Winter is almost here, which limits our options of mountains to hike. This time we chose the Amagi mountains in Izu Peninsula, and hiked the unusual trail towards Mount Banzaburo and Banjirodake. A couple of meters in, I already got my shoes wet, great, because that was just the beginning of a series of shenanigans we got ourselves into. How about forgetting our rain jackets and getting soaked in the rain halfway towards the first peak, or realising we never packed a lighter for the jet boiler - and carried the cup ramen and ground coffee just for extra weight 🤦♀️
Fortunately, just being immersed in nature, experiencing its raw, inconveniences and the sense of fulfillment upon reaching the peaks most of the time compensate whatever mishaps along the way.
Yes the weather was not that good, but it cooled our super heated up bodies climbing up. There was a kind gentleman who lent his lighter so we were able to make coffee and eat instant ramen at the peak of Banzaburo. We had to eat it by fingers because of course, we forgot to bring chopsticks, but it was a great minute of laughter!
Before I forget I'd like to share the sweet surprise of views we got driving up to the trailhead. The winding mountain road,which btw is Kevin's favourite, was covered in fog and at times cleared up showing the colourful autumn trees. There were a few viewpoints along the way where we stopped and marvel at, also saw the snow capped Mt Fuji while on the road.
It was a great drive and hike, I highly recommend this area for nature and road trip lovers! There are a couple of golf courses as well as pretty mountain lodges. Amagi mountain range is one of the top 100 famous mountains in Japan- I'm not one of the enthusiasts but I can say it's a good accomplishment to have hiked its peaks, all the more enjoyed the drive around it.