Meeting the World Heritage: Eighth Adventure in Shiretoko

Project 29はついに北海道へ！

一人でフィンランドの湖を制してきたAceに負けてはいられないと、わたくしHeroもおひとり様冒険を敢行。Aceより２日早く北海道入りし、初日は移動と趣味（道立北方民族博物館）に費やし、二日目は北海道が誇る世界遺産、知床半島へと向かいました。

バス車内からのオホーツク海！

10月7日金曜はあいにくの雨模様で、宿で教えてもらった「ヒッチハイクまたはマウンテンバイク」という移動手段も実現困難に。残念至極だけど、なんくるないさー。

何はともあれ行動あるのみ。
噂に違わず地平線までまーっすぐ伸びる道路に感心しながら、バスで知床五湖へ。

ヒグマもシカも
いつひょっこり出てくるか・・・

知床五湖では、当然、五湖すべてを巡るコースを選択。そのために必須となる対ヒグマ講習を受け、いざ出陣。

講習ビデオでやってたように、時々「ホイホイ♪」と声を上げて、こちらの存在をヒグマに伝える。直近１カ月で６回の目撃情報があるらしく、“万が一”を想像して足取りも慎重になる。

五湖 "Lake Five"

五湖すべてをまわるルートは、約3km。ゆったり歩いて1.5時間のコースだ。

四湖 "Lake Four"

しかし途中で、草木の色合いに感嘆し、悪魔的な倒木の根っこに立ち止まり、クマの寝床になったと思われる木のうろを覗き、もちろん湖に着くたびに浮かれて写真を撮り、何だかんだで五湖すべてを廻りきるのに2時間以上かけてしまった。

三湖 "Lake Three"

この湖畔の遊歩道が、湖の周りをなぞるようにしっかりまわらせてくれるところが気に入った（特に三湖）。湖を眺められるスポットがところどころにあるだけでは、ちょっと味気ない。

電圧柵付きの高架歩道を設けてある一湖は指定の展望台からしか望めないが、唯一開けたところにある一湖ならではのパノラマが美しい。

散策の間、雨が上がることはなく、山々や湖の向こう側には常にもやがかかっていた。しかしそれすら幻想的な美しさで、「これもこれでラッキー♪」と思えた。いつか、突き抜けるような青い青い空の季節に、また訪れたいと思う。

⑱知床五湖　Shiretoko Goko Lakes

So it's my turn to take on a sole adventure!

Just as Ace took our Project to Finland, I brought it to Shiretoko, the World Natural Heritage on the big island of Hokkaido.

My target was Shiretoko Goko ("Five Lakes"), and coincidentally enough, it was a walk in the cold rain just like when we visited the Fuji Five Lakes.

Venturing into the bear domain

There are two routes you can choose from to go viewing the Lakes: the safer and shorter Route A, and the potentially dangerous and longer Route B.

I took the latter, of course, because there's no way I (and Ace, if we had come together) would be satisfied just going to see the Lakes One and Two, when there is another route that takes you into the wild woods to go around all the Five Lakes.

Devilish root of a fallen tree

(Hey, I didn't buy a pair of brand-new trekking shoes for nothing, and I certainly did not go all the way down to Shiretoko in the feezing rain just to touch the surface of it.)

I was, I must admit, a bit scared after watching a video showing what I should do when I encountered a brown bear and braving myself into the woods all by myself with only a plastic umbrella in my hand.

So I did what I could do to prevent any unwelcome encounter: paying close attention to all directions, raising my voice saying "Hoy hoy" to let them know I'm here, and singing aloud in the rain (Not sure if Stand By Me was the best choice in that situation though).

A baby deer in the woods

Yon-ko "Lake Four"

Unfortunately, I didn't get to meet the bear family, but I caught a sight of a doe and a bambi just off the trail.

Mists hanging low, trees starting to turn into autumn colors, and everything was so calm.

At this time of the day on a normal Friday, I would be taking calls, checking expense sheets and whatnot, hoping to finish before 6, and looking forward to the weekend. It was almost surreal how such a normal Friday seemed like someone else's.

Ni-ko "Lake Two"

The Ichi-ko, or the Lake One, is the only lake that's in the open field, and has a wooden boardwalk for those who chose the shorter route.

For a few moment, as I was looking into far far away, I imagined the native Ainu people hunting down a bear or walking through the field. Oh how melancholy I was.