The Precipice: Kumano Kodo Adventure

Day 3 - 4/28

We began our hike at 8 in the morning, cutting through the small town atop Mt Koya, then entering the hiking path leading through the misty mountains. We had several spectacular views of the mountainous landscape and we stopped to marvel at each one. The hike seemed like a long journey as we went up and down steep slopes, planting each step with fair caution. It wasn't too long before the weight of our packs put a lunch break on our minds. The clouds started to sprinkle down some cool rain for us, although the weather was a little chilly to begin with. We cooked some spaghetti, tomato sauce, and Vienna sausages for our lunch. The warmth quickly revitalized our spirits and made us ready for the rest of the day's hike.

We reached the town of Omata just before 4 and was happy to see a river flowing with fresh, mountain spring water. Joe was eager to try out his new water filtration system and I was excited to see it in action. It took us no more than a few minutes before we filled up our water bottles and started making plans for our evening's camping situation.

Despite the tempting ryokan nearby, we exhaustedly hiked for another half hour away from Omata before setting up camp. The total hike that day was around 11km. Since the light rain soaked the earth during that day, making a fire proved no simple task, despite Joe's perseverance. After two hours of fighting the soggy sticks and pine needles, we boiled rice with our gas stove and devoured the whole thing moments after it was ready. The rice, mixed vegetables, and corned beef was not a bad combo.

It was our first night sleeping in our tents and the rain started to come down harder than before. We were all hoping that we wouldn't have to use our ponchos the next day.