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Arrival in snow country
Water is redirected from mountain streams and from underground to melt the masses of snow which fall throughout the winter 99.12.13/ Temperature: 1C/ Weather: Snow/ Wind Direction:@NW
Start: Tochio City 37 28 50 N 139 00 00 E
Destination: Sumon Village 37 21 00 N 139 59 28 E
Distance Traveled: 20kmRain poured from the gray sky and seeped through my raingear as I set out >from Tochio City. Today was perhaps one of the toughest days on the road yet. Rain in the morning, followed by snow in the afternoon, an unplowed route over a mountain pass, and getting snowed in in a mountain village kept struggling throughout the day. In spite of my struggles, Nigata's winter scenery was beautiful and full of secrets to make it throught the long season of whiteness which lay ahead. Walking up the foothills toward the Todo forest and its fresh water spring, pools of melted snow drifted down road soaking my chilled feet. The water protection of my rain parka slowly became soaked through. Keeping my eyes on the slushy path that lay before me I took step after step until the road was no longer plowed. In the high mountain village the rain had turned to snow. Accumulated snow increased gradually from a few centimeters to over a meter the further I trudged on through the snow.
The rice fields which surrounded me were covered in a thick blanket of snow. Pain shot through my right knee as I lifted it up placed it further in front of me. Slowly but surely I made my way over the mountain pass and down into another village. Back on plowed turf and surrounded by houses and people, I regained my stamina and the pain in my knee began to fade.
Slush flows down the sidewalk as I head up into the mountains. Once over the mountain I came across a few clever ways that villagers deal with the mass amounts of snow which bury the community during the winter. Many households utilize the natural flow of mountain stream by directing the water flow to melt snow on driveways and in front of houses. Small ponds are also used as areas to dump and melt snow. An elder man packed the snow on his walk using snow shoes and shoveling off excess snow. Before the roads were plowed in the winter, local residents traveled on foot using snowshoes. The snow reaches such heights that first floor windows are covered bringing darkness to many single stove heated rooms.
My footsteps are all that remain on the unplowed mountain pass. Just as I thought I had made it passed the worst portion on my route, I discovered that my chosen route is not plowed either. Stormy clouds lingered above. I was wet, cold and fatigued and the long detour to Sumon Village was not a possibility. I called it quits for the day and sought out a warm refuge for the evening. My slight hardships throughout the day gave me a good idea of the harsh conditions which coexist with the mountain villagers here in Nigata. As harsh as the winters may be, the people here seem to be approaching winter as usual. There is much preparation which goes into winter living but the people here have cleverly countered and adjusted to their surroundings.
An elder man packs and shovels snow using snow shoes and a shovel. His hat also protects his body from the falling snow. Greg
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