map comparison: learning via tee designs

Below are two of my tee-shirt designs showing routes that have overlapping parts. First is the Four Rivers path, which stretches from Incheon (인천) in the northwest to Busan (부산) in the southeast while passing through the city of Sangju (상주). See how the path is green-colored from Sangju to Busan? That's because that entire portion follows the Nakdong River. It's a lovely section of the Four Rivers path. The second tee design shows the Nakdong River path, which I'm walking from Busan through Sangju and east from Sangju to Andong (안동). 

Notice that, for both maps, the route from Sangju to Busan, or from Busan to Sangju, is identical. This year, since I'm doing the shorter route again (officially 385 km; the Four Rivers is officially 633 km), I'll break east at Sangju and head straight to Andong, which is close to 90 km away from Sangju. As I go north, morning temps might get colder, but they won't be quite freezing. I'll be bringing along a few jacket layers and those nifty chemical hand-warmers this time, along with various hats to protect me from the sun and/or the cold, but I suspect I'm not going to need that much protection even toward the end of the walk in mid-November. Daytime temps in November really shouldn't be that bad as the day goes on, so this won't be like walking in frigid December last year, after a month of convalescing (graphic reminder of last year's injury—scroll down).

Anyway, back to tee shirts. First, the Four Rivers route:

I've done this route four times: 2017, 2019, 2020, and 2023. 2021 = east coast; 2022 = Jeju and Sangju-Andong. Trivia for those who don't read Korean: if you start in the northwest at Incheon, the city names along the Four Rivers path are as follows: Incheon, Seoul, Yangpyeong, Chungju, Sangju, Daegu, Yangsan, Busan.

Next, the Nakdong River route, which I did last year but am redoing this year:

I did Sangju-Andong in 2022, then all of the Nakdong path last year, but in two parts.

The Nakdong is a gorgeous river—wide, old, and stately like the Potomac where I'm from. The path also has a few nasty hills that I'm going to have to take very slowly this year so as not to blow my heart up. We'll see how that goes. Walking with heart failure, after a heart attack, and with possible new blockages is no picnic. But I think that, if I take things slowly, I'll be okay. I just have to keep my ego in check. I can't go rucking with 75 pounds in my pack like Jocko Willink.