Shades of autumn in Naejangsan National Park ( November, 2005)
The National Parks staff at Naejangsan are probably the most hard-working bunch. They were already selling tickets at the entrance booth at 6 a.m. Not kidding. I could've taken the park shuttle to get to the cable car station but thought I'd do a bit of warming-up and walk instead. Besides I knew the ticket booth wouldn't open so early but I hadn't reckoned on there being a queue in front of it before it opened at 7 am. The 45 minute walk had, fortunately, done its job of warming me up and the excitement was building as we tried to wait patiently in the nippy air.
It was a short ride to the top of one of the many peaks that surround the valley. Just in time for sunrise but I had to share standing space at a pavilion with some avid photographers who thought nothing of lugging their massive tripods and lenses up the ridge for some spectacular shots.
View of the cable car station amid summer foliage
It was a short ride to the top of one of the many peaks that surround the valley. Just in time for sunrise but I had to share standing space at a pavilion with some avid photographers who thought nothing of lugging their massive tripods and lenses up the ridge for some spectacular shots.
View of cable car station in the valley far below from one of the seven main peaks
encircling Naejangsa. Dawn is breaking and the photographers are clicking away madly.
On my way back to the cable car station, I paused to gape at a man balancing at least six heavy boxes on his back with the help of a traditional bamboo carrier as he made his way along the narrow ridge path to goodness knows where.
source:
http://www.knto.or.kr/enu/SI/SI_EN_3_1_1_1.jsp?cid=658455&nearBy=site
