Tuesday, August 18, 2009

Daisetsuzan Traverse

Well, Ryan and I made it through our epic hiking trip. We had planned on 4 and a half days of hiking, but were able to pull in exactly 24 hours earlier than expected. It rained for 2 of the 4 days, but was absolutely gorgeous thoughout. Many of the vistas were what I would expect in parts of Canada or Alaska. We saw 4 grizzly bears on our first day, but all from afar. We slept in a cabin the first night, as the cabin curator warned us that two grizzlies were seen walking through the tent area the night prior. We didn't see any bears for the rest of the trip, but saw large deer, tons of chipmunks, alot of frogs, and all sorts of birds and insects. The hike was extremely strenous in the time we did it. We were putting in 12 hour hiking days. We finished off our last day with some Asahi beer and a soak in the onsen. Later on, I may sort through the pics and put up descriptions, but for now, here's a slideshow.

BTW...I've been having technical difficulties with my photo sharing site, so check back regularly if you're having troubles viewing them...

Daisetsuzan Traverse

Thursday, August 6, 2009

Update

Haven't blogged in awhile...been busy fighting the war on terror here in northern Japan;) Angelica and Helen will be going back to school at the end of the month. Rose has managed to eat out with her friends nearly every day this month. Rose's mom is always working with her two jobs.

I'm still climbing just about every weekend. I've nearly mastered the art of rappelling. Other than some cuts and bruises, I've managed to avoid any major mishaps.

I'm leaving on an epic trip next weekend. My friend, Ryan, and I are hiking the Daisetsuzan Traverse. The trip will be a 5-day hike atop the Daisetsuzan mountain range in northern Hokkaido. Its supposed to be incredible backcountry full of hot springs and grizzly bears. The weather can also be notably harsh...10 Japanese hikers died from exposure there about 3 weeks ago. I'll post pics and stories when we get back.