Travel Notes on the Southern Slope of Changbai Mountain

Changbai Mountain has three slopes, ranked according to popularity, namely the north slope, the west slope and the south slope. For our family, we had already visited the North Slope and the West Slope last year. At that time, we did not go because the South Slope was closed. Just one day this summer, I suddenly saw on the Internet that the long-closed South Slope had reopened. From that day on, grass grew in my heart again.

1. Arrive at the south slope. Changbai County is close to the southern slope of Changbai Mountain, so it became our first choice transfer station for this trip. I drove here the afternoon before and stayed one night in the county town. I set off at around 7 o'clock the next morning. After walking more than 40 kilometers of provincial roads, I turned onto the mountain road and walked 16 kilometers to the south slope. Passing a checkpoint on the way, the epidemic prevention and control personnel checked in very detail, which made people feel reassured. Enter the parking lot of the scenic spot at 9 o'clock and park the car under the command of the staff. I ran to the ticket gate excitedly, but when I got there, I was told to go back. I was told that my reservation was to go up the mountain at 11:30, and I had to wait for two hours. When I was bored, I took pictures around with my mobile phone. I saw a beautiful place by the water. I was about to raise my mobile phone to take pictures, but the staff stopped me and told me that it was a national border and no filming was allowed. I said the water was quite clear, and he told me this was the source of the Yalu River.

2. Climbing to the top is not easy. The climate in Changbai Mountain is changeable, and the top of the mountain where Tianchi is located is even more unpredictable. Clouds, rain, and fog can come and go at any time. When we arrived, it was overcast with clouds and a little rain from time to time. The loudspeaker in the scenic area kept announcing that there was fog on the top of the mountain and the scenic area would be closed at any time according to the situation. I'm not worried about the fog on the top of the mountain, but it would be over if the scenic area is closed. So I kept saying to God, God bless me, let the wind get stronger, let the sun come out soon, those fogs can go wherever they want, be it the North Slope, the West Slope, or the East Slope, just don’t stay here. Although there are fewer tourists here, everyone is sincere and has gone through a lot of hardships to get here.

3. Successfully go up the mountain. By 11:30, the scenic spot was not closed, and everyone was very happy. The staff started to ask everyone to line up to check in and wait for the bus. There were not many shuttle buses in the Nanpo Scenic Area, and it took about two hours to go back and forth. When I got on the bus, I sat by the window on the left. Passing by the Yalu River Grand Canyon on the right side of the mountain road, the driver slowed down to let everyone watch. At this time, I thought it would be better to sit on the right. The Yalu River Grand Canyon is spectacular, much more beautiful than the Jinjiang Grand Canyon on the west slope. Going further, I found a low tree that looked like a birch in the middle of the mountain. There were only a few leaves on the dry branches. I asked the driver what these dead trees were called. He said: "This tree is called Yue Hua, and it is the most famous tree on the southern slope. It may not look very big, but each tree is two or three hundred years old. This tree is very strong and dense, and it will sink to the bottom when put in water. "I asked him again: "Besides the strange trees, are there a lot of wild animals in the mountains?" The master said, "Yes, there are bears, roe deer, deer, etc. I usually see some when I get up in the morning. A stupid animal is crossing the road. "I said, "No need to ask, it must be a stupid roe deer." The master said, "It's not necessarily true, but the roe deer is really stupid."

4. The mountain road is winding. The road up the mountain on the south slope is very undulating, winding and long, and you can see a lot of beautiful scenery. This is better than the north slope and the west slope. However, there are too many curves and it is easy to make people get carsick. I remember seeing a strange building on the way, which looked like a pile of big white stones. Everyone asked the master what it was? The master smiled mysteriously and said: "That's the transformer equipment room. Because I often lost it in the past, I disguised it like this." Everyone thought it was strange and asked who would come to get things from such a high mountain? The master said: "Of course someone will come to get it..." Looking into the distance, he saw a figure walking in the mountains, and the top of the mountain over there was shrouded in clouds and mist, like a hat.

5. Arrive at Tianchi. It is said that the weather is not bad this afternoon. Although there are clouds and fog in the mountains, it is not serious. The master said that everyone came at a good time and should be able to see Tianchi. The parking lot at the top of the mountain is very large, with wind blowing from all sides and it feels very cold. The mountain road from the parking lot to Tianchi Observation Deck is relatively gentle and much easier to walk than the north slope and west slope. But everyone discovered that there were no guardrails on this mountain road, so a few tourists who were afraid of heights simply stopped walking. I didn't feel scared because the wind didn't blow down the mountain and it was safe to walk on it. The staff reminds everyone that you can wear raincoats here, but be sure not to hold an umbrella, as it may be blown away by the wind. I couldn't help but feel funny when I heard what he said. I remember when we were at the bottom of the mountain, the staff said that umbrellas were not allowed on the mountain. I thought I would be struck by lightning.

6. Charming dark blue. There was mist in Tianchi, but it cleared up after a while. There was a thick fog not far away, flowing slowly with the help of the wind. Seeing this scene, some tourists began to speed up and move forward quickly. The magical Tianchi is like this. Many times, people in the front car are looking at the fog, and people in the following car are looking at the rain. Suddenly a gust of wind blows over, and its true face is revealed, as if it is telling the tourists what fate is. After seeing the North Slope and the West Slope, I looked at the South Slope Tianchi again, and it was still the soul-stirring deep blue. It was so charming at the moment. At this point, this thousand-mile journey has become extremely worthwhile.

7. Choose to leave. Tourists on the top of the mountain took photos one after another, and the noise was endless.

I looked around and saw a rain cloud moving forward in the distance. The direction should be where we came from. The thick fog around me kept rolling, but it was not in a hurry to cover Tianchi. On the contrary, when the clouds in the sky dispersed, the sun shone through the gaps, making it warm on my body. After admiring it, when I drove down the mountain, I found that everything was as I expected. It was indeed raining on the road. This is the rain in Changbai Mountain, bringing with it the fresh mountain air, which makes people feel happy and breathes smoothly.

8. Looking forward to our next reunion. I passed by the Yuehua Shuang Waterfalls and didn't stop due to time constraints. Anyway, I wasn't interested in the waterfalls, but I was deeply impressed by the dead Yuehuas, like the beauty pines in the Erdaobai River, which are unforgettable after seeing them. Because of the cold, this thing grows leaves in May and falls off in August. Say it has a long life, and it will always look decadent; say it has a short life, but it can stand for hundreds of years. I think this may be the charm of Changbai Mountain. Just like it is an active volcano, it has dense vegetation and vast forests. From the bottom of the mountain to the top of the mountain, there are scenery and vitality everywhere. The mysterious underground forest, the steaming hot springs, the year-round waterfalls, and the high-altitude Tianchi, everything is so attractive. Looking forward to coming again next time.