We got up early and made our way back to Timberline Lodge ready for our hike. There is free parking in the overflow carpark outside of ski-season so we took advantage of this. We took trail number 798 and the first part of the hike took us to the Silcox Hut this was only just over a mile but it was very steep and we reached over 6,950 ft (2,120 m) we had clear skies and again fantastic views down through the valley below.

There was a group of snow-boarders being filmed and setting up tricks and jumps for the day, very cool! We walked across the top of the path to the cable car station and then took the trail down to meet the Pacific Crest Trail, this first loop is only around 2.5 miles but the terrain is pretty hard going. When we reached the PCT we found a little station mapping out the area and when there we bumped into Ryan, his 2 year old daughter Corah and their energetic collie Gracey.

We instantly got chatting and he included us on his backcountry permit so we decided to hike with them for the rest of the morning. We’ve found people to be very helpful and informative in Oregon, never shy to  welcome us to their neighbourhood! This part of the trail goes through lush meadows and all the while Mt Hood towers above, we stopped at the Zig Zag river area, enjoyed and quick lunch and then turned around. On our way back we took part of the 798 trail back to the Lodge. A fantastic walk covering around 7 miles or so in distance with amazing views all the while, we thought this would be a great place to come back to in the winter.

The next part of our road trip continued and we made our way to Sisters, around 2.5 hours away. We left mountains and forest area and went straight into desert, all part of a USA road trip! When we got to Sisters we set up our tent in The City Park Campground, back to our $12 a night camping fees. When the camp host is off duty you have to call the town hall for the code to get into the showers, again the method of payment was through the honesty box.

We had a stroll around the town, a little like a stage set but and perhaps a sleepy place but it has a good choice of eateries and nearly every weekend there is some sort of festival taking place so we thought it would be more interesting during those times. Still we were happy in our little campground, enjoyed a good dinner with a decent bottle of wine, and the temperature was good until bedtime.

(Leica M9, Summicron-M 50mm f/2.0, Leica 90mm f/2.8, Zeiss 18mm f/4 ZM processed in Lightroom 3)

Early morning rise at 5.45am saw us take photos of the pink sunrise on Mt Fuji, the best light of the day. Dave went back for more zzz’s and Helen did some yoga.

Our western style breakfast echoed some likeness to what we would have in England; fried egg, hash brown and coffee, add to this a twist of Japanese with soup, salad, vegetables, fruit and yoghurt and it was enough to keep us going until 4pm! Never have we been faced by such well presented food cooked with care and imagination.

On our way into Kawaguchiko they told us they were going to watch their sons fight in a Kendo tournament. We asked if we could go to watch thinking it would be really cool for us to see and document. They didn’t mind taking us and thought it was funny that we wanted to go. It was well worth it though as we saw something that not many other tourists would be able to witness. A sports hall full of children fighting as a team but each time it is one vs one that takes the stage to fight. They are dressed traditionally in Kendo costume and fight with a wooden sword. Hiromi explained the technique and how to win points whilst her youngest daughter Coco-lo posed for photos for us. Their friends were there too with their children so we sat with them and joined in the local support for their team. It really was a fantastic experience and again demonstrated the kindness of our hosts. Taking a break from their sons first fight who demolished his opposition in less than one minute they drove us into Kawaguchiko and left us to explore the area.

It all seems a little dated to us, something that looks like it’s hey day was 20 years ago and nothing has really changed since. We found some good backstreets to explore, the lake had great views of the mountainous region and there was some filming going on – it happens quite a lot here, so we sat and guessed at what may be the point of their project, we decided on a soap opera!

Whilst walking we found a cafe that sold chai based on the outskirts of the village in a large greenhouse. By day a funky cafe and by night a pool-bar/club a really bizarre little find and we wished we could have been there at night. The main reason we stopped was that we couldn’t locate the path to the Fuji shrine, the maps tend not to mark all of the roads and if a path is marked on a map its not always marked on the street! This has at times caused us great confusion and frustration, but we always find a way around it. This time we called for a taxi and got a lift to the shrine…naughty but with limited time until dusk and after last night’s rushed walk in the dark sometimes you have to do these things. Taxi’s are not cheap here though and a 10 minute journey cost us around £15. Still we got to the shrine and it provided us with enough worth to validate the cost of the taxi. Set at the foot of Mount Fuji from the Fuji-Yoshida side you have a large temple with lot’s of other smaller shrines surrounding as well as statues, preserved trees, fresh water fountains, sculptures, flags you name it this temple had it. It really felt like a very spiritual place though and had a real historic feel to it. We found one of the paths to start the trek to station 5 but after a few km decided to go back and make use of the hot baths at the Ryokan.

A short bus ride back and we returned to Inn Fujitomita, we enjoyed the healing properties of the spring, managed to rest our feet and sat for our 2nd evening meal here. This was even better than the first night, again the photos prove our point. Seriously the best variety and flavour of food so far in Japan, and with such a beautiful setting it really was idealic. We were set up for a good night’s sleep after a long day of walking and decided on our route to Takayama for the following day.

We loved our stay at Inn Fujitomita and most definitely recommend it if you ever get the chance to come to the area.

(Leica M9, Summicron-M 50mm f2.0 & Olympus PEN, 17mm f2.8, processed in Lightroom 3)