Yatsugadake -- the mountain range of 8 peaks in May
   Droplets of water hung in the clouds we hiked and the wind, magnified by the valleys that channeled it, blew the water in our faces. The path lead along a 2,000-foot drop-off and as I gripped the bolted chains, I was scared. Then, Takanaka-san climbed down a water soaked ladder just a few feet from the drop. I didn't want to go.  Moving backward, I thought I was fine for three more steps when a gust of wind hit the ladder so hard, I thought I would fall. Suddenly, I wished I had never left the barracks.
    Despite the temporary moments of misery, I saw rare sights, including an animal unique to this region of the world called a Kamoshika (a goat, sheep-like beast) and got within ten feet of it. Spence, the third member of our party, said that the Kamoshika is a rare sight in these mountains and that some Japanese people believe it to be a good omen.
    We also saw another amazing animal along our journey -- something Taka called an itachi, a ferret-moving-and-shaped-thing but with an overly bushy tail. It was mainly yellow with tiny short-haired black feet and a black face. He sat on a stone in the middle of a clearing and stared at Spence and Taka who were some 400 yards behind me. He shook his great bright yellow tail, which seemed to dwarf his body and, as they came closer, he sprinted north. His yellow fur looked so stark against the fresh spring green meadow.
    The people were even more fascinating than the animals.  My friend and guide, Taka is wonderful company. His face has a strange and wonderful luminance about it when he is on the mountain.
    The third member of our party, Spence, a Japanese-American, nick-named the outing, "the san baca torio" which literally translated is three idiot folks. More specifically, it is also the same words that the Japanese titled "The three stooges" when it aired here years ago.
    I got to meet new people every couple hours along our three day treck. We would duck into a mountain hut and take a brief reprieve from the wind. The hut masters at these places were all so wonderfully friendly with great stories to tell about other mountaineers. In one hut, a smiling young lady served us free hot tea and stopped her duties briefly to chat with us. At another, a kindly young man about the same age as Taka and I encouraged us to warm our hands near a wood stove while the wind outside howled at the windows.
    I complained against Spence's idea to take a hot lunch, arguing that it was summer and the trail would be hot and dry and we would be better off to just keep moving. But after many hours on the wet, cold, windy ridgeline, I was only too happy that my wise guides brought a stove and instant ramen and were kind enough to me to share their hot soup.
      All mountains are beautiful to me, but the mountains in Japan offer special challenges because the maps and signs are in kanji and the people along the trail all speak a different language, so for this excursion, I was particularly dependent on my Japanese friends who have been on these mountains since they were children. The president of the Stripes mountain club, Koyamasan specified which mountain would be best and made certain the distance from Tokyo was a reasonable drive for
a three day outing. Takanaka-san went with me and showed me the proper route, reading the map and navigating the labyrinth of trails.  In all, I decided it is not so bad to be dependent on Japanese people as friends and local guides since they were all so wonderfully friendly and kind.
   There is an awe in the deep silence of the tall stony ridges here in Japan that I didn't find in the southwest desert mountains of the United States. Here,  the wet mountains were covered with mist that hid the valleys. At times, Taka was only a silhouette. The mountain seemed as familiar and friendly as those I left behind in the northern sections of my homestate, California. When the three days were finished, and we packed up to return to work, I was terribly disappointed.
    But, my mountain friends assured me, there is plenty more.  There are hundreds of routes in the Kitadake (the north mountains), many more in Minamidake (the southern range) and, of course, Mt. Fuji.

NOTE: Since that trip, I enjoyed have Fuji-san, a five-day trip in the southern alps, included Kitadake, a five-day trip in the northern alps, included Shiroumadake (white horse mountain) and a second trip to Yatsugatake from the south, solo.