Kamikochi Backpacking Weekend

September 22, 20135 Comments

View along the river walk towards our campsite

Beautiful mountains!

Late September is always a bit of a celebration for my husband and I. In the span of a week, we smash in both birthdays and our anniversary! Sometimes we travel out-of-country (2006: Italy, 2010: Europe) and other times, we keep it a bit more low-key. This year was one that fell into the latter category. This year’s trip was checking one of my husband’s Japan To-Do’s, Kamikochi. Late September is a perfect time to head into the mountains here in Japan; cool in the evenings and warm during the day.

The walk from the final hut to our tent camping area

We had heard people rave about Kamikochi but didn’t quite know what to expect. We arrived early on Wednesday and began our 17km hike into our campsite. The initial 11km was a tree-covered trail with slight rolling hills that followed the river farther into the valley. There were several huts along the way where we were able to stop, use the toilet (several are pay; 100 yen each), buy some snacks or drinks, and more. In early afternoon, we finally made it to an old mountain hut site, Yarasawa, destroyed by an avalanche that is now a tent camping site.

Our luxury while backpacking is good food

Now there’s one thing you should know about us when we camp. We eat very, very well while we’re out camping. It becomes the biggest luxury on an adventure where you’re sleeping on the ground, not bathing, and hiking all day long! We have several go-to backpacking recipes but tried out a new concept recipe of an Italian-inspired soup on the first night. Actually, it contained the heaviest items so it needed to be the first to go!

Filtering fresh mountain water near our campsite

On Day 2, we headed farther up the valley and then straight up the side of the mountains to Yari-ga-take. This mountain is one of the more popular mountains in the park and it shows. At the ridgeline just beside the peak, there is a massive mountain hut containing beds for hundreds of people, a restaurant, shop, and more. The actual peak is a sketchy climb of chains, ropes, and ladders to the top. I’ll admit that it was a peak that Tom claimed, not me. I don’t do ladders…especially when I was having slight vertigo. On the descent, I took the trail straight down and my husband decided to take a ridgeline hike to Tenguhara. We met up at the junction point on the trail where he surprised me with mountain blueberries. Freshly picked with the blue thumb to prove it!

Hiking up towards Yari-ga-take

Beautiful mountain valley

Yari-ga-take peak

My husband kindly took pictures on his way up Yari-ga-take peak. I hung out at the hut down below!

Ladders upon ladders to reach the top!

Two of us in front of Yari-ga-take peak

On Day 3, we packed up camp in our gorgeous little valley and did the 6 km hike back out to Yokoo-Sanso hut area. We set up our campsite, dropped unnecessary gear, and started climbing up a grueling 6km hike into the high mountain valley of Karasawa. The initial 2.5km was a beautiful, slightly uphill hike to a bridge where you crossed the river. It had great rocks to relax on, soak your feet, and sunbathe (we took full advantage of it on the way down). The second part of the hike was up, up, and up. I swear my husband seems to have a thing for intense, heart-pounding hikes!

Hubby showing off his handpicked Tenguhara blueberries

Stopping for a picture along the river on our hike back down to Yokoo-Sanso campsite

Doesn’t everyone use cute bear stickies to mark the route?

When we finally made it to the top after about three hours on the trail, we were rewarded with a wonderful view of the high mountain valley surrounded on three sides by exposed mountains. For being that remote, it sure did have a lot of comforts! We ordered some curry rice and enjoyed it on the roof-top eating area. The hut holds several hundred people so it was equipped with all your basic needs. Water, toilets (western with heated toilet seat), draft beers served up in large glass mugs, plenty of food and snack options, and souvenirs.

Enjoying the sun and studying the routes out of this high mountain valley

View from Karasawa mountain hut area

After relaxing a bit, we headed back down towards our campsite. It was our final night in the backcountry (can you really say it’s backcountry when there’s hundreds of others around you?) and we wanted to enjoy our night. We cooked up the last of our food and enjoyed it with some wine from the local hut store. Our campsite had some fun characters so we people-watched, chatted with a mountain guide staying in our camp area, and said “hello/goodbye” with the kids camping next to us.

Final night on our Kamikochi backpacking experience

On day four, it was just packing up our camp and walking the final 11km back to the bus terminal. We were sad that our time in Kamikochi was ending but SOO excited for a trip to the onsen (public bath) to clean up. We made really good time on the trail back and passed hundreds of people heading into the park for the long holiday weekend.

Some monkeys walking the trail with fellow hikers

If you have the opportunity to go to Kamikochi, do it! It was gorgeous and the closest I’ve seen to an American National Park over here. While the peaks and trails aren’t as isolated as in America, it’s a cultural experience to hang out with hundreds of your closest Japanese friends while admiring your beautiful surroundings.

xxCourtney

St. Jean Pied de Port: Gateway to the Camino de Santiago

September 10, 2013March 14, 2015Leave a comment

View over the countryside surrounding St. Jean Pied de Port

It’s taken me awhile to get to this point in our adventure. It’s probably because in some way, I’m still mourning our time and adventure along the Camino. It has truly been one of the best experiences in my life. We plan to walk again someday. Not sure when…maybe before the next big job move, or maybe after retirement. All we know is we will join our fellow peregrinos on the Camino de Santiago again.

Our journey to St. Jean Pied de Port was a long one! We left San Sebastian early in the morning for Bayonne, France. Upon arrival, we had two hours to explore the city before catching our next train. We wandered past the cathedral and walked inside to find a chapel for St. James. We both lit candles at his alter. Tensions, emotions, and stress were high at this point. We were embarking on one of our dreams, and our only regret from our time in Spain. We just asked to finish.

Alter within Bayonne’s Cathedral

The small train to St. Jean Pied de Port was packed with pilgrims as we headed to our first stop on the Camino. Age, fitness level, and equipment were as varied as the countries we came from but one thing was constant, the anticipation. The anticipation was palpable as several pilgrims chatted about how long they would walk, why they were walking, and other small talk to kill time. The closer we drew to St. Jean, it increased. People began to fall silent. The shudders of the cameras slowed. People removed their earbuds and turned off their iPods. We all sat transfixed on the mountains and valleys as we inched closer to the village and seemingly farther back in time.

When the doors finally open, hundreds of pilgrims swarmed into the sleepy town of St. Jean. It wasn’t hard to figure out where to go; you only needed to follow the stream of pilgrims as they headed up through the arch and into the inner city. Immediately, I fell in love with this village.

St. Jean Pied de Port

I have long been a fan of small, mountain towns (the pueblo blancos of southern Spain are some of my favorites) but the timeless feel of this village. Oh my! You suddenly felt as if you were a medieval pilgrim walking the streets, though we are afforded far more comforts today. There’s a surreal feeling about doing something that has been done for hundreds of years. You feel as if the energy of those that walked before you, and those that will come after you, are linked and you’re all connected. This energy breathes a sense of vibrancy, compassion, and camaraderie to the village. The streets were lined with shops selling outdoor gear, the famous pilgrim shells, knick-knack souvenirs, and foot care. In between all the shops were albergues, or pilgrim hostels, hotels, and restaurants.

Items within the Pilgrims Office in St. Jean Pied de Port

We made our way to the Pilgrims Office where we completed the paperwork, paid our dues, and received the first stamp in our pilgrim’s passport. We were official. We were peregrinos! Our happiness didn’t last for long as we were also informed that the mountain route (also known as Napoleon route) was closed due to snow a few days prior. This is truly the downside of planning outdoor adventures with little room for adjustments; you never know what Mother Nature has in store for you!

So how do you fully prepare for a hike like this? I was up most of the night pondering that and the thousand other questions racing through my head. Had I trained enough? Was I mentally strong enough to power through those moments of physical and emotional pain? Would I complete my journey? Would it transform me? Nothing was known, or certain, at this time. This was the first and most basic lesson of the Camino for me. Just wake up and put one foot in front of the other. Forward progress, not matter how fast or slow, was all that was needed or required of you.

Join me on my next post where I’ll review our first five days on the trail as we walk from France into Spain, into Pamplona, and through the beautiful countryside leading to Puente la Reina.

We’re so done, Fuji!

September 5, 2013Leave a comment

Mt. Fuji from the parking lot on Saturday morning. Within the hour, we were unable to see it and the parking lot had clouds rolling through it.

That’s it! I’m done!

We attempted another summit this past weekend on Mt. Fuji. She’s been angry this year. Like real angry! (All the extra climbers due to its new status as UNESCO World Heritage site??) As most mountains go, the weather is hard to predict and can change quickly. This year has just been particularly bad on Fuji. I swear that most friends have reported windy, wet, and white-out fog for the majority of the summer. It’s not exactly a pleasant hike on the best days; add in less-than-ideal conditions and it can become downright miserable.

This climb was my first attempt at night. I really wanted a gorgeous sunrise from the top of the mountain. After about 4 hours hiking in the dark with headlamps, we reached station 9…in rain, howling winds, and freezing cold. We huddled along a wall that blocked the wind as we discussed our plan. On our current pace, we would reach the top in an hour, or by 3 AM. There was no way, we’d be able to hang out at the top for the 2+ hours until the sun would rise. And that’s IF we could even see anything!

So with that, we parted ways with our friends. They headed to the top because they needed to conquer Fuji. My husband and I headed back down since we’ve been to the summit before. The plan was to meet at our car later in the morning. Heading down earlier would also mean that we could get some sleep in the car before the drive back home.

We hiked back down to a lower spot where we were out of the clouds and wedged ourselves between some rocks to make some tea and instant ramen. Fighting through fatigue and the cold, I sat in awe of our view. At this level, the night sky was clear with twinkling stars. More stars than I’ve seen in years! Down below, the cities were gorgeously lit up and lining the lakes which mirrored back a brilliant crescent moon. The hot, salty ramen and green tea was just the icing to that beautiful view. The tea warmed my frozen, gloved hands. The salty broth of the ramen gave me the energy to continue pushing on.

Morning light on Mt. Fuji.
Taken with my iPhone

We continued down and were nearing station 6 when the early dawn light started to peek around the sides of Mt. Fuji. At times, we were still above the lower clouds which captured the light to make an absolutely breath-taking view. The quiet of the mountain as it basked in the early morning light was inspiring. I just wish it had been like this the entire time!

This hike was possibly the hardest attempt up Fuji. It’s usually an early, and long, day but night hike took it to a whole other level. The exhaustion added with my apparent limited depth perception when using a headlamp made for a slow, slow descent. I had hoped this would “check” the box to seeing the sunrise from the top of Mt. Fuji but guess she had other plans. I think in the future, I will just resign myself to hiking another peak to get views OF Fuji and not FROM Fuji.

View from Station 6 on the descent.
Taken with my iPhone

Final tally: Mt. Fuji – 2 & Courtney – 3. So with that Mt. Fuji, we’re done!

Fuji & the Best Trail Mix Ever!

August 29, 2013Leave a comment

Best Trail Mix Ever

“A wise person climbs Mt. Fuji once, only a fool would climb it twice.”

– Japanese saying

And the second category is where my husband and I fall, fools. I always tend to agree with that statement while I’m on the mountain but there’s something about Fuji that draws me back again and again. Insanity? Regardless, we’re planning on heading to Fuji again this weekend for a final hike this summer. This will make a total of four summits for me and eight for my husband. Consider us certifiably insane at this point!

This will be my first attempt at a night-time climb which is the most preferred way to hike Fuji for the Japanese. It’s slightly cooler without the sun shining down on you but the humidity will still be high. The top will be freezing (thank goodness for my lightweight down jacket!) as we wait for sunrise. This hike requires the climber to better prepared than a day hike. Fingers crossed that despite the crazy weather Fuji has experienced this summer, we get to see a gorgeous sunrise. I don’t think I can handle two summits this year in horrible conditions.

To reach the top of this 3776m beast, we need some good energy. And the solution to that problem is my husband’s trail mix…aka, the best trail mix ever! It’s not gourmet in any way (and actually includes M&Ms which we usually try not to eat) but when you’re exerting that much energy, quick handfuls to keep the energy up is needed. It’s salty and sweet with the perfect mix of quick and sustained energy.

This trail mix comes together insanely fast and seems to disappear as quickly. Hope you enjoy!

Comes together insanely fast

Best Trail Mix Ever
makes approximately 6 cups

1 bag, Peanut Butter M&M’s (feel free to substitute for your favorite)
1 canister, honey roasted peanuts
1 canister, cashews
1 bag, craisins (or raisins)

Dump in a bowl, mix and then package into ziplock bags for easy access on the trail.

Seriously, it was that easy!

Packed up and ready to go! Fuji…here we come!!

Courtney's Global Table

Enjoying the world through culture, food & drinks!

Tag: hiking

Kamikochi Backpacking Weekend

St. Jean Pied de Port: Gateway to the Camino de Santiago

We’re so done, Fuji!

Fuji & the Best Trail Mix Ever!