March 25
The Super Hotel was just super. The clerks were helpful and everything was very clean. Renee and the couple from France were staying there as well. We had a great buffet breakfast with lots of good choices. Shared our table with Renee and got caught up with some of her experiences.
It was hard not to go back for seconds!
The morning was a bit misty, but the hard rain of yesterday seemed to have passed. We passed a park that had public bathrooms. We had never seen a flush toilet for small children. It is such a great idea.
Plus it also had a hand rail!
Todays walk took us through areas of Spring is in the air.
Loved the daffodils
We passed by small memorials.
and more signs of the coming cherry blossom season. There are news alerts sent out predicting when the peak of the cherry blossoms will be in the different areas.
We are getting excited about seeing the blossoms.
We started following a beautiful stream that took us all the way to where we are going to spend the night.
A small rest area had numerous nameslips attached to the walls. They would be put there by pilgrims who were thankful for the hut.
The cherry blossoms were a contrast to the teal water in the river.
We bought some oranges and carrots at a small fruit stand along the way. Paying for the fruit is the honor system where you just put money in a box. We also stoped at a Family Mart and bought food for tonight and breakfast tomorrow.
Benjamin from France who we met again was quite helpful in marking our guide book of huts that were okay to stay for the night. The hut that we plan to stop tonight is one that he marked. It fit the rules. Bathroom, and no houses near by.
We arrived around 3 which is somewhat early for us to stop, but in the big picture this place is a good option. After we had left the hotel, we saw no other Pilgrims hiking today nor did any one pass the hut that we planned to spend the night. The temperature was dropping and rain looked imminent. By 4 :00 it was a down pour. When the wind started blowing, we knew that we needed to put up our tent fly to keep some of the rain out. We used it as a tarp attaching the four corners to the back of the hut, It worked and we found an area on the floor to spread out our bags for the night. Some of the rest huts have dirt floors, but some like this one have concrete.
Can't tell from the photo, but the rain is dumping. In most places we have been, we have had good cell service which helps with our logistic planning.
Accommodation Rest Hut
Miles hiked 16