{"id":2260,"date":"2013-05-26T13:48:44","date_gmt":"2013-05-26T04:48:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/regex.info\/blog\/2013-05-26\/2260"},"modified":"2013-05-26T13:48:44","modified_gmt":"2013-05-26T04:48:44","slug":"my-mt-hiei-climb-challenge-2013-part-1","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/regex.info\/blog\/2013-05-26\/2260","title":{"rendered":"My Mt. Hiei Climb Challenge 2013, Part 1"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n

This post is a continuation, of sorts, of my first climb of Kyoto's Mt.\nHiei, painfully documented a year<\/span> ago in “Yesterday's Hike: The Agony\nWhere Bravado Yields, In Spectacular<\/span> Fashion, To Painful<\/span> Reality<\/a>”.\nAfter that horrible experience, I vowed<\/span> to get into better shape, and to\nrepeat the hike in a year.<\/span><\/p>\n\n

That year had passed, so I repeated the hike last Thursday.<\/p>\n\n

After the first hike, I made a concerted effort to get into shape, and\njust six week later I showed<\/span> some of my progress in “Going Max Clich\u00e9 While\nLearning About Off-Camera Flash<\/a>”, and probably hit my peak in\nmuscle-to-fat ratio six months later last autumn where I was<\/span> essentially\ndevoid of fat at 78kg\/172lb, ridiculously lean for my 192cm\/6'4\" height.\n(But that lack of fat came with a gaunt<\/span> face made me look sickly, so these\ndays I'm looking much more healthy at 82kg\/181lb).<\/p>\n\n

Now, a year after the first hike and in my mid 40s, I have the<\/span> best physique that I have<\/span> ever had.<\/p>\n\n

But in planning to repeat the hike this year, I was really<\/span> apprehensive\nfor two reasons: The biggest worry was my knees on the downhill parts, and\nI was<\/span> also worried about my cardiovascular shape, which hadn't necessairly\nimproved, so I worried<\/span> about getting pooped out like I did<\/span> last time.<\/p>\n\n

Anyway, worries aside, I did the hike last Thursday. I started<\/span> out from my place in eastern Kyoto at 9am sharp.<\/p>\n\n

<\/a>\nNikon D4 + Nikkor 24-70mm f\/2.8 @ 31mm — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>800 sec, f<\/span>\/5, ISO 100 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\nGetting Started<\/span>\nthe main gate of the Heian Shrine\nKyoto Japan\n<\/div>\n\n

The top of the mountain is hours away, but if I reach<\/span> it, this gate should be visible.<\/p>\n\n

I was doing the hike by myself this time, so tried to do a self<\/span> portrait in a window.<\/span>..<\/p>\n\n

<\/a>\nNikon D4 + Nikkor 24-70mm f\/2.8 @ 70mm — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>160 sec, f<\/span>\/9, ISO 450 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\nMe<\/span>\nphoto by me\n<\/div>\n\n

I've got to walk about an hour through the city before I get<\/span> to the entrance to the hiking path, and at one point\npassed a small<\/span> cemetery, which felt like some kind of reflection of my apprehensions. My destination<\/span> is the peak in the far\nbackground showing between the roofs at left...<\/p>\n\n

<\/a>\nNikon D4 + Nikkor 24-70mm f\/2.8 @ 24mm — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>2500 sec, f<\/span>\/2.8, ISO 100 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\nMy Destination<\/span>\n<\/div>\n\n

Closer to the trailhead, I stopped in a supermarket<\/span> for supplies...<\/p>\n\n

<\/a>\nNikon D4 + Nikkor 24-70mm f\/2.8 @ 29mm — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>60 sec, f<\/span>\/5.6, ISO 400 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\nSupplies<\/span>\n4.5 liters of drink; two Snickers; two rice balls\n<\/div>\n\n
<\/a>\nNikon D4 + Nikkor 24-70mm f\/2.8 @ 45mm — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>1250 sec, f<\/span>\/2.8, ISO 100 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\nFinal Turn<\/span>\noff a main road\n<\/div>\n\n

As the sign above says, the trailhead is near the Japan Baptist Hospital.<\/p>\n\n

A few moments later, you see the hospital ahead, and the parking lot to the right. Enter the parking lot to the right...<\/p>\n\n

<\/a>\nNikon D4 + Nikkor 24-70mm f\/2.8 @ 28mm — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>1600 sec, f<\/span>\/2.8, ISO 100 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\nFork to the Right<\/span>\n<\/div>\n\n
<\/a>\nNikon D4 + Nikkor 24-70mm f\/2.8 @ 24mm — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>1000 sec, f<\/span>\/2.8, ISO 100 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\nUnmarked<\/span>\nthe trailhead is at left\n<\/div>\n\n

Half a minute into the trail, you come to the small Oyamzumi Shrine (\u5927\u5c71\u7947\u795e\u793e)...<\/span><\/p>\n\n

<\/a>\nNikon D4 + Nikkor 24-70mm f\/2.8 @ 24mm — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>125 sec, f<\/span>\/2.8, ISO 100 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\n<\/div>\n\n

Having gotten warmed up by the hour's walk, I spent<\/span> 20 minutes here stretching my legs... quads, psoas major, the iliacus... in hopes\nof avoiding the downhill-slope knee pain that crippled me last time. The white<\/span> bag on the path in the photo above has\nsome towels, padding my knee while I stretched.<\/span><\/p>\n\n

<\/a>\nNikon D4 + Nikkor 24-70mm f\/2.8 @ 24mm — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>50 sec, f<\/span>\/5.6, ISO 220 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\nBidding the Temple Adieu<\/span>\nfor the real start of the hike\n
Desktop-Background Versions<\/b>\n1280×<\/span>800<\/a>  ·  1680×<\/span>1050<\/a>  ·  1920×<\/span>1200<\/a>  ·  2560×<\/span>1600<\/a>  ·  2880×<\/span>1800<\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n
<\/a>\nNikon D4 + Nikkor 24-70mm f\/2.8 @ 70mm — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>160 sec, f<\/span>\/5.6, ISO 1000 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\nPath Marker<\/span>\nyou definitely want to learn how to read these\n<\/div>\n\n

Kyoto is a valley surrounded by mountains on almost all sides, except for a slice<\/span> to the south where the plane extends unbroken all the way\nto Osaka (which we'll see later in this series), and so you can hike the mountaintops in a big<\/span> circle almost all the way around the city. The paths<\/span> are dotted with markers like the one above, pointing the way to the next peak and\/or trailhead.<\/p>\n\n

I made it a point to check each one I came to<\/span> to ensure I stayed<\/span> on the right path. The problem<\/span> in this case was that both directions\nlead to where I wanted<\/span> to go, so I had<\/span> to guess which one I'd taken last year (because I wanted<\/span> to repeat the same hike). I chose<\/span> straight\nahead, and it turns out that was correct.<\/p>\n\n

The trees are tall.<\/p>\n\n

<\/a>\nNikon D4 + Nikkor 24-70mm f\/2.8 @ 24mm — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>50 sec, f<\/span>\/14, ISO 250 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\nCompanions on the Trail<\/span>\n<\/div>\n\n

In playing with the sun peeking out from behind the trees, I ended<\/span> up with this artsy version...<\/p>\n\n

<\/a>\nNikon D4 + Nikkor 24-70mm f\/2.8 @ 24mm — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>50 sec, f<\/span>\/14, ISO 140 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\nOver The Top<\/span>\nlens flare\n(and I think I need to clean the dust from the front of my lens)\n
Vertical Desktop-Background Versions<\/b>\n\n\n1050×<\/span>1680<\/a>  ·  1200×<\/span>1920<\/a>  ·  1600×<\/span>2560<\/a><\/small><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n

Lens flare can be a bit cheesy, but I like<\/span> it sometimes (such as in this sunset shot<\/a>). I'm not sure<\/span> about the shot above, but I'll include it here anyway.<\/p>\n\n\n

There's lots to see and experience in the mountains. I was listening<\/span> to\nSeal<\/a> on my\niPhone while walking in the city toward the trailhead, but I put<\/span> the music\naway when I got<\/span> to the mountain, partially to allow myself to experience\nthe nature, but mostly to allow myself to listen for snakes.<\/p>\n\n

My worry about snakes (born here<\/a>) was not\nunfounded, and I came<\/span> across many at the lower elevations in the first half\nhour...<\/p>\n\n\n

<\/a>\nNikon D4 + Nikkor 24-70mm f\/2.8 @ 70mm — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>160 sec, f<\/span>\/2.8, ISO 1400 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\nJapanese Four-Striped Ratsnake<\/span>\n<\/div>\n\n

Even if I knew at the time that this snake<\/a>\nwas not poisonous, I would<\/span> have still given it a wide<\/span> berth. I don't<\/span> like\nsnakes. Or bugs, for that matter.<\/p>\n\n

There are, of course, many sounds in the forest as well. Here's one that I heard<\/span> a lot<\/span>\nearly on, though I could<\/span> never find what made it:<\/p>\n\n

\n
\n\n\n<\/embed>\nClick <a href=\"\/i\/s\/Hieizan-Hike-Sound.mp3\">here<\/a> to listen<\/noembed>\n<\/object>\n<br\/><span class='caption'>Frog + Pigeon?<\/span>\n<br\/>loud sound in the forest, coming from where?\n<\/center>\n<\/div>\n\n<p>I'd think it's a frog, but it has <span class='nobr'>a creakiness<\/span> to it that calls to mind <span class='nobr'>a pigon.<\/span> This particular recording (with my iPhone)\nwas at the mouth of <span class='nobr'>a hole<\/span> that was spewing what looked to be eggs of some sort (likely frog eggs)...<\/p>\n\n<div class='ic'><a name=\"032681\" href='\/i\/JF4_032681.jpg'\n><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"\/i\/JF4_032681_sm.jpg\" width=\"466\" height=\"700\"\nalt=\"Spewed Eggs and my foot for scale -- Mt. Hiei (\u6bd4\u53e1\u5c71) -- Kyoto, Japan -- Copyright 2013 Jeffrey Friedl, https:\/\/regex.info\/blog\/ -- This photo is licensed to the public under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 Unported License http:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-nc\/3.0\/ (non-commercial use is freely allowed if proper attribution is given, including a link back to this page on http:\/\/regex.info\/ when used online)\"\nid=\"i032681\"\ntitle=\"Spewed Eggs and my foot for scale -- Mt. Hiei (\u6bd4\u53e1\u5c71) -- Kyoto, Japan -- Copyright 2013 Jeffrey Friedl, https:\/\/regex.info\/blog\/ -- This photo is licensed to the public under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 Unported License http:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-nc\/3.0\/ (non-commercial use is freely allowed if proper attribution is given, including a link back to this page on http:\/\/regex.info\/ when used online)\"\/><\/a>\n<br\/><span class=\"camera-info robots-nocontent\">Nikon D4 + Nikkor 24-70mm f\/2.8 @ 34mm &mdash; <sup>1<\/sup><big>\/<\/big>200 sec, <span class='f'>f<\/span>\/2.8, ISO 250 &mdash;\n<a href='\/imageinfo.cgi?url=http%3A%2F%2Fregex.info%2Fi%2FJF4_032681.jpg'>map &amp; image data<\/a> &mdash; <a href='\/blog\/proximity\/i\/JF4_032681.jpg'>nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\n<br\/><span class='caption'>Spewed Eggs<\/span>\n<br\/>and my foot for scale\n<\/div>\n\n\n<div class='ic'><a name=\"032668\" href='\/i\/JF4_032668.jpg'\n><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"\/i\/JF4_032668_sm.jpg\" width=\"690\" height=\"459\"\nalt=\"Eggs Closeup with an unrelated bonus bug of some kind -- Mt. Hiei (\u6bd4\u53e1\u5c71) -- Kyoto, Japan -- Copyright 2013 Jeffrey Friedl, https:\/\/regex.info\/blog\/ -- This photo is licensed to the public under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 Unported License http:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-nc\/3.0\/ (non-commercial use is freely allowed if proper attribution is given, including a link back to this page on http:\/\/regex.info\/ when used online)\"\nid=\"i032668\"\ntitle=\"Eggs Closeup with an unrelated bonus bug of some kind -- Mt. Hiei (\u6bd4\u53e1\u5c71) -- Kyoto, Japan -- Copyright 2013 Jeffrey Friedl, https:\/\/regex.info\/blog\/ -- This photo is licensed to the public under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 Unported License http:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-nc\/3.0\/ (non-commercial use is freely allowed if proper attribution is given, including a link back to this page on http:\/\/regex.info\/ when used online)\"\/><\/a>\n<br\/><span class=\"camera-info robots-nocontent\">Nikon D4 + Voigtl\u00e4nder 125mm f\/2.5 &mdash; <sup>1<\/sup><big>\/<\/big>400 sec, <span class='f'>f<\/span>\/5.6, ISO 2000 &mdash;\n<a href='\/imageinfo.cgi?url=http%3A%2F%2Fregex.info%2Fi%2FJF4_032668.jpg'>map &amp; image data<\/a> &mdash; <a href='\/blog\/proximity\/i\/JF4_032668.jpg'>nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\n<br\/><span class='caption'>Eggs Closeup<\/span>\n<br\/>with an unrelated bonus bug of some kind\n<\/div>\n\n\n<div class='ic'><a name=\"032683\" href='\/i\/JF4_032683.jpg'\n><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"\/i\/JF4_032683_sm.jpg\" width=\"690\" height=\"459\"\nalt=\"Waymarker I made it a point to always check them -- Mt. Hiei (\u6bd4\u53e1\u5c71) -- Kyoto, Japan -- Copyright 2013 Jeffrey Friedl, https:\/\/regex.info\/blog\/ -- This photo is licensed to the public under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 Unported License http:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-nc\/3.0\/ (non-commercial use is freely allowed if proper attribution is given, including a link back to this page on http:\/\/regex.info\/ when used online)\"\nid=\"i032683\"\ntitle=\"Waymarker I made it a point to always check them -- Mt. Hiei (\u6bd4\u53e1\u5c71) -- Kyoto, Japan -- Copyright 2013 Jeffrey Friedl, https:\/\/regex.info\/blog\/ -- This photo is licensed to the public under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 Unported License http:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-nc\/3.0\/ (non-commercial use is freely allowed if proper attribution is given, including a link back to this page on http:\/\/regex.info\/ when used online)\"\/><\/a>\n<br\/><span class=\"camera-info robots-nocontent\">Nikon D4 + Nikkor 24-70mm f\/2.8 @ 24mm &mdash; <sup>1<\/sup><big>\/<\/big>200 sec, <span class='f'>f<\/span>\/2.8, ISO 250 &mdash;\n<a href='\/imageinfo.cgi?url=http%3A%2F%2Fregex.info%2Fi%2FJF4_032683.jpg'>map &amp; image data<\/a> &mdash; <a href='\/blog\/proximity\/i\/JF4_032683.jpg'>nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\n<br\/><span class='caption'>Waymarker<\/span>\n<br\/>I made it a point to always check them\n<\/div>\n\n<div class='ic tight'><a name=\"032690\" href='\/i\/JF4_032690.jpg'\n><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"\/i\/JF4_032690_sm.jpg\" width=\"690\" height=\"459\"\nalt=\"Little Shrine in the middle of nowhere -- Mt. Hiei (\u6bd4\u53e1\u5c71) -- Kyoto, Japan -- Copyright 2013 Jeffrey Friedl, https:\/\/regex.info\/blog\/ -- This photo is licensed to the public under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 Unported License http:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-nc\/3.0\/ (non-commercial use is freely allowed if proper attribution is given, including a link back to this page on http:\/\/regex.info\/ when used online)\"\nid=\"i032690\"\ntitle=\"Little Shrine in the middle of nowhere -- Mt. Hiei (\u6bd4\u53e1\u5c71) -- Kyoto, Japan -- Copyright 2013 Jeffrey Friedl, https:\/\/regex.info\/blog\/ -- This photo is licensed to the public under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 Unported License http:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-nc\/3.0\/ (non-commercial use is freely allowed if proper attribution is given, including a link back to this page on http:\/\/regex.info\/ when used online)\"\/><\/a>\n<br\/><span class=\"camera-info robots-nocontent\">Nikon D4 + Nikkor 24-70mm f\/2.8 @ 36mm &mdash; <sup>1<\/sup><big>\/<\/big>640 sec, <span class='f'>f<\/span>\/2.8, ISO 100 &mdash;\n<a href='\/imageinfo.cgi?url=http%3A%2F%2Fregex.info%2Fi%2FJF4_032690.jpg'>map &amp; image data<\/a> &mdash; <a href='\/blog\/proximity\/i\/JF4_032690.jpg'>nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\n<br\/><span class='caption'>Little Shrine<\/span>\n<br\/>in the middle of nowhere\n<\/div>\n\n<p>Some of these paths date back thousands of years, so we have to remember\nthat what seems like &#8220;middle of nowhere&#8221; to us now may well have been\n&#8220;middle of the highway&#8221; back then, so it's not surprising to find shrines\nand such along the way, especially here near Kyoto.<\/p>\n\n<div class='ic'><a name=\"032708\" href='\/i\/JF4_032708.jpg'\n><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"\/i\/JF4_032708_sm.jpg\" width=\"466\" height=\"700\"\nalt=\"Bobsled Run sometimes the path seemed more like a bobsled run than a hiking path -- Mt. Hiei (\u6bd4\u53e1\u5c71) -- Kyoto, Japan -- Copyright 2013 Jeffrey Friedl, https:\/\/regex.info\/blog\/ -- This photo is licensed to the public under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 Unported License http:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-nc\/3.0\/ (non-commercial use is freely allowed if proper attribution is given, including a link back to this page on http:\/\/regex.info\/ when used online)\"\nid=\"i032708\"\ntitle=\"Bobsled Run sometimes the path seemed more like a bobsled run than a hiking path -- Mt. Hiei (\u6bd4\u53e1\u5c71) -- Kyoto, Japan -- Copyright 2013 Jeffrey Friedl, https:\/\/regex.info\/blog\/ -- This photo is licensed to the public under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 Unported License http:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-nc\/3.0\/ (non-commercial use is freely allowed if proper attribution is given, including a link back to this page on http:\/\/regex.info\/ when used online)\"\/><\/a>\n<br\/><span class=\"camera-info robots-nocontent\">Nikon D4 + Nikkor 24-70mm f\/2.8 @ 44mm &mdash; <sup>1<\/sup><big>\/<\/big>200 sec, <span class='f'>f<\/span>\/2.8, ISO 200 &mdash;\n<a href='\/imageinfo.cgi?url=http%3A%2F%2Fregex.info%2Fi%2FJF4_032708.jpg'>map &amp; image data<\/a> &mdash; <a href='\/blog\/proximity\/i\/JF4_032708.jpg'>nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\n<br\/><span class='caption'>Bobsled Run<\/span>\n<br\/>sometimes the path seemed more like <span class='nobr'>a bobsled<\/span> run than <span class='nobr'>a hiking<\/span> path\n<\/div>\n\n<div class='ic'><a name=\"032712\" href='\/i\/JF4_032712.jpg'\n><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"\/i\/JF4_032712_sm.jpg\" width=\"690\" height=\"459\"\nalt=\"Steep Dropoff these were common -- Mt. Hiei (\u6bd4\u53e1\u5c71) -- Kyoto, Japan -- Copyright 2013 Jeffrey Friedl, https:\/\/regex.info\/blog\/ -- This photo is licensed to the public under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 Unported License http:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-nc\/3.0\/ (non-commercial use is freely allowed if proper attribution is given, including a link back to this page on http:\/\/regex.info\/ when used online)\"\nid=\"i032712\"\ntitle=\"Steep Dropoff these were common -- Mt. Hiei (\u6bd4\u53e1\u5c71) -- Kyoto, Japan -- Copyright 2013 Jeffrey Friedl, https:\/\/regex.info\/blog\/ -- This photo is licensed to the public under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 Unported License http:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-nc\/3.0\/ (non-commercial use is freely allowed if proper attribution is given, including a link back to this page on http:\/\/regex.info\/ when used online)\"\/><\/a>\n<br\/><span class=\"camera-info robots-nocontent\">Nikon D4 + Nikkor 24-70mm f\/2.8 @ 24mm &mdash; <sup>1<\/sup><big>\/<\/big>200 sec, <span class='f'>f<\/span>\/2.8, ISO 360 &mdash;\n<a href='\/imageinfo.cgi?url=http%3A%2F%2Fregex.info%2Fi%2FJF4_032712.jpg'>map &amp; image data<\/a> &mdash; <a href='\/blog\/proximity\/i\/JF4_032712.jpg'>nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\n<br\/><span class='caption'>Steep Dropoff<\/span>\n<br\/>these were common\n<\/div>\n\n<div class='ic tight'><a name=\"032719\" href='\/i\/JF4_032719.jpg'\n><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"\/i\/JF4_032719_sm.jpg\" width=\"466\" height=\"700\"\nalt=\"Hat Delivery -- Mt. Hiei (\u6bd4\u53e1\u5c71) -- Kyoto, Japan -- Copyright 2013 Jeffrey Friedl, https:\/\/regex.info\/blog\/ -- This photo is licensed to the public under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 Unported License http:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-nc\/3.0\/ (non-commercial use is freely allowed if proper attribution is given, including a link back to this page on http:\/\/regex.info\/ when used online)\"\nid=\"i032719\"\ntitle=\"Hat Delivery -- Mt. Hiei (\u6bd4\u53e1\u5c71) -- Kyoto, Japan -- Copyright 2013 Jeffrey Friedl, https:\/\/regex.info\/blog\/ -- This photo is licensed to the public under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 Unported License http:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-nc\/3.0\/ (non-commercial use is freely allowed if proper attribution is given, including a link back to this page on http:\/\/regex.info\/ when used online)\"\/><\/a>\n<br\/><span class=\"camera-info robots-nocontent\">Nikon D4 + Nikkor 24-70mm f\/2.8 @ 32mm &mdash; <sup>1<\/sup><big>\/<\/big>200 sec, <span class='f'>f<\/span>\/2.8, ISO 720 &mdash;\n<a href='\/imageinfo.cgi?url=http%3A%2F%2Fregex.info%2Fi%2FJF4_032719.jpg'>map &amp; image data<\/a> &mdash; <a href='\/blog\/proximity\/i\/JF4_032719.jpg'>nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\n<br\/><span class='caption'>Hat Delivery<\/span>\n<\/div>\n\n<p>I was somewhat surprised to find <span class='nobr'>a guy<\/span> on <span class='nobr'>a bicycle<\/span> come up behind me,\nfurther surprised when he ask whether <span class='nobr'>I had<\/span> dropped my hat earlier on the\ntrail and <span class='nobr'>I realized<\/span> that <span class='nobr'>I had.<\/span> <span class='nobr'>He kindly<\/span> offered to go back and get it\nfor me, telling me to continue my hike and he'd catch up to me. Sure\nenough, <span class='nobr'>a couple<\/span> of minutes later, he appeared with my hat.<\/p>\n\n<p>I would have been very bummed to have lost that <a\nhref='http:\/\/www.sundayafternoons.com\/'>Sunday Afternoons<\/a> hat, both for\nwhen <span class='nobr'>I would<\/span> need its sun protection later on this hike, and in general for\nthe future, because <span class='nobr'>I use<\/span> it <span class='nobr'>a lot<\/span> in the summers.<\/p>\n\n<p>I gave him one of my Snickers candybars as thanks, and he headed off ahead of me...<\/p>\n\n<div class='ic'><a name=\"032720\" href='\/i\/JF4_032720.jpg'\n><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"\/i\/JF4_032720_sm.jpg\" width=\"466\" height=\"700\"\nalt=\"Parting Wave -- Mt. Hiei (\u6bd4\u53e1\u5c71) -- Kyoto, Japan -- Copyright 2013 Jeffrey Friedl, https:\/\/regex.info\/blog\/ -- This photo is licensed to the public under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 Unported License http:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-nc\/3.0\/ (non-commercial use is freely allowed if proper attribution is given, including a link back to this page on http:\/\/regex.info\/ when used online)\"\nid=\"i032720\"\ntitle=\"Parting Wave -- Mt. Hiei (\u6bd4\u53e1\u5c71) -- Kyoto, Japan -- Copyright 2013 Jeffrey Friedl, https:\/\/regex.info\/blog\/ -- This photo is licensed to the public under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 Unported License http:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-nc\/3.0\/ (non-commercial use is freely allowed if proper attribution is given, including a link back to this page on http:\/\/regex.info\/ when used online)\"\/><\/a>\n<br\/><span class=\"camera-info robots-nocontent\">Nikon D4 + Nikkor 24-70mm f\/2.8 @ 29mm &mdash; <sup>1<\/sup><big>\/<\/big>200 sec, <span class='f'>f<\/span>\/2.8, ISO 180 &mdash;\n<a href='\/imageinfo.cgi?url=http%3A%2F%2Fregex.info%2Fi%2FJF4_032720.jpg'>map &amp; image data<\/a> &mdash; <a href='\/blog\/proximity\/i\/JF4_032720.jpg'>nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\n<br\/><span class='caption'>Parting Wave<\/span>\n<\/div>\n\n<p>The bike can make for great time in some situations, but in others it becomes <span class='nobr'>a burden<\/span> that slows you down, so <span class='nobr'>I caught<\/span> up and passed him\non <span class='nobr'>a very<\/span> steep section with lots of step-like roots...<\/p>\n\n<div class='ic'><a name=\"032724\" href='\/i\/JF4_032724.jpg'\n><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"\/i\/JF4_032724_sm.jpg\" width=\"466\" height=\"700\"\nalt=\"Slow Going -- Mt. Hiei (\u6bd4\u53e1\u5c71) -- Kyoto, Japan -- Copyright 2013 Jeffrey Friedl, https:\/\/regex.info\/blog\/ -- This photo is licensed to the public under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 Unported License http:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-nc\/3.0\/ (non-commercial use is freely allowed if proper attribution is given, including a link back to this page on http:\/\/regex.info\/ when used online)\"\nid=\"i032724\"\ntitle=\"Slow Going -- Mt. Hiei (\u6bd4\u53e1\u5c71) -- Kyoto, Japan -- Copyright 2013 Jeffrey Friedl, https:\/\/regex.info\/blog\/ -- This photo is licensed to the public under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 Unported License http:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-nc\/3.0\/ (non-commercial use is freely allowed if proper attribution is given, including a link back to this page on http:\/\/regex.info\/ when used online)\"\/><\/a>\n<br\/><span class=\"camera-info robots-nocontent\">Nikon D4 + Nikkor 24-70mm f\/2.8 @ 32mm &mdash; <sup>1<\/sup><big>\/<\/big>200 sec, <span class='f'>f<\/span>\/2.8, ISO 720 &mdash;\n<a href='\/imageinfo.cgi?url=http%3A%2F%2Fregex.info%2Fi%2FJF4_032724.jpg'>map &amp; image data<\/a> &mdash; <a href='\/blog\/proximity\/i\/JF4_032724.jpg'>nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\n<br\/><span class='caption'>Slow Going<\/span>\n<\/div>\n\n<p>We repeated the back and forth <span class='nobr'>a few<\/span> times on the way up. Once after\ncresting <span class='nobr'>a local<\/span> hill, <span class='nobr'>I waited<\/span> off to the side for him to come flying\nby...<\/p>\n\n<div class='ic'><a name=\"032728\" href='\/i\/JF4_032728.jpg'\n><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"\/i\/JF4_032728_sm.jpg\" width=\"690\" height=\"459\"\nalt=\"Downhill Span -- Mt. Hiei (\u6bd4\u53e1\u5c71) -- Kyoto, Japan -- Copyright 2013 Jeffrey Friedl, https:\/\/regex.info\/blog\/ -- This photo is licensed to the public under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 Unported License http:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-nc\/3.0\/ (non-commercial use is freely allowed if proper attribution is given, including a link back to this page on http:\/\/regex.info\/ when used online)\"\nid=\"i032728\"\ntitle=\"Downhill Span -- Mt. Hiei (\u6bd4\u53e1\u5c71) -- Kyoto, Japan -- Copyright 2013 Jeffrey Friedl, https:\/\/regex.info\/blog\/ -- This photo is licensed to the public under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 Unported License http:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-nc\/3.0\/ (non-commercial use is freely allowed if proper attribution is given, including a link back to this page on http:\/\/regex.info\/ when used online)\"\/><\/a>\n<br\/><span class=\"camera-info robots-nocontent\">Nikon D4 + Nikkor 24-70mm f\/2.8 @ 24mm &mdash; <sup>1<\/sup><big>\/<\/big>200 sec, <span class='f'>f<\/span>\/4, ISO 1100 &mdash;\n<a href='\/imageinfo.cgi?url=http%3A%2F%2Fregex.info%2Fi%2FJF4_032728.jpg'>map &amp; image data<\/a> &mdash; <a href='\/blog\/proximity\/i\/JF4_032728.jpg'>nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\n<br\/><span class='caption'>Downhill Span<\/span>\n<\/div>\n\n<p>Another time I waited at the edge of the trail to try <span class='nobr'>a more<\/span> &#8220;actiony&#8221; shot....<\/p>\n\n<div class='ic tight'><a name=\"032737\" href='\/i\/JF4_032737.jpg'\n><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"\/i\/JF4_032737_sm.jpg\" width=\"466\" height=\"700\"\nalt=\"Hiroshi Gutting It Out on a smooth but decidedly uphill section -- Mt. Hiei (\u6bd4\u53e1\u5c71) -- Kyoto, Japan -- Copyright 2013 Jeffrey Friedl, https:\/\/regex.info\/blog\/ -- This photo is licensed to the public under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 Unported License http:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-nc\/3.0\/ (non-commercial use is freely allowed if proper attribution is given, including a link back to this page on http:\/\/regex.info\/ when used online)\"\nid=\"i032737\"\ntitle=\"Hiroshi Gutting It Out on a smooth but decidedly uphill section -- Mt. Hiei (\u6bd4\u53e1\u5c71) -- Kyoto, Japan -- Copyright 2013 Jeffrey Friedl, https:\/\/regex.info\/blog\/ -- This photo is licensed to the public under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 Unported License http:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-nc\/3.0\/ (non-commercial use is freely allowed if proper attribution is given, including a link back to this page on http:\/\/regex.info\/ when used online)\"\/><\/a>\n<br\/><span class=\"camera-info robots-nocontent\">Nikon D4 + Nikkor 24-70mm f\/2.8 @ 56mm &mdash; <sup>1<\/sup><big>\/<\/big>200 sec, <span class='f'>f<\/span>\/4, ISO 320 &mdash;\n<a href='\/imageinfo.cgi?url=http%3A%2F%2Fregex.info%2Fi%2FJF4_032737.jpg'>map &amp; image data<\/a> &mdash; <a href='\/blog\/proximity\/i\/JF4_032737.jpg'>nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\n<br\/><span class='caption'>Hiroshi Gutting It Out<\/span>\n<br\/>on a smooth but decidedly uphill section\n<\/div>\n\n<p>By this time we had exchanged names (his is Hiroshi) and chatted <span class='nobr'>a\nbit.<\/span> <span class='nobr'>He does this<\/span> trip once <span class='nobr'>a week,<\/span> to stay in shape.<\/p>\n\n<p>This was the last I saw of him for <span class='nobr'>a couple<\/span> of hours.<\/p>\n\n<p>I eventually came to the clearing\n<a href='\/blog\/2012-06-02\/2008#114636'>where St\u00e9phane and <span class='nobr'>I has<\/span> paused last time<\/a>...<\/p>\n\n\n<div class='ic'><a name=\"032739\" href='\/i\/JF4_032739.jpg'\n><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"\/i\/JF4_032739_sm.jpg\" width=\"690\" height=\"459\"\nalt=\"Mt. Hiei (\u6bd4\u53e1\u5c71) -- Kyoto, Japan -- Copyright 2013 Jeffrey Friedl, https:\/\/regex.info\/blog\/ -- This photo is licensed to the public under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 Unported License http:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-nc\/3.0\/ (non-commercial use is freely allowed if proper attribution is given, including a link back to this page on http:\/\/regex.info\/ when used online)\"\nid=\"i032739\"\ntitle=\"Mt. Hiei (\u6bd4\u53e1\u5c71) -- Kyoto, Japan -- Copyright 2013 Jeffrey Friedl, https:\/\/regex.info\/blog\/ -- This photo is licensed to the public under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 Unported License http:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-nc\/3.0\/ (non-commercial use is freely allowed if proper attribution is given, including a link back to this page on http:\/\/regex.info\/ when used online)\"\/><\/a>\n<br\/><span class=\"camera-info robots-nocontent\">Nikon D4 + Nikkor 24-70mm f\/2.8 @ 45mm &mdash; <sup>1<\/sup><big>\/<\/big>640 sec, <span class='f'>f<\/span>\/2.8, ISO 100 &mdash;\n<a href='\/imageinfo.cgi?url=http%3A%2F%2Fregex.info%2Fi%2FJF4_032739.jpg'>map &amp; image data<\/a> &mdash; <a href='\/blog\/proximity\/i\/JF4_032739.jpg'>nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>I took the opportunity to pause this time as well, mostly to stretch the legs before hitting the next section of the trail,\nbecause it includes some very steep downhill sections.<\/p>\n\n<p>In looking at the tracklogs from the two trips, <span class='nobr'>I'm happy<\/span> to see that <span class='nobr'>I\ndid<\/span> this section of the trail at the same pace as last time, but unlike\nlast time, felt just great at this point.<\/p>\n\n<p>But my anxiety was running high, worried about my knees for the downhill sections. <span class='nobr'>I was also<\/span> starting to get <span class='nobr'>a blister<\/span> on\none foot because <span class='nobr'>I didn't<\/span> have proper shoes. <span class='nobr'>It's hard enough<\/span> to get size 13&frac12;AA shoes in The States, much less here, so <span class='nobr'>I was<\/span>\nwearing some old beat-up (well-broken-in) street shoes that aren't intended for hiking.<\/p>\n\n<p><i><a href='\/blog\/2013-05-27\/2262'>Continued here...<\/a><\/i><\/p>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>This post is a continuation, of sorts, of my first climb of Kyoto's Mt. Hiei, painfully documented a year ago in \"Yesterday's Hike: The Agony Where Bravado Yields, In Spectacular Fashion, To Painful Reality\". After that horrible experience, I vowed to get into better shape, and to repeat the hike in a year.<\/p> <p>That year had passed, so I repeated the hike last Thursday.<\/p> <p>After the first hike, I made a concerted effort to get into shape, and just six week later I showed some of my progress in \"Going Max Clich\u00e9 While Learning About Off-Camera Flash\", and probably hit [...]","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8,1,2,10,25],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/regex.info\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2260"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/regex.info\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/regex.info\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/regex.info\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/regex.info\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2260"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/regex.info\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2260\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/regex.info\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2260"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/regex.info\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2260"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/regex.info\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2260"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}