Last Wednesday Ian and I woke up at 8 AM to drive up to Kumamoto City. Ian had to meet with his boss to discuss a few things. I didn’t think it was going to take very long, so I waited in the car and worked on my computer. However, an hour and a half later when he finally returned to the car, I asked him what took so long. He said, “Well, I was talking to Danny about continuing to work for Parakaro from the States, and he seemed really excited about it. He said that I would be the go-to guy for any work that they needed done in the States.” Yaaaaaaaaaaay!!!! If things work out, Ian could potentially teach one of his intensive two day classes on a weekend at a couple of factories in Columbus, Ohio. Since gas and hotel rooms are paid for, that would be a couple extra hundred dollars in our pockets. If that doesn’t work out, he can still work on textbooks and do the phone interviews. It’s not a full time job, but it will be a way to pick up some extra cash!
After the meeting, we grabbed lunch along the way and headed up to Mt. Aso in northern Kumamoto. I had been told that the highest peaks on our island of Kyushu were overlooking Aso—Nakadake and Takadake. (I was later proved wrong. :( It turns out that Kuju in Oita Prefecture is the tallest mountain.) We made our way up the winding Aso road to the parking lot, got out, and started up. The first bit of trail was paved and graded upward. Then we encountered the black sand stretch. It’s a huge strip of black ash that covers probably a square kilometer of land, and it’s the weirdest thing to see. It’s barren and desolate, seeming more like a moonscape than a landscape, and since it’s away from the main tourist area of Aso, it’s eerily quiet. The only thing you can hear is the wind whipping around the edge of the mountain. We had to walk through it in order to get to our trail head.
While the hike to the top of Nakadake and Takadake isn’t very long, it’s mostly vertical climbing over rocks. It’s not a difficult climb, but it does require frequent breaks. Plus add in the fact that part of the sulfur cloud coming off of Aso was blowing toward us and causing us to choke, we HAD to break frequently. The last time Ian and I hiked that trail was shortly after we moved to Japan. It was August and humid and gross. We hadn’t thought to pack any water, so we did the entire hike without a sip. We weren’t sure if it was the heat, lack of water, or the fact that we are more physically fit now, but we remembered struggling MUCH more the first time we climbed that mountain. Once we made it to the top of the rocky part, it was a lot easier. All we had to do was walk along the mountain ridge. We thought that the view from the first peak was beautiful, but the views got better and better. We continued across the ridge to our first mountain, Nakadake. The view from Nakadake looks right over and into the crater of Mt. Aso. It was so cool to look down and see the steaming crater below!
We took a few pictures before powering on to the next stop, Takadake. It’s a very close peak and mostly just requires walking along another ridge until the very end when it’s a vertical stretch over rocks. Once we reached the summit, we thought we were on top of Kyushu. It’s so sad to know that it wasn’t….. Oh well! We rested at the top, taking in the incredible views of towns waaaaaaaaaaaay down below. Since we were on top of the mountain, it was a bit chilly, but just as we were getting ready to leave, the wind changed directions. A huge cloud of sulfur floated over the exact ridge that we needed to take in over to get off the mountain! We had to wait for about fifteen minutes for the gas to pass (insert fart joke here) before we felt safe enough to head back down the mountain.
While the way up the mountain was a physical challenge, the way down was a mental one. The path was very steep and rocky, and one wrong step could potentially send us tumbling down the mountainside. I HAD to have three points of contact and slid down on my butt several times to keep from falling. I kept thinking DON’T TRIP. DON’T FALL. DON’T TRIP. DON’T FALL. It was like a mantra that I continued to chant silently. The sun was going down, and Ian got several amazing pictures of what he calls “golden hour”—the time right before the sun goes down when the lighting is perfect. (Unfortunately I don’t have any of those pictures because Ian hasn’t processed them yet.) We reached the black sand at the base of the trail just as the sun slipped behind the mountain. Without any direct sunlight, it got really cold really quickly!! When we reached our car, it was the only one in the parking lot. We laughed and said that they had probably evacuated the mountain, and the dumb foreigners were the only ones to not know that. (In reality access to the mountain closes at 4:30.)
I don’t know what it is about hiking, but as soon as I get back to the car after a hike I crash. Even if I’m super hyper and not tired at all, as soon as I hit the seat, I suddenly feel like I haven’t slept in days. Ian started driving home, and we stopped for dinner at Mos Burger in the city. Right beside the Mos Burger was a Starbucks, and he sweet talked me into going there for a coffee (tea for me!) before we got back on the road. That night when we got home, both of us went to bed and slept like babies!
Alright, gang….stay tuned for the next blog because I’m very excited about it! I will recant our Kirishima hiking and camping on the beach adventures!
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