Winter hike

Recovered after a rest day, I committed to hiking Kitayama East Route 1 even though weather reports indicated snow in the morning.
Since the trail followed the mountain ridge and I would be taking the cable car up to Hieizan to the start, I assumed it wouldn't be physically difficult. There were two peaks with short but very steep (scrambling required) ascents and the final descent was marked "boy scouts trail" and had very steep sections. The most physically punishing hike on this trip and I was relieved when I reached Todera.Read more