Faith and the Weather Man

Last year, the only real rainy season mountain weekend sludgefest I did was Kumotori, the highest mountain in the Tokyo Metropolitan Area. Slopping through the mud and puddles of Chichibu for two long days, baptizing my new tent with typhoon waters, rain and wind battering it all night long as I dreamt of sleep inside--it was not your normal weekend for me or my novice tent.

But all in all, it was the best of hikes, despite sliding most of way down the mountain like a bobsleigher without his sled.

So I'm not really sure why I'm so cautious about tomorrow.

I'm off to the biggest mountain in the north of Honshu--in the sense that north of this one there is no bigger. The plans are in place and they're good plans, but Old Man Forecast is being stubborn. He's been issuing rain warnings all week and he's not backing down.

But he's been crying wolf a lot lately, too, the old bastard. His cockiness remains, but he's been losing his touch. Many times I listened to his confident warnings and stayed home, only to wake up to a smiling sun shining in through the bedroom window, mocking me and my faith in false prophets. However certain you state the future, it doesn't make it fact. And the sun doesn't dance to human tunes.

I really hope Old Forecast's got it wrong again this time, because the mountains in the north of Honshuu have the most slippery of stones. They even close one of them for June because it becomes too dangerous. If the skies open tomorrow, things could get really tricky, especially coming down. It's the age-old mountain dilemma: do you call it off and retreat or do you move forward? One thing about spending a weekend in the mountains is you have to be decisive, and not regret your choices afterwards.

My tent is now a wizened old-hand. It's stood up in the worst of conditions in places other tents never have to go. And if tents had free-will, I'm sure it would refuse to go tomorrow. Likewise, its owner has gained experience, and with experience become more cautious. That's the only plausible explanation I have for the trepidation today. That, or I'm secretly yearning to sit home and watch American Cable TV. And I don't think so.

But I'm not entirely pessimistic. There's also something natural and alive about having your fortunes so closely linked to the rain and sun. Moreso than sitting in an air-conditioned office, anyway. See you Monday.

Posted by Setsunai at July 1, 2005 4:05 PM | TrackBack