Tuesday, February 7, 2012

Found special place – 特別な場所

I have found this location just few weeks ago. It is very close to where I live so very convenient to take my dogs for walk and can do quick hike. What nice about this forest is that “No one comes there”. No forestry activities, no trekkers, no trail. So the forest is as it is.
数週間前に、ひょんなことからこの場所を発見。家からすぐ近くのなのだが、誰も立ち入らない森。林業の手もはいらないから森がそのまま。いままで気づかずに何度も通り過ぎていたのが不思議。

Last weekend, when the temperature was close to -30 degree, I graved my pare of snowshoe and went for short hike with my dogs. I thought it would be a good snowshoe test field because it is dense woods, many steep hills and lots of debris under snow.
そこで先週末、スノーシューズテストの第二回としてこの森へ行ってきました。この森は起伏が激しい上、木がとても込み入っています。さらに雪の下には多くの倒木や岩が。スノーシューで歩ける場所の限界に挑戦するには丁度よさそうです。この日は気温が-30度に達しようとしているので服装は極寒使用。スノーシューを装着していざ入森です。


 The forest is dense, so the snow is not very deep. But walking over the fallen trees and through tight path, takes my energy away. Going uphill was quite OK.  Using toe to bite in the snow makes it like walking up the stairway.
込み入った森なので雪はあまり深くないものの、倒木を乗り越えたり木や岩の間を通り抜けたりと難関多し。見上げると何時落ちてきても不思議ではない雪の塊が高い高い木の上に。意外と登りは問題なし。少しすべるが、つま先を食い込ませれば階段を登る感覚で登っていけます。

On the middle way of the small hill, I have found a natural shelter.
ちいさな丘の中腹ほどに天然のシェルター発見。

There were lots of badger track going in and out of this shelter. My dogs got really interested in this spot.
よく見るとたくさんのアナグマの足跡が出入りしている。もちろんうちの犬は興味津々。


Took short break on the top of the hill and then head back home. The downhill was much more challenge with the snowshoe. The snowshoe tends to slide down when stepped in. and there are no way to make heel to bite in to the snow, it was difficult to keep balance as well.  Need to find some solution for this…
丘の上で休憩、そして下り・・・なのだが、これがまいった。かかとが踏み込めないのでバランスが前のめりになる。その上、スノーシューが少し滑る。これは何かしらの対応策を考えなければまずいかも。

3 comments:

  1. You're a brave man. At -30, I'd have stayed inside!

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  2. Anonymous8/2/12 10:13

    Nice secluded spot you've found there!

    I have also found that those snowshoes act like skis when going downhill. :) Maybe some spikes or something on the bottom would be a good solution.

    bmatt

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  3. Gorges Smythe>
    after living in finland long enough, it made me to feel -10=mild cold, -20=normal cold and -30= really cold. :)

    bmatt>
    yap, it is like skis. I was thinking of tying some sticks on the silde of the snowshoe like all Japanese one have.

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