Mt. Izugatake

Another week, another hike. I went back to Hanno again. From Shomaru station, the path towards Izugatake was a calm one with gentle inclines. I was accompanied by a flowing river all throughout. It was a beautiful sunny day and the just the right temperature. I stopped by a small shrine right in front of the trailhead to ask for some blessings and protection for the hike.

The beginning of the hike made me so giddy as the forest was breathtaking, it felt like entering another world and the atmosphere was so different from just walking by the river. The space was huge, plenty of tiny critters flying around and towering trees surrounded me. The river was still there but this time it added a really refreshing and cool feel so it was quite comfortable and helped me ease into workout mode.

After the river, came the fallen trees. Plenty of trees that were either damaged from a landslide or something but it was actually pretty difficult to navigate through this part as the paths were covered or fallen over, the inclines are getting a bit more steep and I had to catch my breath several times before I finished this portion.

From there, the path was more or less manageable with some steep inclines here and there that was until I reached the bouldering section. I didn't understand at that time that there was another route to take but I wasn't going to be taking that route either way as I couldn't pass on the opportunity to try out this semi-wall climbing route. The sign clearly said that this path was dangerous and had risks of falling rocks. They weren't lying. The people attempting to do this part actually had helmets and gear on but I was really one with my body, I did some free solo-climbing and actually ended up leaving them all in the dust.

Afterwards, I made it to the summit where I paid homage to Daikoku, one of the seven lucky gods and the god of wealth. I ate some onigiri and continued on to the next mountain, Mt. Takahata.Read more