Our last day was spent up at Kamikochi hiking up and down the river bank. We made sure not to miss the little town where we were suppossed to park. We opted to take a taxi because it was cheaper than the bus and it was much easier. We were a little sad to see that it was starting to rain. When we got out of the taxi the rain really started coming down. Luckily there were some shops at the entrance where we could buy some umbrellas. We decided to just tough it out and go anyways even with the rain. The first little stretch to get to the main trail was an easy, paved trail but it was POURING. We had three umbrellas so each one of us was sharing with someone else. It was a little discouraging at first because when we got on the main trail we could see how cool it was and how much fun we could have if it was only sunny out. Abby refused to be in the pack so I held her hand and swung her over most of the puddles and mud piles. Emma had fun as Mike swung her across all the same mess. The boys were like two peas in a pod and decided to hike ahead of the rest of us. When they would get too far they were pretty good about stopping to wait for us. During part of more swampy parts of the trail there was this cool doubled walkway which we thought was pretty cool. The boys would jump from one platform to the other. Everyone was just happy that it finally stopped raining. We found a cool creek along the trail and stopped for a couple of minutes to throw rocks in the water but we kept moving until we found an awesome riverbank to stop and play. It was neat to be nestled in the Japan Alps and the views of the moutains were spectacular even though it was still a little misty. When it is clear you are suppossed to see the snow peaked tops of the alps. We stopped and played there for an hour while Abby slept in the pack. There were plenty of rocks to throw in the water and a sandy area where the big kids enjoyed playing. Peter was really proud of his long sand wall and made me take a picture of it. After a while of playing and relaxing we decided to keep going down the trail. The kids were a little disappointed at first that we were pulling them away from their fun but after getting back on the trail they were easily distracted.
Our misty beginning
We made it all the way to this pond and upon entering the entrance area we realized how comercialized the area was with Japanese food vendors and such. It seemed like such a shame to have to drag all that into such a beautiful area and ruin the ambiance. We are just not used to that when we go hiking. The same was true when we hiked Mt. Fuji. We opted to not explore the pond area because in typical Japanese fashion we had to pay to go and see it. We left that area and headed over the big bridge to the other side of the river and decided to eat lunch and play there for awhile. We headed down the river a bit and found the perfect spot to throw rocks in the water. There was a narrow section where Mike and the boys tried to build a dam. They spent most of the time having fun with that while the girls and I played with the smaller rocks. When it was time to go I realized that it was the perfect time to take one family photo. Afterall, Mike and I both took turns carrying my new tripod so it was the perfect time to get some use out of it. I l love my new carbon fiber Manifrotto tripod with pistol grip but it is probably not the best tripod to hike with because it is still a regular size tripod. Thank goodness it was pretty light though.
Hiking back was a breeze. Mike ended up carrying Abby on his shoulders because she just did not want to be in the pack but was tired of walking. We all took turns doing 1-2-3 with Abby and swinging her. Andrew was especially good with Abby. When we made it back to the entrance we got the kids ice-cream cones. There were at least 8 flavors to choose from including some crazy flavors like soda, green tea, peach, and mango. Mike and I both agreed that we should come back and do some of the other hikes up in the mountains and hike in to camp like we saw many people doing. I think hiking in to camp might be in our immediate future. We loved how Kamikochi reminded us of Washington state. We felt like we were home in a way. It was an extremely nice feeling to be in our element here.
Hiking back was a breeze. Mike ended up carrying Abby on his shoulders because she just did not want to be in the pack but was tired of walking. We all took turns doing 1-2-3 with Abby and swinging her. Andrew was especially good with Abby. When we made it back to the entrance we got the kids ice-cream cones. There were at least 8 flavors to choose from including some crazy flavors like soda, green tea, peach, and mango. Mike and I both agreed that we should come back and do some of the other hikes up in the mountains and hike in to camp like we saw many people doing. I think hiking in to camp might be in our immediate future. We loved how Kamikochi reminded us of Washington state. We felt like we were home in a way. It was an extremely nice feeling to be in our element here.
