Yes, I do take requests

The Lut Desert, Iran--the hottest place on Earth.  Photo credit: free stock illustration.

My aunt reminded me I never "finished" my blog.  It made me realize since this blog is titled "From the Rooftop of Japan", it does indeed need to be finished as I now reside in the Lut Desert of Colorado--Pueblo.  And that is not sitting as comfortably with me as I'd like.

Not the living in the hottest place on earth part.  I've pretty much reconciled myself with that.  I was reading an article posted on facebook the other day about things Coloradans never say.  One thing was "I just bought my dream house in Pueblo!" Though my neighbors have been very welcoming, and I do believe they have my back--two weeks ago I watched an addled woman be taken away in an ambulance from the bench directly in front of my house *and* filed a police report for property damage when some idiot trying to skip out on cab fare busted down my side fence. Yesterday I had to listen to the Dollar General clerk's rant about how much she hates crack addicts (the customers immediately in front of me.) Culture shock. (Editor's Note: Seriously though, Pueblo is a great community and I'm grateful to be here--but it's a far cry from Ikusaka.)

Me dealing with the haters.

No, it's the admitting that I am no longer in Japan and have to deal with normal life again that I'm having trouble with.  Yep, I ended that sentence with a preposition. Since I'm back to being an aggressive American, I can freely tell you to suck it if you don't like it.

I have a confession to make to all my friends and acquaintances who returned from Japan before me.  I rolled my eyes so hard it hurt every time I saw some kind of 懐かしい post on your facebook wall, because I couldn't imagine why you'd want to be back in Japan.  I thought you were having a difficult time moving on with your lives. And though I don't want to be back in Japan and I can say I'm genuinely looking forward to my own classroom and the possibility to make a real difference instead of being a human tape recorder... there are a lot more things I miss about Japan than I'd care to admit.

I miss these crazy kids. :) 

Aside from the obvious lack of politeness and customer service (which I expected), my beloved mountains are very different here.   I climbed my first 14er (mountain above 14,000 feet/4287 meters) and it was like I'd never climbed a mountain before in my life.  Altitude had never affected me before, but Japanese mountains are very short compared to others in the world, with only a few over 3000 meters (9842 feet).

Summit of Humboldt Peak

The trailhead of Humboldt Peak *starts* around 9900 feet.  As I gained altitude above 13,000 feet I felt like someone was squeezing my heart while I tried to breathe.  I was literally moving below a snail's pace and I felt like I couldn't go another step.  The trail was one of the easiest I've ever walked, with not a single chain, ladder, or rope necessary and only very minimal rock scrambling.  I felt weak and discouraged, and even more so when I finally gained the summit and there was absolutely nothing there to even verify we were at the right mountain.  My climbing partner wisely went elsewhere to take pictures, while I had to field accusatory questions from one of the other hikers about who exactly was paying for my work.

That one hiker unfortunately set the tone for the rest of the day, so when we met two other very friendly hikers on the descent, I was reticent to engage with them for fear of being attacked.  But I did eventually talk to one woman who had been hiking for 12 days, and had been running ultras since the 80's.  She seemed like someone I would have really enjoyed hiking with, and if we hadn't been so paranoid our car had been towed off the annoying private road, I might have lingered longer to pick her brain.

Colorado roads--dirt bike courses to most normal people.

But roads in Colorado are crazy, I've learned.  I've plotted my next climbs based on which mountains have roads I think I can get my Subaru Forester up.  I thought having an all-wheel drive vehicle would be enough, but now I think a Jeep I have to pole-vault into would be more appropriate.

I did feel better when I accomplished my first solo 14er, the highest mountain in Colorado, 14,440 foot (4401 meter) Mt. Elbert.  I didn't take rests like I'd planned, but I kept a slow and steady pace, while still passing every single other hiker on the trail.  I arrived at the summit tired, as I had to traverse over two false summits--and though I knew they were there, I kept hoping that maybe the bible of all 14er climbing, 14er.com, was wrong. ;)

Mt. Elbert summit selfie with a hand written sign.

The summit was crowded, but it lacked the camaraderie I've come to expect from my summits in Japan.  I know that I am no longer the strange foreigner that stands out and therefore invites conversation, but I couldn't even get anyone to make eye contact with me to ask them to take my picture.  I miss the mountain huts where you can relax, have a beer, a snack, and trade route tips and trail stories with other hikers. The people I met on the mountains were always my favorite part of any hike.

Two of the many lovely people I met at the Kitadake Katanokoya hut.

So where does that leave me with the mountains--and this blog?  I'm not sure.  I'll continue summiting 14ers, and doing so by ease of trail access--which means I will probably always be climbing popular routes.  I'm hoping this fall or next summer to do my first overnight backpacking trip--I might make it an easy one like Pike's Peak, which is one of the few mountains that actually has a mountain hut.  I'm worried as my summer break draws to a close and I'm forced to become a weekend warrior with most of the rest of the population that I will have to deal with crowds and craziness.  I'm hopeful, but realistic, as I try to find the positive in my new home and remember that similar or not, any mountains are better than no mountains.

My favorite hike ever--Kashimayari via the Akaiwa course in prime fall colors.