Through the Mountain Forest to Gakuenji

 

Day 41, and I cross Izumo and head into the small range of mountains that form the western section of the Shimane Peninsula.

Gakuenji, the next temple on the Chugoku Pilgrimage, lies on the other side, and a trail crosses over and connects with other trails in the mountains that are part of the Chugoku Nature Trail.

When I walked the Izumo Kannon Pilgrimage, I used this same trail but in the opposite direction.

This post shows one of the mildly gruesome sights I encountered on that walk...

After climbing for a while, an opening gives views back down onto the Izumo Plain and the landmark Izumo Dome, one of the biggest wooden buildings in the world.

It's nice to be walking alone through the forest..... no bears here, but plenty of deer..... In all the times I have walked the trails in these mountains, I have yet to meet another human....

The numerous little statues along the way indicate that this was once a well-travelled route....

After reaching the pass and a cross trail heading along to Izumo Taisha, the trail descends...

Gakuenji is not too far down the other side....

The previous post was on Kandoji Temple just to the south of Izumo...

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