Nyohou-san, the great journey
One day four wwoofers sat around a kitchen counter, sipping on some drinks. They decided to climb a mountain and this is what happened…(more or less)
Nikko, Japan
June 11th 2007
650m- We woke up at the lodge. There was only one breakfast ordered so it was an easy morning as far as our duties were concerned. After the kitchen was cleaned we prepared ourselves for our highly anticipated journey, to the top of Mt. Nyohou. We had heard that there was still snow on the tops of the mountains so we made sure to pack a change of warm clothes. There was only a 20% chance of rain, but in Nikko, during June, it can pour rain any time. We made sure to pack the lodge tent. With full bellies and full packs we loaded up and headed to the konvini for one last necessity, a cold beer for the top.
750m- Ken dropped us off at the base of our trail. Jakuko falls is adjacent to where we began. We walked down to the falls to cool off, and feel the run off of the mountain. With any luck we would see the origin of this beautiful falls.
We hiked up a creek bed for 50m until we reached the man made trail. At first it was a rough hike and we soon realized what we were in for.
Eventually the trail leveled off a bit. We now had a knee-high variety of bamboo as ground cover, in the midst of a seemingly endless cedar forest. We walked for hours with the bamboo pulling against us, and the topography rising ever so slightly. Our packs became heavier. The biggest burden through this forest was not our packs, or the brush, but the screaming cicadas. The sound was deafening. Our ears were ringing, and we couldn’t hear the sounds of our own steps.
1400m- The air gets cooler, and we become sweatier. We reached the silence, and the altitude of no cicadas. We stopped for breaks now and then, and had lunch at a nice clearing. A carpet of a multitude different mosses made a nice cushion for our, already, weary backs. We carried on; always anticipating what scenery may lye around the next bend, or over the next ridge.
In the distance we noticed a frightening image. A very large grey object seemed to move around with cat like movements. We squinted our eyes to see, while remaining completely silent. Our first impression was that is was a mountain lion, or bobcat, of some kind. As we approached slowly it came into view, a monkey! A huge monkey, as large your average elementary school student! As we scanned ahead we saw not only one, but at least a dozen wild monkeys. They congregated at a safe distance, debating how to handle the situation. A couple of them were very interested in us, and kept popping up onto tree limbs to catch a quick glance before returning to the cover of the brush. They jumped around and checked us out for a bit, while we tried to snap a photo or two.
They disappeared over the hill. We put down our packs and slowly snuck over to their vicinity. As we peered over the top of the hill we saw them all. Sitting together there was the Father, Mother, baby, and Granddad monkeys. A whole family! They scattered, but the oldest of them, stayed to keep an eye on us while the others retreated to a more comfortable proximity. I think they were happy to see us, and we were definitely ecstatic to see them.
With this rush of adrenaline we carried on, with a new strut in our stride.
1600m- No amount of words or mega pixels could even begin to describe the beauty we all witnessed. Hour after hour we hiked form world to world. Dense moss covered forest, jagged volcanic debris, and serene meadows of exotic brush enchanted us as we headed for the summit. As our spirits soared our bodies wore. Eventually we came to a large cut in the mountain, and a spring. We filled our water bottles with the delicious, ice-cold water that seeped its way out from inside the stones. It gave us the necessary boost in life to carry on.
1900m- Turning around every so often blew our minds time and time again. The city of Nikko became smaller and smaller (although the mountain only seemed to get bigger!). From time to time a cloud would roll through our paths, and the temperature would drop at least ten degrees. By this time we had definitely transcended the physical limitations of our bodies. We focused on that view from the top, and sitting down to crack a cold beer.
2200m- It was beginning to get dark, and the temperature was dropping rapidly. We all concurred that a small grass area would be the last available campsite and that we should build a fire while we still could. The summit would be there in the morning. Seven and a half hours, and we hadn’t even reached the top! It was so cold. We snuggled around the fire soaking in our accomplishment. Our legs appreciated the break, but were not happy about the inevitable climb, and long decent.
June 12, 2007
In the morning we were surprised to see a few older Japanese climbers, making their way up. It inspired us to pack up after breakfast and get going. We thought we had only 20 minutes to the top. An hour later, salvation!
2483m- The view is the greatest my eyes have seen. We had a perfect clearing of clouds for our time at the top. Mountains as far as the eye could see. Nikko city was but a speck or two in middle of a green wonderland. We ate an orange (the best orange ever) with huge smiles on our face. Looking down we had no idea how we had come so far
We took a different trail down, so that we could see the other side of our mountain. Again, every turn brought us into another realm of nature’s supreme beauty. The countryside were far superior to anything we had seen in any Lord of the Rings movie, or any other wonder of the silver screen. Melissa and I were so happy.
Our journey was 22km round trip (13 miles). From bottom to top our elevation changed 1733m. (Over a mile!!) After the journey was over we could not believe how far we had traveled in only 27 hours time. Once we made it back to the lodge, we ate, showered, and slept for the next 16 hours!
It is a very emotional place that we came too. We had never felt more love between us, than looking into each other’s eyes with sweat running down our backs, and the clouds engulfing us in the sky. I think we all left a bit of ourselves at the top, and found a bit on the way down. This was the journey that brought us to Japan.
Tags: Japan, Travel
Zach
My heart soared just reading about your adventure to the top. Thank you for sharing it!
This has been an amazing entry to read, I really enjoyed it.