Hiking in Sandankyo

Crazy Aya and myself traversed an hour and a half outside of Ol' Hirosh to visit the national park, Sandankyo Gorge, most famous for its blazing maples in autumn.

The warm, glorious weather has kept the reddening of maples at bay, so only a smattering of reds could be seen today. Most of the forest-covered hills were green and yellow-brown, with bursts of yellow and orange providing much pleasure to us hikers. Many folk had taken to the hills with kiddies and grandparents in tow, many a serious hiker equipped with a sturdy walking stick (ranging from a knobbly bit of wood to a skier's pole) tied with bells, so that everyone jingled on the ascent to view the three waterfalls.

Most surprising of all was the number of pets in the caravan. Aya and I noted eight dogs accompanying their intrepid owners, ranging from shaggy-haired daschunds to a Siberian husky, and one hiker even brought along their cat, a regal, pure white creature with milky green eyes. The cat was draped around the hiker's neck like the fur stole of an Arctic fox. A most edifying and distracting sight as we tried maintaining our balance on the unbarricaded, narrow path which clung to a plunging slope (concluding in a ravine) and juggled our water bottles simultaneously!