Hokkaido Hiking – Susan Spann, Adventure, Mystery, and Mountains

CHAPTER 33: I Love Rishiri

Susan Spann 1000 Summits, 1000 Summits Hikes, Blog, CLIMB Photo Companion, Hikes August 14, 2023August 12, 2023100 Summits, 1000 summits, ferries, Hokkaido, Hokkaido Hiking, hyakumeizan, Japan, japan hiking, Mt. Rishiri, Rishiri

September 23-24, 2018 This photo supplement tracks the events in CLIMB: Leaving Safe and Finding Strength on 100 Summits in Japan. The captions offer “extra features” that didn’t make it into the book. On the morning of September 23, 2018, in the wake of a violent storm, I boarded a ferry from Wakkanai (Japan’s northernmost major port) to Rishiri Island, a three-hour trip that I hoped would end better for me than it had for the crew of Gilligan’s Island. The sun came up over the water as the ship steamed north; I watched the sunlight break through the lingering clouds and

CHAPTER 32: From Snow to Snow

Susan Spann 1000 Summits, Blog, CLIMB Photo Companion August 7, 2023August 6, 2023100 Summits, Asahidake, Climb, Daisetsuzan, Daisetsuzan National Park, hiking in Japan, Hokkaido, Hokkaido Hiking, Mt. Asahi

After fabulous climbs on Mt. Shari and Mt. Rausu, I was sad that my time with my guide (and now, friend) Ido had to end–but I was looking forward to my solo climb of Mt. Asahi.

Hiking Lake Toya: A Day on Nakajima

Susan Spann Blog, Hikes January 31, 2022January 29, 2022hiking, Hokkaido, Hokkaido Hiking, Hokkaido Nature Tours, Lake Toya, Nakajima, Oshima, Toyako

On the final day of last September’s hiking trip to Hokkaido, with a little more than half a day to kill before my train departed for Tokyo, my friend Ido and I headed out to Lake Tōya for one last hike.

Hiking Mt. Tarumae [No. 139]

Susan Spann 1000 Summits, Blog, Hikes November 3, 2021December 3, 2021hiking, hiking in Japan, Hokkaido, Hokkaido Hiking, Hokkaido Nature Tours, Japan, mountains, Mt. Tarumae, Tarumaesan

My friend Ido* and I kicked off my recent (Autumn 2021) hiking trip to Hokkaido with an ascent of Mt. Tarumae–a 1,041-meter active stratovolcano not far from Tomakomai in southern Hokkaido.

CHAPTER 28: Takuto & Tomuraushi

Susan Spann 1000 Summits, Blog, CLIMB Photo Companion April 21, 2021May 5, 2021100 Summits, hiking in Japan, Hokkaido, Hokkaido Hiking, Hokkaido Nature Tours, hyakumeizan, Nihon Hyakumeizan, Tomuraushi

September 13-14, 2018 This photo supplement tracks the events in CLIMB: Leaving Safe and Finding Strength on 100 Summits in Japan. The captions offer “extra features” that didn’t make it into the book. Due to straining my knee on Tokachidake, I ended up canceling the next day’s scheduled climb of Poroshiri–which meant I absolutely would not be able to complete all 100 Hyakumeizan peaks in a single year. I’d already decided to shift the goalpost, however, and climb 100 historically and culturally important/sacred mountains instead, so the loss meant less to me than it otherwise would have. After a rest day, which

CHAPTER 25: Hokkaido Nature Tours

Susan Spann 1000 Summits, Blog, CLIMB Photo Companion March 21, 2021April 6, 2021Hokkaido, Hokkaido earthquake 2018, Hokkaido Hiking, Hokkaido Nature Tours, Niseko, onsen, Sapporo, Yotei

September 6-9, 2018 This photo supplement tracks the events in CLIMB: Leaving Safe and Finding Strength on 100 Summits in Japan. The captions offer “extra features” that didn’t make it into the book. I’d wanted to visit Hokkaido ever since learning the names of Japan’s four major islands (from north to south: Hokkaido, Honshu, Shikoku, and Kyushu) in grade school–and I’d been looking forward to this trip in particular for over a year. On my most difficult days in chemo, I read and re-read the amazing itinerary Ido Gabay of Hokkaido Nature Tours designed for me, and the anticipation gave me strength