“It does not do to leave a live dragon out of your calculations, if you live near him.” ― J.R.R. Tolkien, The Hobbit
Length: 18.33 mi
Elev. gain: 3,875 ft
Moving time: 9:56:38
Avg pace: 32:33
Total time: 11:29:26
High temp: 88°F
Mata Ne, Chikatsuyu!
Yasu and Naomi waved goodbye as we set off. Naomi held up the thank you gifts we gave them because she is the sweetest person ever. We walked through the town of Chikatstuyu, so quiet and still in the morning. This added over a mile to our trek which I had not included in our estimated 13.5 miles for the day.
Tsugizakura-oji
This was my happiest place. The 800 year old cedar trees and the shrine amongst them were rescued from demolition by naturalist Minakata Kumagusu in 1906.
The Longest Day
Wait, where did these three extra miles come from?! AllTrails really betrayed us on this leg of the trip. There was a reroute on the trail, so perhaps that was part of it, but the trail just kept going and going and going.
Daru in the Dark
Twilight was settling in to the cool, damp, purportedly haunted valley we just couldn’t seem to escape. On the Kumano Kodo, it’s very important to be at your next destination before dark, which is 6pm… otherwise your host will worry very much and eventually call the police. Our contact person was so relieved when we showed up an hour late, having hiked just over 18 miles that day.
Meet our hostess, Charlotte, the extremely large huntsman spider. Obviously, we didn’t read any of the available manga that night.