“There is nothing like looking, if you want to find something. You certainly usually find something, if you look, but it is not always quite the something you were after.” ― J.R.R. Tolkien, The Hobbit
Length: 11.03 mi
Elev. gain: 3,999 ft
Moving time: 6:56:36
Avg pace: 37:45
Total time: 7:43:06
High temp: 88°F
The Backbreaker
Yesterday’s elevation record got left in the dust today! My ears popped seven times while summiting the mountain some locals affectionately call “The Backbreaker.” Once I had some momentum going, I caught that runner’s high and felt propelled forward to hike my own hike. I was inspired to walk in silence, meditate, and commune with nature for most of the day.
The Unexpected
By the time I reached the summit of Nachisan, I felt on top of the world. A couple days earlier, I learned I had been praying at the shrines “incorrectly” by making requests. So when I found a small Jizo bodhisattva near the mountaintop, I offered him a lucky coin and asked “but how am I supposed to pray without making a wish?”
I’ve never felt a response before when asking the universe a question, but as plain as day came the answer…
“Ask for nothing. Accept everything.”
For miles and miles, this answer unfurled inside me. I applied it to all the things that were weighing on me, my questions, grief, expectations of others, my past, present, and future selves, and so much more. The meditation wrung me out like a washcloth until I had no more tears left, just a lightness and gratitude for this beautiful place and how it cared for and transformed me over the last week. Such an unexpected gift. I rejoined my friends much lighter and refreshed to spend time with them.
1,000 Dragonflies
We stopped for a snack at a pagoda with an epic view. From our perch, we were surrounded by hundreds and hundreds of busy dragonflies. The reality that we hiked from one side of Wakayama peninsula to the other really sunk in as we saw the ocean shore ahead of us in the East.
The last stretch of the Kumano Kodo descended slowly down into a valley full of temples, homes, and the only inn in Nachi: Mitaki Sanso. I enjoyed the traditional Japanese digs with a retro vibe. An announcement came over the speakers when dinner in the restaurant was ready. We grabbed plum wine from the vending machine to add a sweet finish to the evening.