Soemimizu Trail Pilgrim Hut

29/9/2019

The guide book indicates the stair case near the beginning of the Soemimizu Henro trail has 414 steps in total. The rest hut is about three quarters of the way up the stairs.

The day I was there I needed to stop at the hut because I was already worn out and the stairs were in the blazing sunlight. I couldn’t have gone on so I laid down on the concrete bench in the hut with my shoes and socks off. After about 10 minutes, when I sat up again, there were two actual pools of water corresponding to each of my legs.

The hut was shaded and cool after being in the direct sunlight. It has a scenic view back down the valley and toward the sea, only slightly marred by the expressway.

No facilities of any kind can be found at the hut other than the concrete benches and table.

Reaching the end of the staircase, the path carried on as flat, concrete crazy paving. Lulled into a false sense of security by having done with the stairs, I almost ended up sprawling on this section as my feet started slipping about under me. Even though it was sunny, warm and clear, the benign looking pavement was mossy and slippery. I had to moderate my pace on the artificial surface to avoid disaster.

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