Mountains in Autumn

I took Wakako and a student of mine called Tomo-chan to climb my favourite mountain, Hiko-san. I climbed it in August with Leanne when it was bloody hot and very very green. We also got stalked by a crazy grandad who made the hike twice as long as it should have been by dragging us on all the wrong paths, even though he could read the bloody signs! Anyway, I realised this time would be very different, as it was the week where the leaves were changing colours and falling (like the cherry blossom, this seems to happen instantly and is over in a week or so!), and I was also not going to let any crazy homeboy lead us off on the wrong path. Poor Tomo-chan is only 17, hasn't really done much climbing before, so she was pretty knackered when we got to the top, (although she is 17 so technically should have been the genkiest of the three of us!) and I think I was a bit cruel and took her the long way down! Hey, it was the scenic route. So worth it. It was all stunning, the leaves were the most intense colours I have ever seen, and walking on a river of red, brown and orange leaves that had only just falled was breathtaking.