Hiking in Fog

The rainy season has come early this year. South and central Japan entered the rainy season about three weeks earlier than usual! The area where I live has not entered the rainy season yet, but it sure feels like it. The humidity is between 80 and 90 percent, and there is a lot of rain in the forecast.

Today is overcast, and there is a lot of fog. I cannot even see the mountains from my window. Despite getting thoroughly soaked by the drizzle while cycling home, I had a great hike this morning. The visibility on the trails was fine, with glowing white fog just above the canopy of trees. In some places, the fog managed to press through, creating a very enjoyable atmosphere.

I really enjoy hiking in fog! My favorite fog memory took place at Myojingatake (明神ヶ岳). The visibility on the trails was less than two meters, which made the drop-offs look particularly dramatic. During our descent, we came upon a fork in the trail. There was a sign, but it had come loose and was spinning in the breeze! With the extremely low visibility, we had to carefully consult our maps to determine which trail to take.

That hike was with a friend from Fiji who is really scared of large animals. On that hike, she was worried that there might be a boar in the fog and asked me to take point and make plenty of noise in order to scare away and/or attract any beasts that we might come across. We did not see any animals on that hike, but we did on a later hike! We were hiking Hinokiboramaru (檜洞丸) and a thick fog (or perhaps cloud) rolled in just as we reached the summit. It started to sleet, so we started our descent soon after taking a few quick photos with the altitude sign. During our descent we came across two dear: a doe and a fawn. The deer were not dangerous, but my friend was terrified and hid behind me!