I woke up with really cold feet. I really should wear socks the next time I go camping. It was a relief to wake up with my feet at the least. I was expecting a hungry bear to barge into my little blue tent to have supper…
Anyways as I exited my blue plastic contraption, I learned that I had camped in the middle of closed off forest cabins. They are probably cabins for those people who does glam-camping: outdoor experience camping but with all the amenities and luxuries included. Honestly I think glamping is quite a great idea. Not everyone likes to go on all four outdoors. The very reason why I decided to do more hiking and camping with my time here in Japan is because I believe it would be a real challenge to convince my city dwelling friends back home to lay their backs onto hard cold ground; it is also worth mentioning that hiking/camping gears do not come cheap. So glamping does not only solve the problem of outdoor lovers not loving discomfort but also discount the need for camping gear.
Here I was cooking breakfast. I still did not have normal water, so I had to make do with my yucky water. For breakfast, I was going to have oats and a chocolate bar. The plan was to add some water, heat it up with the chocolate, and then pour in my oats: TADA!! choco oat breakfast! It was pretty good. I was and am still confused though. Did I buy oats or are those barley??? They are pretty hard and rounded…
The plan that morning was to rendezvous with Sara back at Yukumo, to climb up Mt Shirane, and climb down before sunset. If the guidebook I bought about hiking trails is correct, it would take a total of 8 hours. However, I have doubts about this plan considering that the weather forecast was not very good. Outdoor activities like hiking are indeed always in the mercy of mother nature. I could only make the ascent at 9am, and I will only be back down by earliest 5pm. The weather forecast predicted 50% of rain at 1pm, and 70% of rain at 3 pm. Despite the sky being azure clear that morning, I could not be sure if that clarity would hold through my climb.
I was still a little ahead in time before the bus arrives, so I decided to find out how far I was from the campsite I was supposed to camp in. Blimey! My patch of grass was just on the other side of the river that separated the glamping cabins and the campsite. I headed back to the bus stop and waited. As it comes, I hopped onto the bus and met Sara at the front seat. She was surprised that I was still alive.
-My ~9kg backpack and I
After discussing our possible alternatives to Mt Shirane, we opted for the lesser risk. Instead of putting ourselves 8 hours away from shelter and civilisation, we would be hiking across the forests and plains instead. This route consists of many smaller branching paths, so in the case that the weather took a turn for the worse, we will always have an escape plan. After my past hike in Okutama and Fuji, I learned not to underestimate nature; to take more conservative risks as nature is a force not to be reckoned with. Thus despite not being able to follow my plan again today, I believe I made a right decision.
We took advantage of the clear skies to go boating, which is a great idea to view the scenery from another perspective. We spent the first 10 minutes figuring out how to actually move the boat forward. Clearly neither of us were proficient in rowing, because only after 10 minutes that we realised we had been rowing the boat in reverse to go forward. After a bit of practice though, we managed to pick up speed and could delve further into the lake.
-Sara volunteered to be the first rower
-We met a huge family of mama duck and her ducklings ( where’s the father?? )
-That is Mt Shirane in the distance. So near yet so far!
After the quick boating experience, we had a quick lunch and headed back into the trail. The sky has since been collecting many many clouds:
Anyhow, we continued on hoping for the best weather and the best view we can get. So went down Yudaki Falls again, but this time taking another route. There were so many Japanese schoolchildren hiking the area. Every time we passed by a group of them, they would greet us “Konichiwa!” and we would do the same. However when Sara is walking infront, they would say “Hello!” instead… I wonder why!
-The view just before the waterfall, the vivid reflection just amplifies the awe these mountains radiate off their towering peaks.
-There was a stall selling roasted fish near the waterfall!
-The forest in summer: Lushes of emerald green and avian symphony. The color of the forest was very refreshing, and the singing of the birds complements the treeline like crashing waves complements a shoreline.
Before we got into this area called Odashigahana, a Japanese man walking in the opposite direction approached me and was trying to tell me something. Initially he was just verbally explaining but upon realising that we were illiterate gaijin, our conversation turned into a game of pantomime. He threw his hands up in the air and made a roaring gesture, I tried to guess: “uh… Bear?” Upon hearing my answer he nodded and I saw his face lit up with enthusiasm. He went on putting his palm spread out near his knee level. Sara, eagerly guessed: “Baby?” I was feeling quite an excitement at the prospect of being able to see a bear! The man went on to mime out that we have to talk loudly or have a bear bell ready to keep ourselves safe. Heeding his advice, I hauled my bell out and hooked it onto my slingbag. We said our goodbyes and thanks and continued on.
The bell’s purpose is to ensure that you will never unintentionally startle a bear on your hike. Bears are usually solitary animals who avoid contact with humans, and they only attack if they feel threatened. So if the bear did not notice your presence coming nearer, it will treat you as a threat for “ambushing” it, hence attacking you. No big deal, probably just a few missing limbs and few litres of blood…. So you could say that the bell repels bears.
Anyways, my bell was so effective that it does not only repel bears; it repels certain humans too. Sara found it so annoying that she wanted me to put it away. I insisted that we needed it for our own safety, but she argued that there are people walking in front of us who would be eaten first in case of a bear attack; thus negating the need for a bell! I did not heed her advice so she decided to walk behind me as to avoid rupturing her eardrums.
-We had to walk through these gates to enter Odashigahana, the bear territory
At one point, I was walking way ahead of Sara, as when I looked back I don’t see any sign of her. So I decided to wait a little bit. When I finally saw her, she shouted “Tomy stop! I think I know where the bear is.” I was half excited and half panicking. Excited that I will get to see a bear live in the woods, and panicking out of fear of being mauled. “The bear? Where?” I inquired. “Just ahead of you!” Aghast, I looked back forward and immediately I saw a black little fur ball dashing away from me. It was the baby bear the man was warning us about. The half of me that was excited adored the cute lithe bear toddling away from me. The other half however, was in code red scanning the surrounding for the possible direction its mother could be attacking me from. I was vigorously shaking my bell in my hand as we shuffled away from the little fur ball, while keeping our eyes peeled for a larger fur ball.
-Iphone camera could only do so much; but that is the little bear in the middle of the picture
Sara was actually contemplating to track the bear as to get a closer look at it. I managed to convince her bold 19 year old mind that it was too risky. From then on Sara could bear the annoying noise of my bell.
-Us after the bear encounter
-Found a nice tree house
Anyways, Sara noticed red berries growing along the dirt road we were hiking on. Her hunger took over and she was collecting a bunch of them, snacking on them as we walk. She entertained the thoughts that they could be poisonous, but she just hoped that they aren’t. Being the conservative risk-taker that I am, I did not even touch a berry, lest a bear caught me in the act and took my competition with its food source as a threat!
We then encountered a tree with claw marks clearly etched on its bark. Who do you think made these marks?
The route had so much to view. It was so amazing that in that I get to walk through many different environments. We went through the lake, creek, pines, birches, plains, beaches, surrounded by dashing heights.
After all that, we have come to the end of our hike. We managed to catch our bus just before sunset. It was indeed a long hike, we were emptied of our energy but were full of satisfaction. Fatigue eventually overcame us and we slept through the hour long bus ride.
Waking up at the last station, we hugged goodbye, and headed our own ways.
– End of day 2
Dashing Heights 