I casually mentioned to a teacher that I ran to the top of the town's "mountain"... More of a hill, even going as far as calling it a "himllountain" is generous. Anyway, he took it as a sign that I was an avid mountaineer, and invited me out to NaeJang-san. This being the season that all the leaves were changing, it was something that was not to be missed, according to him.
Now I'm from the Pennsylvania Poconos, and have lived every fall of my life in PA one place or another. I'm intimately familiar with the lifecycle of deciduous trees, and the annoying bullshit phenomenon of "leafwatching" that people from crowded places - i.e.New Yorkers and Jersians - get up to this time of year. So I really have no excuse to complain, as a split second of thinking about what going to a national park in a country with a population which boasts a density roughly 15 times that of the U.S., and a flock-like collectivist mentality too boot would entail.
Mr. Sim met me at 5:30. In the Godfucking morning. Of a Saturday. I figured it was to get an early start on the day, so that we could both be in our respective homes, chillaxin, watching Korean's duke it out one of the two Starcraft channels on TV by 12, 1 at the latest. Turns out it was because every morning's fog is completely opaque before the sun comes up. So after driving for two and a half hours at 40km/hr we finally arrive, to a line that was literally miles long. Mr. Sim explained to me that the mountain was so beautiful this time of year that it attracted upwards of 60,000 people every day. I could have mentioned that the point of getting out in nature is not to be standing ass-high in Koreans, but I was busy dozing and drooling all over myself.
Eventually we get out of the car, and began the hike. Beautiful mountain, great views, had a blast, camera died after two pictures. Oh well. Walked all over the place, but as a reasonably in shape 20 something dragging two 40 year olds behind me, I had a lot of time to check out the mountainside. Or what I could see of it under the carpet of leafers. Problem with 60000 people hiking one trail is that 30,000 of them are coming the other way, and when you're on a mountainside with about 3 feet of walking space between the sheer rockwall and the 20 foot drop off, the Pushy Old Korean Broad barging her way past can sort of grate.
Can't complain, got a few nice pictures, my favorite of which is included. Gotta love the terror on the Alpen Bear's face, and the fact that baby bear is gonna get squooshed no matter what. Little morbid, but you damn sure look up when you're near those signs.
