Mt. Ishizuchi

I love the outdoors, and why not? I come from "the Evergreen State" after all. We pride ourselves on our outdoors activities and snobby chic gear. However, like most people bred in the city, I've always been too busy to actually take the time to stop and smell the roses.

Now that I am a teacher, I have even less time because I always seem to be wasting it in between classes. Well, every now and again there is a weekday holiday, or even more rare, a burst of energy that screams "Feed me nature!" When that time roars, I follow eagerly. Now if I could only update this blog with the same passion...

Mt. Ishizuchi is the highest mountain in the West of Japan. 1982 meters in height, it is a beloved spot that attracts children to grandparents to climb it's peak. This is actually my second time scaling the mountain, with much different results in temperature and atmosphere.

The first time I went with Derry, Juliana, and Dave.

The second time I went with David, Simon, and Leigh.

The first time Dave drove us up there and back.

The second time we missed the bus so we took a taxi, and then hitchhiked back with a couple from Hiroshima.

There is a ropeway that will take you up the first part of the mountain. It was my first time to use one and I got to say, it's pretty awesome.

For those feeling adventurous, you can skip the winding pathway around the mountain and use metal link chains to scale over sheer rock face. The first time I skipped over it, as the mountain was still thawing from winter and I'm a chicken.

The second time I did the first set of chains but then decided not to risk my life and second time and took the alternate route.

At the top of the mountain, there is a shrine. Mt. Ishizuchi is one of the seven holy mountains in Japan, which only adds to the splendor. People can then cross the peak to the reaｌ where there is a small shrine. I made it across the first time and nearly toppled off into the abyss. The second time was so crowded that we decided to skip it. We had dinner plans.
P.S. Those white dots are people struggling to cross safely and not die.