Living the high life

After attending Osanai's undokai last Saturday, I climbed a mountain.

Toshima Mountain, to be exact.

Just like the mountain climb I went on last October, it was with a group from City Hall. Also like last time, the experience was challenging, yet rewarding. Unlike last time, I was prepared! (I dressed in layers and brought my own hat and gloves just in case it was cold at the top.)

The climbing crew at the top. The two gals in the first row, far right, are my age and work in the Department of Education with me. The woman in between and behind them is my boss' boss. (Yamadate's boss)

Close-up shot of the sign at the summit.

The climb up the mountain was like doing a stairmaster machine for about an hour and a half continuously -- up, up, up, with hardly any flat parts. Whew. We stopped every five or ten minutes to catch out breath.

Here is the view from the top...

My buddy Yasuhiro was part of the group again, and we took another "high-five, we made it picture." Or as he called it, "high touch."

Flashback to our last mountain-climbing adventure...

Just mintues before the above picture was taken, Yasuhiro had practically carried me to the top! My hero. But this time, I had the help of a hiking stick instead. :)

The hike down the mountain -- just like last time -- was a lovely nature walk. Down is so much easier and enjoyable than up always is!

On the way up a mountain, I think to myself, "Why am I doing this???"
At the top, I think, "This is why. It's gorgeous up here!"

And on the way down I think, "This is nice." :)

After Saturday's climb, our group had a cookout. A Japanese cookout, that is. So that does not mean hamburgers and hotdogs on a grill served with baked beans and coleslaw. If only...

Instead, we had all the meat from a cow that you could possibly eat -- cow tongue, heart, intestines, liver, rib meat, etc. I tried a little piece of each, but most of it was too chewy for me. The meat was sliced into thin strips, grilled with seasonings and served with soy sauce. Onigiri (rice balls), miso soup and macaroni salad accompanied the meat.

While I had a good time on Saturday, I'm still debating whether or not I'll climb Mt. Iwate in a few months from now. (The really tall mountain I opted not to climb with about 30 other ALTs last fall.) We'll see...