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2008年07月05日
1600 Times!
1600 times! Today, I climbed Mt. Kongo for the 1600th time. The Rainy Season cooperated and in spite of the 50% chance of rain forecast, the weather was wonderful-nice and sunny. I enjoyed a cup of coffee at the peak and then enjoyed my noon meal at the lodge about a mile from the peak. My heart was full of thanksgiiving as I thought back to July of 2007 when I was diagnosed with cancer. Of course one of the things that I thought at that time was that I might not be able to climb Mt. Kongo anymore.
However, as I prayed after my operation in America in September of 2007 God clearly led me back to Japan-not only to preach and to do Bible Studies but also to continue to climb mountains. And so I have been able to continue to climb Mt Kongo on a regular basis-often alone but sometimes with Mr. K from our church.
The question that always comes up is why climb the same mountain? Well, for one thing Mt. Kongo has about 100 official and un-official trails-each ridge and each valley seems to have its own trail. Each trail is totally different. So it is really like climbing 100 different mountains.
Also, Mt. Kongo under 2 feet of snow and Mt. Kongo in the heat of summer is like 2 different mountains. And of course the same thing applies to spring and fall-Mt. Kongo with fresh green leaves and cherry blossoms and Mt. Kongo with fall colors and falling leaves again is like two different mountains. Not to mention the weather and the time of day. Climbing Mr. Kongo in a blizzard is an experience not to forget as is climbing at sunrise and at sunset.
At any rate, climbing Mt. Kongo is never boring-I look forward to each new climb with expectation.
By the way, Mr. Hirano has climbed Mt. Kongo over 10,000 times so climbing 1600 times is not considered much of a feat among the Mt. Kongo climbing community. So, I plan to continue to climb Mt. Kongo, not to set any records but to enjoy the fresh air and good scenery and good company of other climbers that I meet there.
If you live in the Osaka area, try climbing Mt. Kongo some time. And if you live outside of Japan, when you make that visit to Japan and come to Osaka, think about adding a hike up to the peal of Mt. Kongo to your travel plans.
投稿者 bethany : 2008年07月05日 13:35
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Congratulations on the 1,600 climbs to Mt. Kongo. Josh, June and myself enjoyed climbing with you and other brothers and sisters. We love to do that again, maybe in fall.
投稿者 Josh-kun Daddy : 2008年07月07日 15:21
I'll be waiting!
投稿者 Paul : 2008年07月07日 18:12