Sunday, October 19, 2014

강촌유원지 - Gangchon Waterfall





Not far from Chuncheon, a short train ride away, a picturesque hike and a quaint little village awaits weary travelers in the mountains. Fall is a great season for hiking, and many people gathered at the entrance to this area, as my friends and I made our way up the steeper trail. 
When we went, the weather was perfect, and it was an ideal opportunity to see the leaves change. 
Since I'm from Colorado, this trail felt closer to home, and it reminded me of Kenosha pass near Breckenrdige. This was the perfect area to admire the trees and the beautiful view on the way up the mountain. 
One difference between this hike and many hikes in Colorado is the fact there are stores, restaraunts and many other attractions at its entrance, a pretty rare find in Colorado. 
You can also make a wish before you go on the trail by picking a rock, and balancing it on piles of rocks in difference areas marked "Wisdom", "Heart", "Wealth", "Professional" and so on. I found a rock and made a wish: 
It was pretty cool seeing these tributes everywhere: 



The trail itself isn't very long, and you can choose from an easy trail or a more difficult one. We went up the steep route, because we were hikers. I ran into one of my students, who was happy to see me as we hiked up the hill. A few fellow hikers spoke to us in English, saying things like, "Beautiful Day!" and "Hello there," which made the hike more fun. After we reached the top, we stopped at a nice restaurant in the village and ate chiken stew and acorn jelly salad. All of which was delicious! 

On our way back, we reached the waterfall, and took a picture at the balcony overlooking the leaves, waterfall and the giant rockface. 

It felt good to go hiking again, and this place felt more like home. My poor phone almost ran out of room becase I took a lot of pictures!