Today’s Hike

Dear Family and Friends,

Last month I was not able to join my hiking group. That was because I was in America. So, today was my first outing of the year. Lucky for us, the weather was perfect. Blue skies, soft breezes, gentle temperatures. Since all of us are older now, we do not attempt really challenging peaks. Rather, we stick to more manageable ones that are easy to get to. Today we took a train.

Ookayama is considered an easy hike. But since the path is literally almost straight up, for us it was not easy. Neither was it hard. Like the weather, it was just right.

The train station was only a teeny hut with no one in attendance. We slid our tickets into the small ticket device and headed into the village.

It was a lovely place. The houses were large with very well-kept gardens. 

The signs to the mountain trail were clearly marked. Ookayama is obviously a popular hiking destination.

It was easy to see that the townspeople loved their mountain. From start to finish there were homemade signs that were either very informative or just plain fun. 

There were even sake bottles hanging from trees. Were they there to entice people with the promise of a good cup when they got home?

It is bear season, so there were handmade drums to scare them away. 

And there were also other forest-creature warnings decorating the mountain.

And of course, there were protective Gods.

And a parade of small shrines.

We puffed our way to the top and were rewarded with expansive views of snow-capped peaks and Yamagata City on one side.

 And an infinite layering of green on the other. We stayed there savoring for a long time.

The return trip had a choice. We could either return the way we had come. Or we could take a longer route. That one led further up the mountain and then directly down. It went past a shrine and arrived at a different train station. We deliberated briefly and then opted for the greater challenge.

That path had dry leaves, so was a bit precarious. But we made it. To our surprise, there were no signs, either along the way or when the hike was completed. We ended up on the edge of a farm. We realized we were lost.

One fellow hiker and I walked across a paddy, looking for the train station. Suddenly a man appeared with a truck and asked if we needed help. He laughed hearing we were lost and again when we told him we were from (far away) Sendai and not Yamagata, two train stops away.

It was meant to take about fifteen minutes to the station, but we stopped for photos and extra time to savor the beauty of flowers. 

We were very lucky the train was running late. Fortunately, we arrived just in time to climb aboard.

Today was yet another very special day. Last week I went to Gold-Snake-Water Shrine (金蛇水神社). Today to Ookayama Mountain. I am looking forward to next month, as I wonder what special treat it will have to offer.

Love,

Anne