Mountain Day

Yesterday was Mountain Day (山の日)! I was unable to make time for a hike yesterday, but I was able to do so this morning.

I departed soon after sunrise, so I was able to mostly avoid direct sunlight while cycling to the mountains. There was a really big rainbow, arcing from one mountain to another! One of the benefits of hiking at sunrise is that you can see such sights. Solar rainbows appear opposite the sun, so you can only see them around sunrise and sunset.

A cicada serenade accompanied the buzz of hungry mosquitoes that pursued me throughout the hike. I hiked at a pretty fast pace in a futile attempt to keep ahead of the swarm, keeping my eyes out for snakes. I failed to spot any snakes, but I found two frogs. Frogs on land portend rain, and we indeed expect rain tomorrow from a passing typhoon. I was able to get a pretty good photo of one of the frogs to show my daughters.