Wow- check the weather link if you want to see what rainy season looks like! Rain, rain, rain.. as far as the eye can see.

Well, I ushered the season in in style. Took one look at the forecast and another look at my calendar and said to myself, "Self- we need to get up there in those mountains ASAP!". Yes, indeedy, I was ready for a hike and needed to do it pronto. So- Tom being on the way to China, Jaclyn being occupied with her Turkish friend, Danielle being caught up in Soccer tournament insanity- I called some random JETs that are well-known for hiking but with whom I've pretty much never hung out. It was the begining of an adventure. And a bad cold. Ah... but I get ahead of myself.

I had my pack ready when I went to bed on Friday night: sleeping bag, sleeping pad, tent, tarp, tent poles, food, clothes, flashlite, etc. etc. etc. Unfortunately, I still hadn't gotten the word as to whether we were actually going or not. I went to sleep half hoping I'd get to sleep in, half hoping we'd get to go climb. I didn't sleep well and during one of the times I woke up to check the clock realized I'd developed a sore throat. An annoying spring cold has been making the rounds but I thought I'd missed it. Not so... grumble grumble. I thought I was off the hook at 6:05am with no call, but just as I'd fallen back to sleep the phone rang and the trip was ON. I had to wake Jaclyn up to go drop me and my stuff off and then David and I were headed to Omachi to meet the rest of the team. Eric, Zac, his girlfriend Haru and the two of us then headed further north to the trailhead. We'd planned to climb Kashimayari, home of one of my favorite ski resorts.

We spent the rest of the day going UP. The trail wasted no time on flat spots and was steep from the begining. I was instantly soaked from the humidity and my own sweat. After being worried that I'd be left behind by the guys- I was happy to find a comfy pace right behind Eric- who was leading the pack. After one break, we soon came across regular sections of the trail that were still under feet of old snow. It was rather treacherous- the snow was left in valleys- which we were crossing over. If you looked down- the snow stretched out below- All The Way Down. Eek! With my balance somewhat compromised by the large pack on my back, I was quite nervous. There were also many random trees bent over by the snow- the branches of which we had to climb over... without Tipping over.

We took another big break for lunch when we reached the first hut. It was up on a ridge that we'd been working our way toward all morning. Totally surrounded by snow- it looked like a ski lodge. From this hut, we could see the rest of our trail- up and down over 4 peaks to the next lodge, then up and down a couple more to the tip-py top of Kashimayari.

We spent the rest of the afternoon hiking towards the lodge. Eric was way out in front and the others were scattered out behind me- I really enjoyed the peace and quiet of being alone with the view. The amazing thing about being up there is how it can really be anywhere- there is absolutly nothing about those mountains that scream "Japan" or anywhere else- they are just mountains- bare but for the snow, trees, animals and few lodges. The views of the mountains and back down into the valley we'd come from were impressive.

Once we reached the second lodge it was another cruel 10 minutes uphill and over snow to the tent site. It was worth it- the tent site was also on the ridge- so it offered views of the mountains on one side and down towards home in the valley on the other. If we looked back we could see the first lodge and the trail we'd come on and if we looked forwards (sorry-I'm directionally challenged) we could see the final challenge- the peak of Kashimayari. We took a break for re-fueling, threw up our tents (I was so proud of myself for mostly getting mine up alone) and headed up for one last push. Man- push was what was required too. We'd been hiking for over 7 hours already and I was BEAT. It seemed like forever before we reached the top. I kept looking at the sun and begging and pleading it not to move. I was afraid it would set and we'd have to climb down in the dark. I spent a lot of time thinking about my Grandma Em and Grandpa Jerry- about how much time they used to spend in the mountains and how my love of the Nagano mountains stems from my love for visiting them and their mountains out in Colorado.

Fortunately, "forever" only turned out to be an hour (I was shocked!). The top was incredible. It really felt like The Top- a tiny platform with sky all around- a couple of man-made piles of rocks, and sign proclaiming it The Top at 2889.1 meters(9478.67 feet). We sighed, rested, drank water, then turned around and headed down. It felt so much easier- no pack (we'd left our stuff at the tents) and working with gravity- I seriously bounced (within limits) all the way down.

We were exhausted. David, struggling with a cold all day, skipped dinner and just went to bed. I headed back down to the lodge to use their bathroom and re-fill my water bottles then dragged (literally) myself back up the hill to make some dinner. I enjoyed a lovely meal of curry rice with a fruit roll-up courtesy of Jaclyn's care packages from home (Thanks Jaclyn's mom!). We stayed awake long enough to watch the magnificent sunset behind the other mountains then see the first stars come out and then we all crashed. Crawling into the tent alone made me really miss Tom- we make such a great camping/hiking team. It was cool to be hanging out with new people- but there was so much of this trip I wished I could have shared with him.

I slept horribly. Sore throat had developed into stuffy head, runny nose and I spent the night sniffling and dripping and trying to find a comfortable position in my sleeping bag. It was impossible. I was awake more than I was asleep and for the first time in my life I was grateful to see the clock read 5am. Hot tea and oatmeal soothed my throat and unblocked my nose a bit. We quickly packed up and began the trek back. I was so thankful that we'd headed up to the top on Saturday instead of leaving it for Day 2.. I never would have made it. The uphills on the way back to the first lodge made me feel like an 80 year old emphezema patient. I thought my lungs were going to pop and I thought my breathing sounded funny. It was one of those moments when if I had any choice what-so-ever I would have just quit- but there was no alternative- there was no option BUT to keep going, no matter how miserable I felt. It was all I could do to keep moving forward. David was still really having problems with his cold too, so the two of us stuck together and somehow finally made it back to the lodge. I felt terrible and the wind had really kicked up, but the rest of the way was downhill, so I knew we were beyond the "hard part".

Of course, the "easy part" still involved all those valleys of snow- not to mention 2 straight hours of Down. Imagine being on stairmaster with a heavy pack for an entire day, getting no sleep and then the next day going DOWN stairs for the whole day. It was grueling. Every step I took was becoming more and more painful. This hike really convinced me that I need some new, cushier shoes! The forest was beautiful on the way down, but I was so eager to finish that I didn't take much time to enjoy it. We actually finished the hike by 11:00am on Sunday, which was great news since it left the whole day to recover.

Which is exactly what I did. I got home, soaked in a hot bath and then took cold medicine before a 3 hour nap. I awoke feeling almost back to human. Today I'm really stuffed up and stairs here at school have been rough, but I'm feeling much better. And, as the forecast predicted- it is pouring rain and supposed to continue to do so for the rest of the month. I'm so glad that I got out there and got this hike in when I could. It was more than I was ready for but it was so worth the pain! Check the photos!