The azaleas
Purple.
Eggmoon — CC BY-SA 3.0 · Eggmoon — CC BY-SA 3.0 · Eggmoon — CC BY-SA 3.0
Nogodan is a peak in the Jirisan mountains of South Jeolla Province, South Korea, rising to 1,507 metres. It lies in Jirisan National Park, Korea's first national park, and is one of the easiest high peaks to reach because a road climbs to a pass near it. Jirisan is one of Korea's most important mountains, its range spreading over three provinces. The Nogodan trail starts at Seongsamjae pass, reached by road from the town of Gurye, then visitors climb about an hour to the top. In early summer wild purple azaleas cover the slopes, and in autumn a sea of cloud fills the valleys. You see wide slopes covered in dense pink-purple flowers under a blue sky, a stone cairn on the summit, and blue ridges rolling to the horizon. In the early morning clouds fill the valleys below the peak like a white sea. It is about 12 km from Gurye in a straight line. The last trail to the summit may need booking in busy seasons, and it is cold at the top.
Purple.
In the morning.
Rolling blue.
Jirisan National Park, Gurye, South Korea
No, about an hour from Seongsamjae pass.
In early summer.