Cheonji, Great Snowy Pond of September

At 3:53 p.m. a passenger plane carrying 110 South Koreans began to take off from the Pyongyang Airport, leaving for Samjiyeon-gun, a remote town located below Cheonji (meaning Heaven`s Pond) on top of Mountain Baekdu. It is a 500km distance and it will take about 50 minutes.

The airplane landed on the Samjiyeon Airport built in Baekdu Plateau (known as Great Gaema Plateau in the South). My climbing watch indicated 1500m in height. Although I could not be sure of the figure, it is about the same height as Mountain Taebaek (1547m). I am high up here in Baekdu Plateau.

The following early morning, we were riding a bus heading toward the pond. It is 46m far from the downtown of Samjiyeon. Passing the Tree Line 1950m above the sea level, we could see the mountain range of lava. Cheonji is 14km away from here.

Across the Baekdu Bridge, a steep road appeared. Passing the post and the landmark reading `Samjiyeon 42km and Baekdu Milyoung 38km,` we entered an unpaved road with thick smog hanging around the area. We are almost there. In the parking lot, there is a cable car leading to Hyangdo Peak of Cheonji. Hyangdo is the highest one (2712m) of the 13 peaks of Cheonji.

Five women in military uniform welcomed us. Looking down the great pond under our feet, we could see snow-covered areas. They have 1m-thick snow in Cheonji even in September. Then, we looked afar the point where the sea of trees meets with the sky. From the horizon, bright light was coming out. It is sunset.

With the sun coming up, the great plateau began to reveal its magnificence. The peak also began to reflect the morning light. Water in the pond looked so clear. The surface of the pond is 2199.6m above the sea level. We took a gondola from the peak down to the pond. Having looked at this water from the Chinese side, we were there at last.

During the five-day trip to Mt. Baekdu, we stayed near the Baekdu Plateau most of the time, taking the route built for border guards back in the 1930s. Traveling through the great plateau, I felt moved and excited all the times. Traveling through deep forests with no end, I did not envy the Rocky Mountains of America and the great forests of Finland any more. The great plateau 1400m above the sea level was covered with thick and tall virgin forests. Trees were so thick and tall that we could not get out of the forests even after 2 hours of bus ride. It was a sea of great forests.

Walking along the road some 10 minutes, we could have a basket-full mushrooms. They have 2m 50cm-thick snow overnight in mid October and it also snows in May. Horses and deer are running across the forests and tigers are believed to still live there. Visitors are bound to marvel at the great beauty of intact nature in the Baekdu Plateau.

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