We had a training hike to Yakiyama on Feb. 4th. It is a hard hike, but nothing to fear, take a break when you have to and keep going. Soon you can enjoy lunch at the top.

There are a lot of big rocks on the way up. This was the northern rim of a big volcano that erupted 14 million years ago.

Here is our group. A breif flat section in the trail near the top. A curious cypress tree with a bad sense of diretion.

I walked the Nigishima/Okami Pass section of the Iseji Route between Owase and Kumano-shi on Sept. 27. There had been so much rain the two days before so there were waterfalls everywhere. Even the stone steps of the Kumano Kodo had become waterfalls in places. This is one of the least walked routes on the Iseji, and the natural beauty is a testament to this!