Day 6 - Kumono Kodo I - Trail in Darkness

I am a city boy. If I ever grow comfortable with the forest, it will be no small feat. 



I spent the morning in Kyoto. I took an early train down to Kii Tanabe, a small city on the coast of the Wakayama Penninsula. Traveling in Japan without any english is mostly easy and sometimes requires some gesturing and working together to come to a mutual understanding. The trouble is miscommunication and that can have serious repercussions like, whoa. Despite leaving early, I arrived too late to begin the trail. After a train, a second train, and a local bus to the head of the trail, it was 12:30 and I arrived to a light rain on the Nakahetchi trail. I made a last minute change to my itinerary and was now obliged to travel 17KM to get to my luggage and reach my accommodations for the night.

One properly begins their pilgrimage with "testing their faith" by crawling through the optional Tainai-kuguri bolder. 

A humongous rock blocks my path like a Snorlax. I remove my pack and crawl through a pitch black corridor. I snake through, trying to keep an eye out for spiders -- the Black Widow spider does live on the path -- but I had to give up on my sight adding anything useful. I reached a sliver of light at the end of the corridor -- a crevice -- was this the exit?


I met no other travelers on this day. In retrospect, none other was fool enough to start the path so late. I spent time sauntering, journaling, and reading Dune -- seated, aloud, and walking.

 I traverse ancient stone paths, deep forest, shrines, and small mountain villages on the gorgeous Nakahetchi trail. Everything picturesque and the outlooks abundant. Fog swam among the tops of the mountains - my panorama for the next two days. In the words of Willy, "Rack Ball."








Things got thick around 5.

I finished my last handful of granola and bought a new bottle of water -- 1000 yen left. Light was fading out. I picked up the pace: Jogging up hills, skipping over brooks, and aggressively scanning my path, looking to avoid any dangerous wild life emerging with sunset.

...

Now the sun was gone. I dipped out of the forest at a rest stop with vending machines and bought a Pocari Sweat. Did it just get even darker? I was scared to look at my map. I knew I had landmarks still to come or hopefully I had just missed them in my mad rush. Of course I had missed nothing. The sun was gone and the forest was black -- it sounded like insect symphony orchestra.

I was out of options and worried, and I kept moving.

Eventually, I escaped mortal peril and arrived in the napping mountain village of Tsugizakuri-Oji. 
This was not the end.

I WISH

This town is desolate.

I dig through my bag and find my town map, under a highway-side street light.

My encampment is through the village, up a hill, past a graveyard, and over a river.

 

More than once I come to what I mistake as dead ends.

I arrive in somebody's yard and scare the shit out of some kid. 

I'm more scared of him.

 

More than once, small upturns or undocumented roads stump me.

I pass a bus stop with a roof. My accommodations for the night.

I've done worse

In the end, my map was reliable.

When I reached the site, it was almost nine. A little old lady was waiting up for me.

"Checking In"

She orienteded me with the accommodations -- including the onsen. My beautiful room had tiers like a tree house, high ceilngs, and smelled of freshly cut forest wood. It had multiple ladders and tiers. I spent the evening soaking, laughing, and counting my blessings.