GW ツアー’s

A Golden Week of Exploration

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Well as fast as it came Golden Week is over for another year. I hope you all got out to enjoy it! We spent our holiday travelling all over Kyushu.

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Our first adventure was along the Saga-Fukuoka border where we once again went to Mt. Ihara and Raizan to check out the blooming Mitsuba Azaleas.

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Although the weather was nowhere near the weather we had last week, we still had a wonderful time with the pinkish flowers dotting the landscape.

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While we were hiking I noticed that there are still lots more flowers to bloom so we will be heading back there again on Monday the 14th of April.

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Our next adventure was a little deeper into the heart of Kyushu. We went on a nice relaxing 3 day hike and camp in the Okue area of northern Miyazaki.

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This area is known for its deep lush forests and towering granite rock faces making it also known as the Yosemite of Kyushu! Before we left Fukuoka the weather was having a hard time clearing up and we were all I think a bit skeptical of the clear skies that were in the forecast but the weatherman was right for a change and we were granted 3 full beautiful sunny days!!

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The first day was spent getting to and setting up our campsite and we found a beautiful spot overlooking the Houri river with some beautiful Mitsuba Azaleas in full bloom.

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All of us wanted to enjoy a nice relaxing nature experience so our mission for this trip was not the hardcore Kozumidaki and Mt. Okue summit route but a nice relaxing nature hike along the Sanrigawara trail during our second day.

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Both nights we enjoyed a relaxing campfire while we did some moon gazing and even got to see the Supermoon with Saturn and Mars also shining down on us.

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To comfort the sorrow of having to leave this beautiful place we headed into the nearby city of Nobeoka to partake in one of their most popular dishes, Chicken Nanban! We all headed home with full stomachs and a deep desire to visit this natural wonderland again!

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Dave and Yumie celebrated their 5th wedding anniversary while on the trip, congratulations to you both! Here’s a short blog from Dave to finish the report!

Dave’s report

What a fantastic Golden week. Two completely different hikes to Iharayama and Raizan - one sunny day with a great view all around and one rainy where we had the chance to take some beautiful photos of the rain drenched forest.

Then we headed to Okue to celebrate Yumie and my 5 year anniversary with a three day camping trip. We were really lucky with the weather as it was beautiful all weekend and the nights were warm. We enjoyed lots of time around the camp fire with a few beers, some wine, a little Awamori, and of course, my guitar riffs! The hike along the riverside on the Saturday gave me a different perspective of just how majestic Okue really is. We headed up along the river with some spectacular views of the twin peaks and stopped for lunch riverside where it was refreshingly cool. Once back at camp we relaxed with more food and drink under the moonlight.

Thanks Amarok for the adventurous and memorable anniversary,
We hope to see you out on the trails soon, Dave and Yumie.

Dave and Yumie


2012.05.08 | Comments(2) | Trackback(0) | ツアーレポート

井原〜雷山ツアー

A Sunny day on the Border

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Happy Golden Week everyone! I hope you all have plans to get out and enjoy the outdoors during the holiday. We started our fun early by getting out to Ihara and Raizan last Saturday. The weather was sunny and warm with not a cloud in the sky. We couldn’t believe that it was only a month ago we still had 0o on the summit of Mt Fukuchi!!

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The thing that brought us here this time was the Mitsuba Azaleas which bloom here every year. Some of the blossoms were still working hard to spread their petals but there were still quite a few already blooming, giving a pinkish hue to the mottled green colors of spring.

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Manachan also came with us and was as always a “ninki mono” with whoever we met along the trail. When we arrived at the Mt. Ihara summit we were greeted with a most beautiful view of Fukuoka City and the outlining islands and coastline.

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We then traversed along the trail to Mt. Raizan which also serves as part of the borderline between Fukuoka and Saga Prefectures. Every time I walk this route I always wonder about the Samurai that used to patrol along this trail centuries ago, Kuroda Han on one side and Nabeshima Han on the other.

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It was a really fun day and a sure sign that I can finally put away the winter gear for yet another season. We’ll be heading back here on Thursday May 3rd for another fun day before heading off to the Okue area of Miyazaki for a 3 day camp. If you would like to join us on any of these trips send me an email at
john@amarok-outdoors.com


2012.05.01 | Comments(0) | Trackback(0) | ツアーレポート

Bouldering

A little change of plans

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The plan for Sunday was to head out for a nice hike to Inu ga Dake deep in the mountains of Fukuoka but both Murphy and Mother nature had other plans. After looking at the weather report on Saturday I made the decision to swing from a day of hiking to a day of climbing.

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I called up my friend Edamura San from Light Footwork to see if we could go to his place for a day of climbing on his indoor gym. He was free so the plan was set. Then we woke up on Sunday and by 10:00 the western skies had cleared and the sun was out by the ocean,so we decided on another shift from indoor climbing to outdoor bouldering in Nijo machi on the way to Karatsu.

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What’s not to like about a sunny warm afternoon by the sea doing something really fun! Here are a few comments by Dave and Miechan a few of the beach monkeys!

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Dave’s report
Thanks for a nice Sunday afternoon at the beach. What was looking like a rainy weekend turned into a beautiful sunny afternoon. We did a bit of bouldering with Edamura san, who was very patient with us beginners. A nice little spot if you’d like to try climbing in the outdoors and also relaxing at the beach.
Hope to see you out soon, Dave.

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Miechan’s report
初めての外でのボルダリングでした。
登り方や場所を少し変えるだけで、難易度が選べるので皆で楽しめたよ!
登り始めると必死やけど、青空とゆる〜い潮風がめっちゃ気持ちよかった!

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I want to thank Edamura San for taking us out for a really great time! Now I’m looking forward to the next rainy day!

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Our next couple of hikes will be on April 28th and May 3rd when we will be hiking along the Mt. Ihara and Raizan loop to take in the beautiful “Mitsuba tsutsuji’s”. From May 4th to the 6th we also have a camp and hike planned for the Okue area of Miyazaki so if you don’t yet have any Golden Week plans drop me an email at john@amarok-outdoors.com to join us!

Bouldering (3)




2012.04.23 | Comments(0) | Trackback(0) | ツアーレポート

RUFFWEAR

Time to get a little RUFF!

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A few months ago I wrote a blog about becoming a dealer for RUFFWEAR , a company that makes exceptional gear for outdoorsy dogs. Well our first shipment of stuff arrived in the shop and it's really cool!

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Later this month the full line of RUFFWEAR gear will be available for order as some stuff is still crossing the Pacific. If you want to get high quality gear for your adventuresome K-9, look no further than RUFFWEAR.   See their homepage for their full lineup at http://www.ruffwear.com/
and let me know if there is anything you need!


2012.04.18 | Comments(0) | Trackback(0) | ギア情報

H Plus くじゅうツアー

H Plus Store Trip to Mt. Kuju

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Did everyone have a great weekend? The skies were clear, the sun was shining, it’s actually starting to feel like spring is here to stay for a while. We took advantage of the great weather and headed to climb Mt. Kuju , the namesake of the Kuju Highlands, and just a great place to hike!

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We headed up the trail from the Makinoto trailhead, taking our time to enjoy the beautiful landscape. Ando San and Sakae San kept saying how they loved that the mountains were surrounding us and anywhere you looked there were mountains.

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The only thing that concerned us about the trip was the wind, there was a crisp cold wind blowing and just like the week before on Mt. Fukuchi, the summit was windy!! Let’s just say that once again the summit photo didn’t take long to get before we started to head down from the top.

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Luckily we found a pretty good spot out of the wind to kick back for lunch, and with the sun shining on us we were actually warm! After shoving some taco’s down our throats we packed up and steadily hiked down soaking up the surrounding landscape that lay ahead of us.

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Of course we finished the day with a trip to the local Onsen before hitting the highway. I want to say thanks again to the H Plus store Fukuoka who sponsored the event and thanks to everyone who participated. You all did great and it was a pleasure to take you!

Let’s go again soon!


2012.04.09 | Comments(0) | Trackback(0) | ツアーレポート

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johnperry

Author:johnperry
AmaroK
Outdoor Adventures

アマロック アウトドア アドベンチャーズ
福岡市博多区諸岡4丁目29−5
http://www.amarok-outdoors.com/

福岡のアウトドア・カヤック・トレッキング・ウィンターキャンプなど様々なアウトドア体験をお手伝いします。

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