Stage 27: Uchiko - Kuma-kōgen, 36 kms, Cloud & Sun, 23

From Large to Small

Turns out that my French company was a young man from Bordeaux named Thomas. By chance we'd briefly met and chatted at T24 way down at the Cape. Seems like ages ago, but was probably just 10 days or something like that. Too tired to look that up:). We were the only two in Minshuku Syaron  last night. We had an excellent meal downstairs in the restaurant and all we had to do was order whatever we wanted from the menu, part of our ¥6,500 room fee...about $78, and sadly increasing with the help from our neighbors to the south at home:(  It's all over the press here. Ok, enough of that! I'm on a Buddhist pilgrimage and there will be time enough for this sort of thing when I return home in three weeks. Hard to avoid when the tv is always on during meals.

Our host was a real character and he helped me to change a couple of my bookings through Golden Week so that I don't have to train all over the place. Much better situation. We all had fun with the process as each place I needed to stay required about 10 phone calls to sort out. One place had room, but wouldn't accept me because I couldn't speak Japanese. Hasn't been a problem so far, and I figure it was the operator's insecurity at not speaking English. No problem. I have a room in a business hotel. That should be entertaining! Meals out and all that. A photo of my place last night. My room was the top left, and I posted a picture yesterday...very traditional.

 

I knew before I went to bed that the walk planned for today was going to be long and involve a climb into the mountains all day long. In fact it's one of the 5 main climbs on this route, though not quite the highest at 800 metres (2,800'). I'm at about 500m tonight and there will be 5 more climbs as I cross this plateau, but it's not as bad as it sounds with each one just 200-300m above where I'm staying tonight. The three remaining higher climbs all begin next week with the first on Tuesday. However, that's down the road, and you just take them on one day at a time.

Back to the almost present please! So up and away by just after 6:30 with a beautiful western style breakfast set padding my tummy. We had the choice and I also had marmalade on my toast! And an omelette. My very favourite:).  The storm had passed and the sun was showing.

 

The early morning mist in the surrounding trees was a pleasure to behold this morning as I set off along my very favourite Highway 56. A big and busy route as you will recall from my comments yesterday, but I soon transitioned onto the smaller 379, still busy, but much quieter with a really nice walking sidewalk. 

 

 

The road followed the Oda River, a good sized flow made even bigger by the heavy rains of the previous 24 hours.

I assumed this meant the passes are open, with no snow.

 

I really enjoyed my walk along the river, and the grade wasn't overly steep, just a steady climb.

 

 

 

I eventually said good-bye to the Oda River as 379 swung north following the Tado River, a fast moving current, but smaller than the Oda. A tributary.

 

Still climbing I said adios to the reliable 379 and moved westward onto Highway 42, itself a smaller tributary of the main road system.

 

I continued to follow the Tado River up to the Shimosakaba-tōge Pass at 527m where I said goodbye to what had now become a small feeder stream. The view back.

 

From there I looked for the trail, but not finding it I started down what I thought was highway 42, figuring from my map book that I would cut the trail and hang a left onto it. Wrong. A smiling, delightfully generous lady pulled her car over, got out and showed me the error of my way. I headed back up highway 220 which I'd just cut across and the dear was waiting for me at the top (a ride would have been nice) to direct me onto the Henro trail. That was my osettai today! Gratefully accepted and very uplifting. I took a photo of her as she was getting into her car, and she got back out and waved. Amazing! 

 

Climbing steeply, always steeply at the end it seems, along a pathway to the Hiwata-tō Pass where I stopped to record the high of the day at 800m...

 

Pass marker.

 

I descended to my home for the next two nights, Kuma-kōgen 

 

where I'm situated in a recommended Ryokan. I had been told that it's an 8 hour crossing, but I arrived in just over six and a half hours and I noticed that Christine and another Henro arrived not too long later. So I guess the estimate was a bit off. I killed time by buying some groceries and getting cash out at the post office ATM because Golden Week begins tomorrow night and everything money wise will be closed down for 9 days! 

My landlady asked me to return at 3pm to check in, but when she got to chatting with me, and I smiled a lot, she told me I could come in early and have a bath. I must have been odiferous! 

As I said, I'll stay here two nights and walk the plateau with its various climbs tomorrow stopping first at T44 and then later at T45 before looping around and climbing back here. Shouldn't there be some downhill? The loop isn't long at just over 20 kms, but the ups and downs might make the day longer. The map book recommends this strategy, and as this ryokan was recommended I decided that it was a good strategy and besides, I don't have to carry my pack tomorrow!  

I also wanted to point out that one of the benefits of getting inland and gaining some elevation is that spring regresses. Enjoy!

 

 

 

Gord, this one is for you, Mr. Sign Carver! The message is for everyone.