The Red Maple Leaves at Hongshi Peak in Changbai Mountain Ecological Scenic Area

We took the high-speed train to Changbai Mountain Station and stayed for two days, all for the purpose of visiting the famous Tianchi Lake mentioned in our geography textbooks. We had already booked tickets for the lake, including entrance and transportation, but unfortunately, the weather didn’t cooperate, and we were informed that Tianchi Lake was closed. Reluctantly, we had to cancel our plans and refund the tickets. Thankfully, our driver suggested visiting Hongshi Peak Scenic Area to see the autumn foliage. Along the way, the trees on both sides of the road were colorful but not vividly red. The scenic area wasn’t crowded, and after climbing to the peak, we were rewarded with the sight of stunning red maple leaves. The effort of the climb was truly worth it! However, the mountain trail had some old wooden planks that hadn’t been repaired, which was a bit disappointing. Oh, and I had an unexpected bonus during this trip—I found five large pinecones and managed to extract quite a few pine nuts from them!