Day 17: The Hike Continues

As we started our second day of hiking the famous Nakasendo trail, we set off from Tsutamuraya on the next leg of our trek towards the mountain town of Kiso. The day started fairly well, the rain was not as heavy as the day before and the group was making good pace as we walked through the small towns along the route.

After about two hours we came to our first major landmark. The town of Negiso. We were feeling pretty good. Then as we stopped for a short break and drinks thinking that we would have this trail whipped in no time; but we were in for possibly the most difficult hike we’ve been on this trip. A little context before I go on, the Nakasendo trail runs through the three mountain ranges that comprise the Japanese Alps. The specific mountain range we are in is the Kiso mountains which are know for steep valleys and white water rivers. Once we left Negiso the path in front of us turned from a recognizable and occasionally paved trail to a narrow, barely used footpath. We definitely weren’t going where most tourists go. The trek though the mountains offered some breathtaking views and a chance to see nature up close (luckily we didn’t see any bears up close). The steep, rugged terrain and winding nature of the trail meant that things were slow going. Things were also made more difficult by the rain which turned the trail into a muddy and occasionally slippery mire.

It probably goes without saying we were more than a little tired. However, just as we began to feel defeated and at our lowest we rounded the corner of the trail we saw hope. We had reached the downhill slope of Mt Shiroyama, the last landmark of the trail before the station we would take to the hotel. For the last three miles we had a downhill paved road to walk on and the group came back to life, we didn’t even care that the rain had begun to pour on us again as we practically skipped down the mountain. We had made it through and we were proud, sore, but proud.