Today was a really enjoyable and easy day. I had quite a dilemma last night trying to plan today's walk. It was too far and up two mountains to go to both 20 and 21, especially considering that the temple offices always close at 5 pm. I didn't want to reach number 21 and find them closed and have to walk back down. There was no place to stay in between the two.
I was saved by the people who run this little place where I stayed last night. They offered to pick me up where the trail down from number 20 crosses the highway and just have me spend another night there. They will take me back to that spot in the morning! It was so kind and also allowed me to climb to the top of another mountain without my pack.
I managed to leave my kongozue (walking stick) in the rest room at the bottom of the mountain and didn't realize my mistake until it was too far to go back. That was absolutely shameful and I can't believe I did that. Most of the temples have all of the supplies for sale so I figured I could buy another one at the temple up top. But this was the one temple that had nothing for sale. But they took pity on the fool and gave me a beautiful one for free as osetai! I will protect it with my life for the rest of the trip.
A nice man along the trail gave me 3 oranges as osetai also. They were delicious and the perfect trail snacks.
It was a beautiful day in spite of strong wind. But that just served to keep me cool on the steep uphill climb. The views along the way were amazing. Most of the trail was a series of steps, some made from small logs and some from rocks. It was beautifully maintained and all along the way I was greeted by the little statues wearing their red bibs and red caps. They were great company.
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