A gift from autumn

I like walking in the mountain. If things permit, I wish I could sit and soak up the atmosphere of forests or mountains alone all day long to my heart content.

This time I went to Odaigahara in the hope of seeing autumn foliage. It is a plateau with Hidegatake(1695m), a highest mountain, and gentle undulations of land(1400~1600m).

Omine mountain ranges (大峰山系) seen from Hidegatake.
It was overcast but partially there was a soft sunlight.

This shows the characteristic sight at Odaigahara. Withered and fallen spruce(トウヒ) ,just like bleached bones here and there. The damaged area seems to have been spreading. Like much of biodiversity under threat, ecosystem of this forest has been deteriorating for half a century because of both natural and man-made disasters. The concerned have tried hard to reproduce and protect nature. Conscious efforts should be made by us visitors to preserve these surroundings, too.

most scenic view point called Big Snake Rock(大蛇嵓): the cliff of 800 m high.

What a shame it was not so clear day to enjoy the autumn foliage from it this time. By the way, when I first visited it many years ago, there were no iron posts with chains rammed at the edge of the rock. Going to the end of the rock and looking down below was quite thrilling but worth trying.







At the bottom of walking course, here is a gorge called Shiokaradani.
Bushes along the stream already shed their leaves.



It was around three and a half hours’ walking. From the road on the way back from the parking lot, gorgeous brocade pleased my eyes as we descended.(picture at the top)





Japanese autumn leaves are said to be special due to its variety of trees. Here as well, diversity is the key.