
BREATHING OUT
TARZZAN LIVING UP TO HIS NAME
THE EX-SPECIAL FORCES CAMERAMAN
RUNS WITH A SMILE
Ah, sh*t.
DOWOON STARTS THROWING OUT FOREIGN WORDS
Ah, sh*t.
THE LAST DANCE RUNNING AROUND BIG ROCKS
MORE STAIRS AFTER THE STONE STAIRS
[grunts]
[panting]
Oh, sh*t.
RUNS OUT OF ENERGY
[gasping]
TARZZAN IS EXHAUSTED TOO
[Hyeon-yong] There's still a long way
to go! Don't run!
That was just the beginning.
-What?
-[Hyeon-yong] That's the beginning.
It's up there.
You said we're almost there!
THE END OF THE STAIRS THEY SAW
WHERE THEY STARTED RUNNING
THE REMAINING DISTANCE
DISPIRITED
Hey, we got scammed!
[Dowoon] I know, that's why I collapsed.
FEELING LETHARGIC
[both panting heavily]
[exhales sharply]
Someone definitely said that.
"Go up those stairs, and you're there."
So I was like,
"Okay, let's run this, Dowoon."
And then they were like,
"That's just the beginning,"
"What? He said… that was the end, though?"
[crew laughing]
We have to find the culprit,
the person who said
that we were almost there.
[Hyeon-yong] It was me.
Who else could it be?
RIGHT UNDER TARZZAN'S NOSE
I was talking about
the place just past that.
[panting]
No wonder the director was smiling.
[groans]
-[Dowoon] He said this isn't the end.
-[Car] What?
[Dowoon] This isn't the end.
-[Car] Where is it?
-[Dowoon] It's a little further.
-[Car] Oh, frick. Huh?
-[Dowoon] We have a ways to go.
We thought it was over,
and we were celebrating.
We have to go up. Let's go.
[groaning]
THE YOUNG BAEKMUDONG TEAM
STARTS HIKING WITH ENERGY AGAIN
This isn't the end? It's over there?
There's more? Frick.
Screw this.
IT'S STILL TIRING EVEN WHEN YOU GO SLOW
There's no end in sight.
GOING UP HIGHER AND HIGHER
Dang, I can do this!
[grunts]
Wow, you knew we weren't close!
[shouts]
[panting heavily]
GONE MAD
[pants heavily]
This is why you shouldn't get c*ck.
"HIKE WITHIN YOUR MEANS"
-CAR, THE GARDEN
This is a brutal section.
Yeah.
THOSE WHO JUST WALK UP STRUGGLE TOO
THEY FINALLY REUNITE
Want to take a break, Car?
I need to, after running like that.
Aren't you dizzy?
[Chae-min] You ran hard.
-Well, I thought this was the end.
-[Dowoon] Me too.
I thought that was the end.
I thought we could just run
super-fast to get here.
REAL FALSE HOPE
I can't even talk. I'm mumbling.
-This is rough.
-How much further is it?
And it'll get worse.
CURRENT LOCATION, CHEONWANGBONG
THE REAL HOMESTRETCH
[theme music playing]
THE FINAL HIKE LINEUP
LEAD: TARZZAN
MIDDLE 1: CAR, THE GARDEN
MIDDLE 2: DOWOON
TAIL: CHAE-MIN
[sighs]
I see it!
The final stretch!
[Dowoon] Don't trust it.
It might keep going after that.
DESCEND CLUB'S
[Tarzzan] Oh, we're here!
FINAL HIKE
[Car] Okay.
THEY TAKE THEIR FINAL STEPS
[Chae-min] Is this real?
TO THE LAST PEAK
[Dowoon] We're here, for real.
CHEONWANGBONG SUMMIT MARKER
DOWOON, CHAE-MIN, CAR, THE GARDEN, TARZZAN
[Tarzzan screams]
[screams]
ROARING AS IF HE CLIMBED MOUNT EVEREST
PRESIDENT TAR IS FIRST
TO REACH CHEONWANGBONG
HUGS THE SUMMIT MARKER
NOW IMPROVED BY LEAPS AND BOUNDS,
CAR, THE GARDEN ARRIVES
Where on earth are we?
[Hyeon-yong] Everyone made it.
AFTER A HARD TIME TODAY, CHAE-MIN ARRIVES
-Wow.
-[Hyeon-yong] We finally arrived!
Fighting, Dowoon!
LASTLY, DOWOON ARRIVES
The weather is a little disappointing,
but still.
EVERYONE HAS ARRIVED AT CHEONWANGBONG
[Hyeon-yong] Your final quest,
the sacred Korean mountain,
Jirisan Cheonwangbong Peak.
You have succeeded.
Congratulations!
CHEONWANGBONG
[triumphant instrumental music playing]
THE PLACE WHERE THE CLOUDS REST
AND THE WIND REACHES FIRST
WITH ITS COUNTLESS RIDGES AND VALLEYS
IT IS THE SACRED MOUNTAIN
OF THE KOREAN PEOPLE
THE KOREAN SPIRIT AROSE FROM HERE
THE PLACE ABOVE THE CLOUDS
AND CLOSEST TO THE SKY
THE HIGHEST PEAK OF JIRISAN
AT 1,915 M ABOVE SEA LEVEL
THEY HAVE SUCCESSFULLY CLIMBED
TO CHEONWANGBONG, JIRISAN
[crew] Great job!
-[Hyeon-yong] That was your last hike.
-Nice work, everyone.
Great job.
EXHAUSTED
The last hike of our lives.
Congratulations.
The last hike we'll ever take.
NO ENERGY LEFT TO SPEAK
[Hyeon-yong] It's extra cloudy,
so you can't see it,
but usually there's a sea of clouds below.
A lot of people come here for the sunrise.
I see.
IT'S A PITY THAT TODAY IS CLOUDY
BUT ON SUNNY DAYS, YOU CAN CLEARLY SEE
THE OUTLINE OF THE MOUNTAINS
IN THE DISTANCE
ALSO
ALONG WITH THE SPECTACULAR SCENE
CREATED BY THE ROLLING SEA OF CLOUDS
YOU CAN SEE THE BEAUTIFUL SUNRISE
SADLY, THEY CAN'T SEE IT TODAY
The scenery was a little disappointing.
Considering the difficulty,
the view was a letdown.
It wasn't worth what we paid.
STILL, HE CAN'T MISS OUT
ON TAKING PHOTOS NOW
I mean, you know, when you reach the top,
it's like, "It's over, I did it."
That was nice.
CHAE-MIN ALSO TAKES PHOTOS
OF THE SUMMIT MARKER
[Chae-min] I mean,
the snowy mountains were beautiful,
but the sky was pretty hazy,
and there were a ton of clouds,
so I didn't feel refreshed
like the other hikes.
That was disappointing.
AFTER RUNNING,
DOWOON JUST LIES DOWN
[Dowoon] I'm sick and tired of this show.
It's finally over.
Wow, we can all breathe again. We're free.
Come on, I bet the whole crew is thrilled.
They're probably even happier than we are.
[crew laughing]
TARZZAN'S HAIR IS AN ABSOLUTE MESS
Today was the hardest day for me.
In the middle of the hike,
I got too c*ck and ran.
LAUGHING IN REGRET
After that,
everything started to go wrong.
The name "Jirisan" is rooted
in "strange wisdom,"
and I liked that.
It felt very meaningful to me. Yeah.
THEY TAKE A PHOTO
OF THE LAST SUMMIT MARKER
[crew 1] Okay.
-We'll take some photos.
-[crew 2] Stand closer together.
[crew 1] The camera's here.
I'll take a few.
Just a few more.
[crew 2] Almost done.
One more of all four members!
DESCEND CLUB'S LAST CLIMB
MARCH 12, 2026
ON CHEONWANGBONG, JIRISAN
Oh gosh, the sun just came out.
CHEONWANGBONG, JIRISAN
SEORAKSAN, TAEBAEKSAN,
HALLASAN, YEONGNAM ALPS, JIRISAN
ONLY THING LEFT IS THE DESCENT
DESCEND CLUB'S FINAL DESCENT
CHEONWANGBONG
GYEONGSANGNAMDO ENVIRONMENT FOUNDATION
THE SUNDURYU TRAIL TAKES ABOUT 3 HOURS
CHEONWANGBONG, ROTARI SHELTER
GRADIENT 31.8%
THEIR STEEPEST SLOPE EVER
CHEONWANGBONG
IT DESCENDS STRAIGHT DOWN
FROM THE BEGINNING
EXTREMELY HARD DIFFICULTY LEVEL
This place is the worst.
I mean, seriously.
It felt much harder than the other hikes.
[grunts]
-[Dowoon] Whoa, hey.
-[Chae-min] Whoa, look out.
VERY STEEP STAIRS
[Chae-min] Oh, jeez.
VERY STEEP ICY PATHS
Oh man.
YOU CAN'T LET YOUR GUARD DOWN
[crew] Let's not film.
It's dangerous here.
One, two, three.
FOR THE FIRST TIME ON TAKE A HIKE!,
THEY GIVE UP FILMING
[Tarzzan] Oh, I don't see the directors.
[Car] You're right.
[Dowoon] Let's go home, for real.
[Tarzzan] You know
it's still only 1 p.m., right?
THEY START THE DESCENT
-[Chae-min] This part right here is scary.
-[Car] Let's go.
[Chae-min] Why is he scaring me like that?
[exclaims]
SCARILY STEEP
Look, here.
[Car] It's slippery here.
LEADING THE DESCENT GARDEN IS KIND
[Chae-min] Hold on, whoa.
TRAFFIC JAM
This is way too steep.
HOLDING ROCKS
INSTEAD OF HIKING POLES AS THEY MOVE
[Dowoon] Come on, let's go home!
THEY BARELY ESCAPE CHEONWANGBONG
[Car] You know,
I'm not in as much pain this time.
[Chae-min] Maybe because
we just started down.
[Car] Is that why?
A STEEP SCREE TRAIL BEGINS IMMEDIATELY
-My legs.
-This descent is basically…
THUMP
…rock climbing, for real.
[Car] Yeah, this place is kind of robust.
THE ROCK SIZES MAKE IT HARD
TO TAKE A STEP
[Tarzzan] We have to go
on all fours sometimes.
GOING DOWN ON ALL FOURS
Why am I going this way?
FROM CHAE-MIN'S CAM
-[Dowoon] Be careful.
-[Chae-min] Yeah.
[Chae-min] Wow, I think
this is the most difficult descent.
MOST DIFFICULT DESCENT TRAIL,
AS CHOSEN BY DESCEND CLUB
Did they make this
for people to hang on to?
SUNDURYU TRAIL IS SHORTEST ONE
TO CHEONWANGBONG
BUT ALSO MEANS THE GRADIENT IS VERY STEEP
It's to keep people off this trail.
FROM TARZZAN'S CAM
Ah, damn.
GOING DOWN A PATH HARD TO EVEN CLIMB
-[crew] Watch your step there.
-[exclaiming]
-[Chae-min] You okay?
-That was close.
-[Chae-min] Be careful.
-[Hyeon-yong] Careful, Tarzzan.
-Oh, sh**t.
-[Hyeon-yong] Hey, be careful.
I felt a shiver down my spine.
[crew] Yeah, this part is very precarious.
The whole ground was rocky.
Mud, rock, mud, rock. Just over and over.
I got so exhausted so quickly
on that part. Yeah.
"Really, Jirisan?"
Like, "Whatever."
I lost, it beat me.
THE OLDER MEMBERS ARE TIRED TOO
-[Chae-min] Seriously?
-[Dowoon] Hmm?
going down sucks right now.
[Hyeon-yong] The stairs are super steep.
[Hyeon-yong] Be careful.
-[Car] Acrophobia.
-[Tarzzan] Whoa!
Oh, my gosh.
STEEL STAIRS WITH A CLEAR VIEW BELOW
[Car] Who's coming up?
WITH HIS FEAR OF HEIGHTS,
IT'S THE HARDEST PART FOR TARZZAN
HOLDS ONTO THE RAIL TIGHTLY
AND RESUMES WALKING
[Chae-min] This is nuts.
HE WALKS DOWN QUICKLY
WHILE LOOKING ONLY AT HIS FEET
EVERYONE PASSES BY SAFELY
Someone's coming up.
THEY PAUSE FOR A WHILE
[Car] Why are you climbing
the mountain right now?
-[hiker 1] Our service starts soon.
-[Car] Military service?
-[hiker 2] He's famous, right?
-[Car] I am.
-[hiker 3] Hello. Hey there.
-What?
Oh, nice to meet you!
Can we get a photo?
-You just turned 20?
-Yeah.
You're hiking because
you're training for the military?
Yes.
-You're in trouble up there. It's crazy.
-[crew] Almost there. You got this.
[Tarzzan] You got this!
[Car] Military service.
They were younger than you…
-Tarzzan.
-Car, I'm halfway to 50 now.
TARZZAN, 25
THE CLUB'S YOUNGEST
Oh, man.
[Car] You feel drained?
[Tarzzan] I'm not as strong
as I used to be.
ROTARI SHELTER
CURRENT LOCATION
This is a nice spot.
[Dowoon] This place looks clean.
1 HOUR AND 28 MINUTES PASSED
Here you go.
THE LAST TASTE OF TRAIL FOOD
-Mmm!
-[Car] Delicious.
REPLENISHING ENERGY WITH PRECIOUS SNACKS
Wow, the snow.
It's pretty.
IT GRADUALLY STARTS TO SNOW
THEY FINISH THEIR SHORT REST
-[crew] All right, let's go.
-Shall we get going?
[Car] Will it get a little better now?
-The trail?
-[Hyeon-yong] Not sure. Maybe.
[Car] I just want it to be less steep,
that'd be great.
AS SOON AS THEY RESUME WALKING
THE SNOW GETS HEAVIER
It's snowing a lot.
[relaxing pop music playing]
The forecast was right.
[Hyeon-yong] It snowed on our first day
and our last day.
-Mr. President, your thoughts?
-You're right.
Should we hurry down?
[Hyeon-yong] I can't believe
it started snowing.
[Tarzzan] The snow coming down
is beautiful.
[Car] We should hurry up.
[Chae-min] Or we'll be hiking
past snowmen.
[Dowoon] Seriously.
[Car] It's coming down.
[Dowoon] This is the most snowfall
I've seen all year.
[Tarzzan] It didn't even snow
this much in Seoul.
Whoa, so this is how the snow piles up.
FROM TARZZAN'S CAM
[Tarzzan] Wow!
FILMING WHILE MESMERIZED
The headband looks cool.
PILING UP ON HIS HEAD
[Dowoon] Man, this freaking snow.
[Hyeon-yong] A ton of snow at the end.
DOCENT'S 2ND ATTEMPT
Seriously. Saved it for the finale.
Can't believe it.
[Hyeon-yong] So this is how it ends?
I mean, yes, the course was tough,
but the snow…
I mean, that mountain
made it even harder at the end.
CLENCHING HIS EYES SHUT
It didn't want to let us go.
-That's how it felt, yeah.
-[Hyeon-yong] That's true.
The snow could make it slippery.
So watch your step.
-This is tricky.
-[Car] Gosh. Careful, careful. Watch out.
[laughing]
[Hyeon-yong] So slippery.
-It's bad.
-[Car] This spot right here.
-Slippery.
-[Hyeon-yong] Watch out, Dowoon.
[Car] Crouch down. Lower your body.
LOWERING STANCES BEFORE GOING
[laughing]
-Whoa. Oh, my gosh.
-No, I basically just skied down, Car.
It's super slippery there!
-[Tarzzan] Hey, right here!
-Yeah, right there, watch out.
-Here?
-[Hyeon-yong] Be very careful. Seriously.
[Car] That's it.
[Chae-min grunts]
[Hyeon-yong] Yeah, don't step on the ice.
AIMING FOR THE UNFROZEN EDGE
-[Dowoon] Whoa.
-He's built different than us, for sure.
-For sure. Wow.
-[Car] He knows how to use his brain.
We're more like dumb and dumber, Dowoon.
LAUGHING
Truly, throughout this show.
This course feels almost impossible.
Hey, my worst? Jirisan.
-[Car] Is this real?
-I'm serious.
[Hyeon-yong] Can we get a brief reflection
on finishing the Jirisan hike?
It was the hardest one.
-[Hyeon-yong] Not Seoraksan?
-No.
-I'm not quite sure why.
-[Hyeon-yong] Mmm.
Maybe it was psychological,
but today was the hardest for me.
[Hyeon-yong] Today was the hardest?
Oh, Jirisan was no joke.
This was the first time… that I cussed.
I thought,
"Oh, so this is what it's like."
[Hyeon-yong] Was Seoraksan
the hardest for you?
No. Jirisan was.
Ah, but they were all hard.
I can't even rank them.
I mean, if you want to suffer,
I think you can just do the hikes we did,
in the exact same order.
The Yeongnam Alps hike was hard too.
Yeah.
[Hyeon-yong] Do you feel sad
that this was the last hike?
Do you think
you might want to do it again?
That's a load of crap.
Don't ask dumb questions.
Sorry, I should be nice.
I'd appreciate it
if you didn't say such nonsense.
[Hyeon-yong] Understood.
Why on earth do you think
people go hiking?
You have a guess?
-I didn't love it, but…
-[Hyeon-yong] Mmm.
…if I were to guess,
just based on my five experiences,
it's so cliché, but I think it's true.
People who love hiking…
do it because
they want to test themselves.
Because,
they know it's going to be hard,
but they go anyway,
so it's kind of like
battling with yourself.
I think a lot of people do that.
In the end, I think
that's why people hike.
I think that's the meaning of hiking.
At least, that's my take on it.
But for me?
I don't think I'll ever do it again.
I won't.
-Last time, on Jeju Island, that hiker…
-Yeah.
-…said that she wanted to test her limits.
-[Hyeon-yong] Yeah.
And as they climb the mountain,
and push themselves,
maybe they feel some exhilaration?
Like, "I'm testing my mental strength."
Or something. Yeah.
Oh, when you hike,
it feels like you release your bad energy.
I can't say why, exactly,
but I don't think there's anything
other than nature
that can give you
that kind of positive energy.
And I think it strengthens you
in a good way.
-You got a lot of positive energy?
-Yeah.
I don't know if it was because
we did this as a team,
but because we all suffered together
on the mountains,
we became very close-knit
in such a short time.
You gain a certain…
camaraderie, shall we say?
And… and your relationships grow.
It definitely strengthens them.
So I think
it could be a good leisure activity.
[Hyeon-yong] It sounds like it'd be good
for a company retreat.
Oh, hold on, no. I don't think so.
ALSO
[theme music playing]
DESCEND CLUB WILL DO A SHOW
THEY WANT TO DO
Should the show be
Why on Earth Are You a Producer?
-Or we choose their hikes.
-We become the producers.
-[Hyeon-yong] Yeah.
-You become the talent.
And then we'll do Take a Hike! again.
-But then, we have to hike again.
-No, we won't go up with them.
They film themselves.
-They film it too.
-Yeah.
And for the games,
we'll do Gen Z lingo, not proverbs.
[laughing]
Why Do People Go Camping? Maybe?
I kind of like that.
I don't know why people camp.
Wow, summer camping is seriously hell.
Or Why on Earth do People Cycle?
-[Hyeon-yong] Huh?
-Please.
Or Why on Earth do People Race Cars?
-So we can race.
-[Hyeon-yong] Oh?
Do you have any ideas for a show
or a topic that you want to cover?
I do have one,
but it's kind of embarrassing.
SILENT
[Hyeon-yong] You're keeping it a secret?
SECRET GARDEN
I think you guys have good ideas.
I heard the team talking earlier,
and I was like,
"What did he say?
Why on Earth Do People Race?"
-[Hyeon-yong] They want to race cars.
-That sounds like some nonsense.
We'll go somewhere no one has been.
A beautiful place, without struggle.
Why on Earth do People Vacation?
Why do people go on vacation?
"Why do people pay so much money
to travel?"
Let's try that.
Honestly, I just want to travel.
I want to go on a trip.
But the thing is,
I thought about it.
[Hyeon-yong] Yeah.
It won't work.
If we only do things that are fun for us,
that's not fun for the camera.
It's just fun for us.
WE HAVE NO IDEA WHAT THEY COULD EVEN DO
[Hyeon-yong] You should
think about it carefully.
But you haven't confirmed
the second season.
[Hyeon-yong] You're right.
We'll see how things play out.
Right.
-[Hyeon-yong] So--
-It was truly an honor to work with you.
[Hyeon-yong] Why are you making it sound
like we're never coming back?
You're doing the interview
like we're canceling the show.
As the president, is there anything
you wish to say to your members?
I just want to resign
as quickly as possible, and start over.
[feel-good music playing]
[Hyeon-yong] Thank you so much
for your hard work.
Thank you.
THANK YOU FOR WATCHING
TAKE A HIKE!
TAKE A…
Welcome to our World! Where we serve you cookies to ensure you get the best viewing experience on our site.
Did you know that you can remove censorship board-wide, use our advanced search functions, be notified when new content is posted, join our memberships, set episodes to show in any order you want & more if you are logged into your account?
Register or sign in here: ucp.php?mode=register
Did you know that you can remove censorship board-wide, use our advanced search functions, be notified when new content is posted, join our memberships, set episodes to show in any order you want & more if you are logged into your account?
Register or sign in here: ucp.php?mode=register
01x10 - Episode 10
Watch/Buy Amazon
Four celebrities who hate hiking trek through Korea's winter mountains, discovering unexpected charm as they test their endurance and teamwork.
Four celebrities who hate hiking trek through Korea's winter mountains, discovering unexpected charm as they test their endurance and teamwork.