The winter forest is muddy
Miyanomori, which rings the ski area,
can be climbed and descended in about an hour to the shelter at the summit.

On a warm day with temperatures around 0°C,
the old man who lives opposite Miyanomori
says he sometimes climbs it twice a day.

With that reliable old man,
I climbed Miyanomori too.

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Thanks to the previous day’s warmth, the snow had melted,
and on the packed snowshoe tracks the snow seemed walkable in rubber boots.

※Snowshoe:
a device attached under boots to prevent sinking deeply into snow.
Also called kanjiki.

Once I bravely started walking in rubber boots, trouble began.

Looking sideways and up, my feet slipped off the packed tracks and I plunged into the snow.

Apparently, when your feet get caught in snow it’s called “nukareru” (to sink in).

Seeing me struggle so much,
the old man walked ahead for me.

He climbed at a surprisingly quick pace.

Out of shape from lack of exercise, I couldn’t catch up,
so I climbed at my own pace without rushing.

I snapped a photo of his back along the way.

The old man would wait a short distance on and tell me things like, this tree died because deer ate its bark, or, it’s rare to see a vine this thick.

Traces where deer had raced across slopes too steep for people, and deer prints beside the snowshoe tracks.

It was a walk through this quietly snow-covered forest, feeling the presence of living creatures.

📷️ 📷️ 📷️

There are said to be over 30 stone monuments in Miyanomori.
Even the old man doesn’t know why they’re there.
Perhaps villagers once placed them to protect the forest.

Snow perched atop a tree.
Someone on social media had called a cornice “like braised pork,” and I remembered that.

I saw several large katsura trees.
Their branch tips twist and curl.

Behind the direction signboard,
the disturbed snow marks a deer trail.

Something like a nut lay on the snow.

From the shelter you can take in a panoramic view of the town.
Just then, a ski class was in full swing at the ski area below.

📷️ 📷️ 📷️

Here are scenes from a winter walk in Miyanomori.

#Miyanomori #Walk