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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The Views from Hemp Mountain

At 599m, Taima-San (Hemp Mountain) is the highest coastal mountain in the Hamada area. Among the many antennae and towers that bristle from its peak is an observation tower

At the base of the mountain is the town of Sufu, home to the largest kofun (burial mound) in the Iwami area.

The Chugoku Nature Trail passes over Taima-san, and there is an interesting shrine and garden just below the peak which I covered in some earlier posts...

These photos were taken on two different visits.

The 1st, 9th, and 10th photos are of the Misumi Power Station. This is a big coal-fired plant that, since these photos were taken, has doubled in size. As a side note, for those of you that know me from a previous life, the original plan for the power plant was to import coal from Black Mesa in Arizona, but shifted to Australian and Chinese coal.

If you come up the mountain from Sufu on the Nature Trail, you pass right by the biggest kofun in all of Iwami.

Photos 6 and 7 are of Sufu. Photos 8 and 11 are of Hamada, further up the coast. The famous "bridge to nowhere" is clarly visible.

Photos 2, 3, and 12 are of views inland over the Iwami region.

The previous post was on Taimasan Shrine, the large shrine with gardens just below the peak.

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Izumo 33 Kannon Pilgrimage. End of the first day.

After leaving Gakuenji the trail heads up into the mountains. On the other side is Izumo where I have a hotel room waiting....

The first few kilometers of trail are part of the Chugoku Nature Trail, but near the top it branches off and heads along the mountains towards Izumo Taisha. One of these days I will walk that section. It was here that I came upon the deer skeleton.

Over the pass and Izumo can be glimpsed through the trees....

and in the direction of Izumo Taisha the Izumo Dome

Once down, a look back at the mountains I had just crossed and then a straight line walk across the plain towards the town center with the paddies gradually being replaced by things urban....