2019年10月18日金曜日 - 
Maria -Night Hiking!
This
summer, I tried night hiking for the first time. I went hiking on Mt. Horai in
Shiga prefecture. The goal was to reach the top of the mountain to see the
sunrise over Lake Biwa.
We started
the hike from Horai station around midnight. It was very peaceful and quiet. At
first, walking up the mountain road was easy and the route was easily visible,
but soon the path became more difficult. Using flashlights and headlamps, we
walked steep and rocky trails thick with trees. Due to the frequent typhoons in
summer, some paths were more flooded than usual, and some trees had fallen
down. I saw deer in the forest, who seemed surprised to see humans in their
home at such an hour.
When we
finally reached the mountain peak, what was usually a breathtaking view of Lake
Biwa was actually obscured by clouds and fog! It was like a sea of grey. But it
was okay. I was proud to finish a difficult hike, and I have a reason to try
again in the future!
At the top
of the mountain, you can visit Biwako Valley, also accessible by
ropeway. In
the winter it is a popular skiing spot, and in the summer there are many
activities for children. Using the ropeway to descend the mountain after a long
night hike was a nice experience!reach: 到着する
peaceful:平和な
route: 道
visible: 目に見える
path: 小道
flashlights: 懐中電灯
steep: 急勾配の
rocky: 岩の多い
trails: 小道
thick: 茂った
Due to: ～のため
flooded: 水浸しになった
peak: 山頂
breathtaking: あっと言わせるような
obscured: ぼんやりした
fog: 濃霧
Valley: 谷
descend: 下る