The first day out of Takijiri-oji rose almost seven hundred meters straight up⛰️. Twenty-six pounds on my shoulders. The weight felt literal, maybe it wasn’t. Nothing but endless moss-covered stone steps & exposed ancient roots twisting across the trail. There were still fifty-some kilometres ahead. I once imagined a few plans for this Japan trip. Instead, I started the Kumano Kodo hike with leftover fever from a cold 🤒. Rain & strong wind from Typhoon Nakri’s outer bands blurred the forest & the Kii mountain range 💨. Somewhere between wiping rain off my face, the plan changed shape & the grand plan faded. I found myself surrounded by quiet days & conserving warmth 🌧️ Roots & rocks, slippery up & slippery down, while small red river crabs crossed the trail & giant hornets drifted by, uninterested 🦀. The path wound through dense cedar, camphor & cypress trees. Their resinous scent, faintly medicinal with a trace of sweetness was deeply comforting & clearing my thoughts. I placed ...