Climbing Uchikoshi Mountain

うち‐こし【打（ち）越し】
次の宿で休まず、その先の宿まで行くこと。

Uchi-koshi
We won't rest here, we'll rest at the next.

I'd been having a rough time trying to wrap my head around how to get my new business started. I needed to both get my mind off it and make decisions about it at once. Not an easy proposition but one I thought best done from the outside looking in.

The day before I'd tried, and even though the day was spent out hiking with the boy, my favorite way to escape the real world, it was not much consolation. I had mis-planned our route and after 20 minutes into the hike I realized I didn't actually know where we were going. It turned out okay as we just used an old route we knew well, but it wasn't what I intended the day to be.

I planned this day much better. I hoped. Winter Solstice was almost upon us and I was worried about daylight running out. It would be E's first chance to climb a mountain from the bottom to the top. Mt. Uchikoshi (打越山) is just a little one with the peak at 481 meters and to make it even easier we would start from a couple hundred meters up. The climb would start from a valley though making it by my definition his first full mountain.

We'd have to go fast to make it without too many rests, but I had faith in his resolve, and more importantly I suppose trust in myself to get us back down. No matter what I was excited to see his reaction when he got to the peak after his hardest climb yet.

"You're going to climb a mountain today all the way from the bottom. Are you excited?"
"Yes! Let's go!"

So with business still on my mind, we arrived at the bus stop and put feet on the ground.

This day we had decided to go East, up and through Sumiyoshidai (住吉台) to the Taiyo to Midori Trail (太陽と緑の道). It's one of our favorite trails as the first part is flat and easy and wide. Perfect for the little one. We go their often, many times not even to begin a hike but just to walk 20 or 30 minutes or so to one of the places you can stop and just be outdoors. 

We hit the trail. The first part was familiar until about 30 minutes in when we took a new turn. 

"Okay E here's where we start to go up. Not too many stops okay, it will be dark soon today."

"Okay no problem. I'll go fast!"

We had begun the ascent, the two of us climbing both physically and mentally. The physical climb was easy for me but I can't say as much for the mental. I had to keep my current business going and figure out how to begin my dream, a business selling and promoting simple and natural things and the way of life that I loved. All the way I was thinking, 'Can I do this? Will it work? What will I do if it fails?' I also imagined E thinking the same things about his first big climb. Either way we both kept going up. It's all you can do.

Just a few short breaks for gummy candies and E was doing great and having fun too. At one part he even out-paced me trying to catch another hiker who had passed us as some sort of game he had made up. He lost at his game but didn't care and I was just happy at the speed.

About half way up the mountain the Japanese Cypress (ヒノキ) which had dominated at first started to make way for other kinds of trees, mostly Japanese Red Pines (アカマツ). Pines trees are one of my favorite trees and have many uses so I was loving it. Looking for pine resin, looking for resin saturated fatwood, and just enjoying it. In fact at that point my mind had even forgot about business just enough to start making decisions about it. It may not make sense immediately, but I think sometimes you have to take your mind off something to really put your mind on something. 'Yes I can do this. It will be a lot work but I just have to start.'

I still didn't know if it would work or what to do if it failed, but at least the first part was out the way. 

E was starting to get tired and slower. 

"Come on buddy we're just about to a place we can stop and eat!"
"I can't do it! I can't climb anymore!"
"Sure you can this part is flat. We can catch our breath as we walk."

I had fibbed a bit as we still had about an hour before the lunch spot and it was just a break in the hardest part of the climb too. We pressed on for a bit more until the next fight.

"Let's stop here!"
"Come on buddy you can do it. Just a little more."
"No let's stop here! Only here!"
"We can't sit down in the middle of trail and eat other people will come."
"No! Here!"

I know these conservations well as I suppose anyone with a small child who hikes does. We stopped for a short break and got back to the climb. 

E got his first taste of why people climb mountains I think when we finally did hit that lunch spot. The feeling you get when you find somewhere to rest after trying for so long is like nothing else. 

With the both of us feeling refreshed from lunch and playing about with sticks and knives and things a bit, I was relaxed enough to answer my second question. 'Yes it will work. Being outside with simple intent is one of the greatest, most spiritual, and just plain natural things a person can do.'  There had to be others like me who would appreciate what I wanted to do.

"Alright let's hit the peak! Are you excited to climb your first mountain?"
"Yes I feel better now! Let's go!"

The climb to the peak from that point was short but not easy. And I was beginning to worry about daylight on the way down. We had our headlamps but part of the hike down at the very end of the trail is narrow and drops off. Not a fun place to be relying on headlamps for light with a 4 year old in tow. 'What will I do if it fails?'

I got the answer at the peak. I also got to see a little boy who was as excited, as well, a little boy.

"We did it!"

And as for my answer? If it fails, we just keep climbing mountains until we succeed.