It was a beautiful fall day, and the colours were spectacular. We started off in one big group, but eventually broke off into pairs. The beginning was a long, vertical hike through fairly dense forest. The leaves were at their peak, so we were surrounded by red and yellow and gold, with the peaks of other mountains looming on the horizon. Eventually the thick tree cover began to thin out. At that altitude the leaves had already dropped, so the trees that did manage to grow there looked like twisted, white bones; they were especially striking when the clouds began to roll in. We came across patches of snow,our first of the season. Eventually, above the tree line, our surroundings changed again, this time to the wide-open expanse of a sunny, alpine meadow (like-thing. I doubt that’s the correct terminology) The sky was a deep, clear blue and reminded me of a Miyazaki film. After hiking through the “meadow” for some time, we came across an expansive mountain lodge. Although it was boarded up for the season, there were still a few groups stopped for a rest. This was the where the final climb to the peak was, so there was also a small Shinto shrine with a Torii gate. We stayed there just a bit too long and it was tough getting going again, but we eventually fell back into a rhythm and before we knew it, we were standing on the top of the world. Honestly, that’s what it felt like. When you looked off into the horizon, all you could see were clouds far, far below, and the peaks of distant mountains. It was exhilarating!
There were 5 Canadians, and we all had Mountain Equipment Co-op backpacks (most Canadians do)
This shot was taken from the trail: mountains off in the distance
Everyone else stopped to take pictures too
Trees in the mist
As we approached the treeline the trees started to look rather skeletal
Our first glimpse of snow. It's hard to tell from this picture, but we're actually quite high up. If you look closely, you can see the 'skeleton' trees far below.
The alpine 'meadow' and the lodge
The Torii gate and small shrine at the bottm. (It looks like a simple stroll to the top, but it wasn't!)
The small shrine at the top!
Looking... north? I don't remember now. But the little lake was the most beautiful shade of blue.
Clouds on the horizon and rolling-in over the lodge down below.
On top of the world...
Hanging out and having lunch - on top of the world!
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