Yakoshima trip

Left for the airport on Thursday, check in was real issue. Put my pack on the scanner for the security check to check in my luggage. I had something in my pack that the security officer wanted to see inside my pack. She was a 4'9" female that must have weigh 95 pounds. It was funny watching her trying to lift a 30 pound pack. I had to help her lift my pack. She did not speak any English, then she give me a hand jester like something round. I assumed that it was my pot and pans. That would make since I had my knife and stove in that area. I had to open the side zipper and try to pull out my pots and pan. She did not want to see it. Then we started to pull everything out of my pack. She could not find what she was looking for. She was starting to get frustrated cause she could not find the item. After twenty minutes of looking in my bag she turns to me and in very broken English and gives me the hand gesture, she said "batt- er-ey" got it. she was looking for my battery pack that was in the top of the pack. I unzip the the top flap and gave her what she was looking for. It only took two second after she told me. After we all got our pack check in we went to the restaurant up stairs and had a pizza with a pint of beer (half and half Keirn beer) food was good and the beer gave me a good buzz. After dinner my traveling companions and I went down to the terminal and saw the small plane that we were going to fly, from the out side the plane look very old. The plane was a small DC-9 with a white and teal pant job, that was fading. The plane reminded me of one those flight that you see in the movies where people have goats and chickens on the flight. It wasn't, the flight was nice. The flight was only an hour and fifteen minutes long. I fell asleep listening to Pink Floyd The Wall. Talk about having weird dreams.

After the plane landed in Kagoshima, we got our luggage we had five minutes to catch the bus. after trying to figure out the teller, and the cost of the trip I put in my ¥1250 in the machine and got my ticket, and turn around and hop on the bus. The bus ride was an hour long, it was very quiet, I think everybody on the bus was tired. Once we got to the last stop we got off and hop in a cab and went to the hostel that we were going to stay. The hostel was small. It was four stories high and we had the dorm rooms on the forth floor. It was 2300 when we arrived and everybody was asleep, and the room was dark we could not see if the beds were full. I found a bed and began to get myself ready for bed the best I could. I had to fumble around in my pack in the dark to find my tooth brush. During the night I try to get some sleep I was awake every two hours cause the bunk beds would move. Meatball (his trail name) would toss and turn or a large truck would drive down the road and the building would shake. (Scary)

Next morning we walk down to the port to catch the ferry to. Yakushima It has been a pleasant ride the sea condition are calm and there is very little rocking in the boat. I got on the boat and there is a couple sitting in my seat. I did not mind the boat was not full and I could sit anywhere. So, I sat one seat next to Meatball and one row in front of the couple. As the ferry was leaving the port everybody (including my self) were taking a few photos. There is a volcano in the middle of the harbor and it is smoking. (Looks cool, I have never seen this) after the thrill is over. I sat down an wrote my thoughts on this paper. Fifteen minutes into the ride Meatball has the chair reclined and is snoring his head off. Hippie (other trail partner) turns to me and complains that this is why he did not want to sleep in the same tent with Meatball. The couple that is sitting in my seat has been taking pictures with his SLR camera non-stop. The shutter is on constant, like a professional at an NFL football game. I don't know what the deal with what he is takin all the photos. It is a very bright day and islands look hazy due to the lighting cause the sun is high and is reflecting a lot of light on the water.

The Trail

After we arrive to Yakushima, Meatball, Hippie and I walk over to the information center. We found out that there are not a lot of busses running to the trail head and that it will cause some issue on our time trying to reach the top before dark. Went to the local sports store it was more like a tourist shop then a sports store, it had lots of knick-knack things in it like wood carvings, pantings and local packaged food that you can buy. We pick up fuel for our stoves and portable toilets for the trail, I also pick up a map. After a quick jot thru the store, we walk across the street and waited for the bus, we were going to have to wait for almost three hours. During that time I remember that I don't know where I put my rain pants. I pull everything out of my bag, I did not find them. I called my son to see if I left them at the house, or did I leave it at the airport when the security officer pulled out all my gear? I will spend the whole trip wondering. Meanwhile Hippie ADHD is kicking in. He runs across the street like he is looking for his dog. He did this for about fifteen minutes and then came back to the bus stop and ask if we want to rent a car. We weight the option on the cost we decided to rent a car to get to the port and catch the bus there. It would be easier for us. The bus that we were waiting on would only give us one minute to catch the last bus for the day, and if we miss that we would have to hike from the port. We got a car and drove to the next town. It was only a twenty minute drive by car. The windows were down and we could smell the cedar on the side of the road.

After we caught the bus to the trail. We started to hike on the road. We hike for 1.5 km to the trail head, it looked like something from an Tim Burton movie. All I could see were very large trees that had roots all over the place and they look like octopus legs that we're going to grab you. There was a walk way that went right threw the middle, it was only the start. After about five minutes you hit the real trail, walking on on dirt trail and stepping on tree root. Every step you take you are gaining elevation, of course your steps are six to twenty inch. (Like doing lunges)About an hour on the trail you have to use ropes to pull yourself up or down a step rock face.

The trail is nice with tall trees they look like they go on forever. You are so tired from climbing that you don't really notice the view, I had to stop to catch my breath a few times. That is when I started to notice the trees and the view. The other guys were doing good. Meatball didn't train for this trip very well, he was lagging back about five minutes. Hippie and I would stop every fifteen minutes to make sure that he was doing fine. After about an hour of hiking we hit the first hut. All the hikers had there tents all set up and they were looking at us as we walked by like they knew something that we did not know. We walk over a nice bridge that had a calm waterfall. We left and started heading toward the top. We were about three plus hours off from the peak. The trail climb higher with every set and just did not seem to wanting to stop. An hour after we left the hut, a Japanese hiker with a SLR camera that had a very long lens that look like you could use it to shoot at a sporting event. He warned Hippie and I that we should not go any further it is to dangerous and the trail is long and there is no other huts, that we can reach in day light. We understood what he was saying and acknowledge him and told him what our plans were. He nodded and said that if we need water, the water on Yakushima is potable. We left.

After about two hours of climbing in the thick woods the sun was starting to set and it was starting to become harder to see. Hippie and I knew that we had only thirty minutes of light in the woods, and we were still an hour from the top were we wanted to stay the night. We would have to stop or break out the head lights. We rounded the edge of the mountain and there was a nice open area that look like the perfect place to set up camp. We had a visitor waiting for us, a Yakushima deer. They are small, the size of a medium dog. He was eating his dinner and did not move till he was done. I was able to get a few photos. Ten minutes later Meatball rolled in. As we set our tents up on top of one of the lower peaks the sun was lower. We were high that you can see the valleys and peaks. The sun shown a glistening reds and orange. An old wise tale was the red sky at night was a sailors delight. Mean it will be a good clear night, after the sunset the stars were shinning bright. We sat down and ate the only real meal the whole day. We had bought some freeze dried food from the PX. They remind me of the MRE's that we had in the Marine Corps. The only thing is you have to heat them up with a stove. Meatball brought six of them with different types of flavor. He had all of them out and look like he was going to eat them all in one sitting. We were discussing about the days hike. Meatball mentions that he was under trained and that this was the hardest thing that he has done. I will admit it was hard. But, with Fuji and Kita-Dake under my belt, today was a good day. I was more worried about tomorrow, going down. We were all tired and turn in around eight-thirty.

It was a long night, I think I only got three hours of sleep. Around eleven-thirty Meatball wakes me up asking me if I had any baby wipes? I was started at first because I was sleeping so hard. I did not bring the right sleeping bag and I was freezing, I ended up putting on my light fleece. That was good on the upper part of my body but my legs were cold, I ended up putting on my heavy fleece. I put my legs through the arms and pulled it up to cover my lower portion of my body. After that I was nice and toasty. So when Meatball ask me for the wipes, I was pissed. Thinking really you didn't bring any? I was thinking I put them on the top pouch. That is were I always put them. I could not find them. Now I have my head lamp on and I am looking through the whole pack and I can not find them. I told Meatball sorry, don't have them. He walked off to go do his thing. I ended up finding them. Gave them to Meatball, it was too late he used his socks. I went back to sleep and a wind storm blew in the middle of the night that seem to last for hours. I sat up to gather my thoughts and started to write the day events. I went back to sleep around two o'clock

Four o'clock in the morning the day started, wasn't going to get up till five. But, don't have a choice, the rain started and I did not want to get my tent wet. Looks like I wasn't going to have any luck. I got dress and started to break down camp, stuff everything in my pack. I started to cook breakfast, two packs of apple cinnamon oats. By then the sun came up to where we could see the trail. The rain was a light drizzle. We have an hour till get to the top. We were in the high lands. The trees were short, knee to hip high. If we were not so high in the mountains we could see for miles and check out the valleys and hill top, because of the weather we could not see anything. Everything was grey and all we could see was about fifty yards in front of us. Meatball did not recover from yesterday, he fell back after twenty minutes. He keeps insuring use that he is doing fine. Just doing his own pace. When we were at the camp site, we thought that the hill top above us was the highest peak on Yakushima, we were wrong. We hike what we though was forever, was only ten to twenty minutes. The clouds would break and Hippie would point to a peak that was only a few hundred yards in front of us and say " that looks like the top." We would get to it and then see another peak off in the distance. Our moral drop a notch. After about an hour and half of climbing up an down over the peaks of the island Hippie and I finally crested over the top of the highest peak. (For the third time I have been on the top of a mountain and it is cover, you can't see anything.) Hippie took a few pictures and my camera got soaked. Meatball showed up he had a look of accomplishment. Now, the fun part, and the most dangerous part. The descend. 75% of most accident on the mountain is going down. Going down was like going up. You could not see much. Every now and then you can see the valley below. It is how you picture Japanese valley. Rolling hills and low clouds. We spend a good three hours in soaking rain before we got to the first hut. It was a nice sight to see. The place was empty, old and look like it would fall apart if you sneezed real hard. The trail was hard getting to the hut I fell a few times. The first time I got my leg caught in between two rocks. It hurt like hell, like I broke it. So, when I got to the hut I was glad to see it. We were wet and cold, I tried to show that I was not in any pain or cold. (Played it calm and cool.) Meatball walked in looking like he hit the same rock, his pants are torn from the mid inter thigh all the way up to his ass. He had a tired old man, with a jagger beard. We all sat there for what seem like and eternity. Kinda hoping the weather would let up, it never did. We took off and headed down to the second hut. After two hours of stepping down on plants and tree roots. I was so glad to this hut. I had to go to the bathroom so bad. I dropped everything (pack, poles, ripped off my rain coat) so I can do what I had to do. The neat thing about this hut is that it is made of compressed and treated paper. It was very warm and nice inside. But, we were on a mission and that was to get off this mountain. Now we know from the map, we were not to far from the old tree, and Wilsons stump. After an hour of doing lunges down the steps, we started to run into tourists. They went on for miles and miles. They came in from the opposite direction.(the easy side) most of them were in large groups from mid 30's plus. I remember seeing a group that look like they all were in there eighty's, and all soaking wet. Meatball got his second wind and he was moving with Hippie and they blew by the old tree. I lagged back. I had to adjust my gear and they went on. When I got to the tree. I too a few pics before my camera crapped out on me. Once I got past the tree the terrain was very, very steep. You had to grab a tree to help you down. The steps were so steep and it hurt every time you took a step. Course it did not help that I had a forty pound pack on my back. After descending the steep terrain, and having to wait for all the groups to come up the hill. I finally got to the bottom. I was glad to get there. I know it would be soon over. Did not know when. Hippie was waiting for me, having a wet smoke break. ( his cigarettes got wet and he was trying to get puff of something.) Meatball was right behind me. So we took a good ten minute break. I took a few photos of the train tracks. My camera got real wet and the LCD display started acting up. The camera look like I had water in it. We were all motivated to get the last part of the trail finish. We just completed the hardest part of the trail, now all we had to do was the last ten kilometer. (Six miles) it was all on flat train tracks that had boards in the middle. So, you could run down the trail. Hippie was in a running mood. He wanted to finish this trail, and Meatball was on his tail. I was feeling good. So, I drop my head and went into my military days on doing force marching. (Like power walking with a pack) And move like there is no tomorrow.

After a long six miles of power walking we dropped Meatball. Hippie and I got to the bus station we waited for Meatball to arrive, it to him another forty-five minutes. We were wondering what was going on. Meatball tells us that the only thing he has eaten all day was six almonds, and that he has no energy. After the long bus trip back to the city we found a hostel on the island that would take us in. It was an old style Japan hostel. Our rooms were paper door and the door was tatami mats, and you sleep on a futon. The owner look and acted like the old lady in the movie "Spirited Away" the next morning we got up and headed back to Kagoshima to catch our plane.