6am. Why do I do this to myself?
Though the threat of rain pervaded the forecast, I packed my newly purchased rain coat, pants, and gaiters, and trekked out into the wilderness of the Adatara mountain range alone.
Well, not really a wilderness, more like a well-marked trail of red and white targets. And not alone either because Eric braved the elements and went with me on our new adventure.
I tried to get reservations on a bus that would take us directly to the trailhead but called to late to secure the tickets. Thus, we took two trains and a bus that dumped us 5km from the trailhead. At the train station I spotted a group of senior citizens grouped in a corner dressed in outdoor clothes and carrying cameras. I thought, “they might be climbing the mountain too, and if they have a tour bus maybe we can jump on with them! We walked over and I struck up a conversation with a pleasant-looking man. He told me the group was on it’s way to a hydrangea garden, what fun! He was super excited about it, telling me how everyone in the group was around 70 but they were still in great health. Their tour started to get underway so we sat down at the bus stop and watched them walk past. Have you ever seen a Japanese tour group in the States? They have their little flags in the front and back to mark the group and ensure no one gets lost. Well, they do it in their own country too! Not only were the front and back people carrying flags, but also 5 people dotted throughout the middle of the hoard. Awesome.
I taught Eric how to ride the bus and it dropped us off on a very clean and attractive street.
We started walking and hoped to thumb a ride up the rest of the way. After all, the only attraction on this windy mountain road was the resort and trail at the end of it. I’d say our odds are in favor of a passing motorist who is also climbing the mountain and willing to give us a lift. 6 cars later, I started to rethink my strategy. Eric gave some advice: you have to walk backwards and look at the people passing you. Give them your best puppy dog face that says, “I’ll die on this mountain if you don’t pick me up.” I tried it. Another car passed that was completely empty!
I tried again. Car full of people. Okay, I can’t help that one.
Next car: two guys in the front pull over and open the sliding door, telling us to jump in. If this was America, no thanks. But we’re not in America now so without hesitation we jumped in the back and enjoyed a leisurely ride up the road to the trailhead. Win number 1.
It wasn’t raining but the entire mountain was buried in the clouds. As we started up the loop trail we passed some little waterfalls and lush greenery. There were two trails, the new and the old. The old trail looked more like a river bed going over tree roots, and the new one was wide enough to accommodate a small car. Rounding a bend in the road we stopped in our tracks, face to face with the largest rabbit/hare I’ve ever seen! It snuck into the bushes just as I whipped out my camera. Our car trail quickly turned into a more narrow trail with a stream running down the center. Then, we were pretty much walking up the stream. It was very wet and muddy, but very beautiful. The mist made things seem further than they appeared and we couldn’t see the top of the mountain to gauge our distance. It was probably just as well because we had a long ways to go! The earth was a beautiful reddish yellow color and there were plenty of volcanic rocks to pick through on the trail. It made me wish I had paid more attention during the geology portion of Earth Science class…almost.
I tried again. Car full of people. Okay, I can’t help that one.
Next car: two guys in the front pull over and open the sliding door, telling us to jump in. If this was America, no thanks. But we’re not in America now so without hesitation we jumped in the back and enjoyed a leisurely ride up the road to the trailhead. Win number 1.
It wasn’t raining but the entire mountain was buried in the clouds. As we started up the loop trail we passed some little waterfalls and lush greenery. There were two trails, the new and the old. The old trail looked more like a river bed going over tree roots, and the new one was wide enough to accommodate a small car. Rounding a bend in the road we stopped in our tracks, face to face with the largest rabbit/hare I’ve ever seen! It snuck into the bushes just as I whipped out my camera. Our car trail quickly turned into a more narrow trail with a stream running down the center. Then, we were pretty much walking up the stream. It was very wet and muddy, but very beautiful. The mist made things seem further than they appeared and we couldn’t see the top of the mountain to gauge our distance. It was probably just as well because we had a long ways to go! The earth was a beautiful reddish yellow color and there were plenty of volcanic rocks to pick through on the trail. It made me wish I had paid more attention during the geology portion of Earth Science class…almost.
Mounting a false summit the trees and bushes thinned and piles of rocks instead were the only terrain markers. On the larger rocks a large red and white targets had been painted to mark the trail. There were many of them for good reason because the dense clouds made it difficult to look ahead. We rounded a corner and found river gushing at the bottom of a ravine. The opposite side, covered in cloud, was the summit.
Heigh Ho! As we got within 200 yards of the summit I prayed, “God, Could you part the clouds for us?” And guess what happened? Oh yeah, parting of the clouds for Eric and I to see the ginormous crater! We left the crater area and the clouds came back. Uh huh.
We took a short spur trail to the rocky top. The actual summit of Adatara was pretty cloudy though I can imagine what kind of a view would be had on a clear day. This mountain is in a prime position to see 360 degrees of the mid-Tohoku region. We couldn’t even see her close neighbor Bandai-san (which I summited a few weeks ago). There were so many bugs up there that we just took a few pictures and came down to the main trail to eat lunch. Peanut butter on English muffins. Mmmm.
I was surprised at the number of trail runners we passed. These hard-core athletes were running along the ridges like it was a warm-up! I’d like to do that someday if I can stay uninjured for a period of time. We continued the loop down the mountain until we got to the gondola junction. My legs were a little tired but not finished. We decided to flip a coin and ended up walking down the rest of the trail leaving the gondola car empty. If I had known the condition of the trail I’m not sure I’d have made the same decision twice! Because of the past three rainy days the trail was completely soaked and muddy. It became twice as steep as the previous section of trail and I slipped several times despite our slow pace and using trekking poles. I busted out my gaiters for fun…and it was fun! I felt impenetrable! We finally made it back to the parking lot and looked out into the valley which was now sunny and blue skies. The lodge area had some hoses and a brush to wash our muddy boots (which made it easier to thumb a ride).
The very first car that came down the mountain stopped, though warily, to pick us up. Actually, they were probably wondering if we needed help because they didn’t offer to take us anywhere. The passenger seat lady stuck her head out the window and looked at us silently and waiting.
“Um, excuse me. Are you going to Dakeonsen or Nihonmatsu train station?”
She relayed the information to the man driver. He said no.
She told me no.
“Oh, okay, thank you.”
The man said to the lady, “Oh, I know where it is.”
They had a conversation about whether or not they could go there and how far away it was (5km).
“Yes, we’re going there.”
Awkward silence.
“Um, can we come with you?”
Another conversation passed between them as if they’d never known we were hitchhiking. Isn’t the thumbs-up thing international?
The lady in the passenger seat looked us over and said, “You can get in the back….but take off your shoes!”
They were so nice they actually took us past the bus stop and all the way to the train station. We arrived with 5 minutes to spare before the next train to Koriyama. Excellent.
So, after the long day of hiking and hitching I learned some valuable things:
1. Clean hikers are more likely to be picked up.
2. Hikers who speak Japanese can weasel a ride.
I was surprised at the number of trail runners we passed. These hard-core athletes were running along the ridges like it was a warm-up! I’d like to do that someday if I can stay uninjured for a period of time. We continued the loop down the mountain until we got to the gondola junction. My legs were a little tired but not finished. We decided to flip a coin and ended up walking down the rest of the trail leaving the gondola car empty. If I had known the condition of the trail I’m not sure I’d have made the same decision twice! Because of the past three rainy days the trail was completely soaked and muddy. It became twice as steep as the previous section of trail and I slipped several times despite our slow pace and using trekking poles. I busted out my gaiters for fun…and it was fun! I felt impenetrable! We finally made it back to the parking lot and looked out into the valley which was now sunny and blue skies. The lodge area had some hoses and a brush to wash our muddy boots (which made it easier to thumb a ride).
The very first car that came down the mountain stopped, though warily, to pick us up. Actually, they were probably wondering if we needed help because they didn’t offer to take us anywhere. The passenger seat lady stuck her head out the window and looked at us silently and waiting.
“Um, excuse me. Are you going to Dakeonsen or Nihonmatsu train station?”
She relayed the information to the man driver. He said no.
She told me no.
“Oh, okay, thank you.”
The man said to the lady, “Oh, I know where it is.”
They had a conversation about whether or not they could go there and how far away it was (5km).
“Yes, we’re going there.”
Awkward silence.
“Um, can we come with you?”
Another conversation passed between them as if they’d never known we were hitchhiking. Isn’t the thumbs-up thing international?
The lady in the passenger seat looked us over and said, “You can get in the back….but take off your shoes!”
They were so nice they actually took us past the bus stop and all the way to the train station. We arrived with 5 minutes to spare before the next train to Koriyama. Excellent.
So, after the long day of hiking and hitching I learned some valuable things:
1. Clean hikers are more likely to be picked up.
2. Hikers who speak Japanese can weasel a ride.
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