Rock Climbing (cont)

One of the most frustrating things about Northern Japan is that it can be extremely hard finding things such as the rock climbing spot I've begun frequenting. On our last trip, a Japanese couple showed up with a rock climbing guide highlighting our spot complete with pics, driving directions, and route drawings. Unfortunately, the book is written in Kanji. This is nearly always the case when trying to plan an outdoor adventure in Northern Japan. There are plenty of books, topographic maps, etc, but its all written in Kanji! Some may think this is not the end of the world since a topo map is a topo map, Kanji or English. But, try finding the topo map you need in a book store containing thousands of books with Kanji covers and where the employees don't speak English. Most give up pretty quickly. However, thanks to the wonderful web, more and more travelers are posting very helpful information on subjects such as this. In fact, if it weren't for folks blogging about their travels in Northern Japan, I would have rarely left the house thus far. Anyway, in an effort to give back to those who have helped me, I will try to post more indepth information about the spots I come across.
Most folks who go rock climbing around Misawa talk about climbing near Kuji. Darren, who showed me this spot, said that he thinks they refer to another spot. But, this spot matches the descriptions I've read and is just north of Kuji. Above is a map showing where to park. You just take 45 south of Hachinohe and take a left onto 279. The second left on this map actually takes you all the way down to the coast. Just park on the side of the road at the above coordinates. Take the trail south of the road to a lookout platform. The climbing spot is directly below the platform.

Its hard to get a really good shot showing the entire rock face...

The real prize is the scene looking out. Days like this don't come often in Northern Japan. I'm glad we got to enjoy it.

Angelica's Running

Angelica joined a jogging club at her school. I didn't get to see her first day, but both her and Rose were pretty excited afterwards. Angelica tied for the longest run at 2.5 miles. The other boy, who is a year older, won the speed contest.

I hope she'll keep it up. I'll start taking her to the track accross the street. I've started a runnersworld.com account for her and started feeding her stats to the right column.

Rock Climbing

I finally had the opportunity to get onto a real rock face. I don't know why rock climbing fascinates me so much. Being tall, clumsy, and not too fond of heights, the last place I feel natural is rock climbing. But, there is a certain rush that comes from facing your fears head-on. On top of that, what other sport has you hanging on for your life by your fingertips and depending on somebody else to catch you if you fall? Plus, isn't it just natural to want to reach the tops of things? Rock climbing is a rush on so many levels.
Darren, the experienced one of the bunch, showing us the ropes.

Mike was VERY hesitant at first, but seemed like a natural once on the wall. Much quicker starting out than me and much more confident in his lunges upward.

Its not as fun if you don't spill a little blood along the way. The rock was pretty sharp and my knees, as always, were always getting in the way.

This is as far as I got up...I wore out quick and couldn't stop my legs from shaking:) But, I'll definitely be back to try again soon.