Hiked the hills above the town of Kamakura. Descended into a busy town (today is a public holiday) where we checked out this bronze attraction, the Great Buddha of Kamakura (Daibutsu), cast in 1252. This Buddha resides in the pure land of perfect bliss, presumably unfazed by the constant flood of Instagram posts by earthly influencers.
Category: Walk
Hiking Oshima Island
A train, a bus, and one of these ferries took us to Oshima, the island in the distance in the Sea of Japan. Hiked to the highest peak, then improvised the rest of the hike after discovering the path had been blocked by a landslide.
Hiking the new Shingu–Tachibana OLLE Course
Our flight from Tokyo landed us in Fukuoka by 9:30 AM, with a great view of Mt. Fuji along the way. Hiked a new Kyushu OLLE course, opened in October, following blue and red trail markers. Having hiked most of the OLLE trails over the years, I appreciated the new path, even if our hike didn’t always follow the intended route. The day included a local train from Fukuoka, a ride on a community bus (about US$0.65), views of the Sea of Japan, ancient shrines, and bamboo groves.
Fading colors
The trees of Gold Medal Park were starting to look threadbare as we headed out for our Sunday morning walk. Occasional gusts of wind sent leaves flying. All reminders of the inevitability of winter and motivation to do some planning for winter travel.
Meeting our shadows on a bridge
On our Sunday morning walk, the low sun drew out long shadows, bringing to mind Haruki Murakami’s exploration of the subject. I’d recently read both “Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World” and its core-story reworking, “The City and its Uncertain Walls.” In both novels, the protagonist is detached from his shadow, making me wonder: how long would it actually take me to realize mine was gone?
Straight-through hike via Poplar River viewpoint
Our brother-in-law joined us for today’s hike. By dropping a car at our Lutsen finish point, we were able to hike straight-through instead of doing a loop. This section of the Superior Hiking Trail first took us along Lake Agnes, a body of water largely created by a beaver dam. From there, we headed uphill to great viewpoints, including one of my favorite views, shown here, looking toward the Poplar River.
Two-river loop
Hiked a loop: Cross River on the ascent, a wooded ridge trail with glimpses of Lake Superior, then Temperance River on the descent.
Lutsen Mountains hike
Fortified by GORP we hiked a moderately energetic loop starting at the lodge where we’re staying in Lutsen’s ski area. Here, early in the hike, we crossed the Poplar River. If you squint, you can just see Lake Superior in the distance.
Split Rock River hike
Hiked up one side of Split Rock River, improvised a river crossing (the bridge was out), then hiked back down the other side. Here, towards the end of our hike, this split rock is possibly the origin of the river’s name. Behind, the river flows through a gorge. And overhead the blue sky promises to hold for the next few days.
Foraging for hiking snacks
Structured today’s bike ride as a foraging exercise for hiking snacks. I picked up wasabi peas from United Noodles (a large Asian supermarket) and was pleased to confirm wasabi was on the ingredient list, not the commonly substituted horseradish. I also filled up on generic M&Ms from Seward Co-op and granola bars from Trader Joe’s.