Training #11 CP7-9

April 26, 2009

This is our training #11. Yukiko and I went for the first wave and Jenny and Raza for the second wave. Raj can't make it but he was the one who did complete the whole trail earlier so at least he knew what to expect. T.Y. led OCJ members for the same trail and donated his organizer fees to the team. Thanks, T.Y.

We started our hike around 9.30 a.m. Yukiko and I went out without waiting for T.Y.'s team and learned a good lesson. Don't talk too much. We were so confident that we remembered all the trail so we went without checking the map. We missed the spot where we need to get on the trail. Why?? I guess people at Suruga Oyama are very nice. There were usually 2 similar sign posts and we learned from our prior trainings that we should get on the trail at the second sign post. The thing is the first sign post was removed and we didn't bother to check if the sign post we passed look exactly like in the photo map. And since we left our support team behind, they didn't have a chance to tell us that the sign post looks exactly like in the picture map. That's ok. We walked back and up on the trail.

CP7 is always a challenge but Yukiko and I did well and again left others behind. It was cold when we stoped so we kept going. At the peak of Mt. Yubune, we had lunch and waited for others to catch up with us. Once they arrived, they told us that they will modify their course and we will meet them at Panorama dai. So we left to CP8 and CP9 (finish line).

This is the first for Yukiko and me to conquer CP8 to CP9, the last 7 kms. It is tough with two peaks at the end but we did it. We met other Oxfam teams along the way. At one point, we made a wrong turn downhills as the map gave us incorrect instruction in English. Luckily, Yukiko didn't trust the translation and she checked the Japanese version after we ran downhills for 5-10 mins. It took us a big to climb back up.

On the way down to Panorama Dai, the wind picked up. I thought that I will be blown away so I told Yukiko that I won't wait for her. We just ran as fast as we can downhills. At Panarama Dai, we caught up with T.Y. and the gang and walked to Lake Yamanaka bus station together and headed back to Tokyo 3 hours later.