Trekking in Shiretoko National Park

It's been a whirlwind of weather these past two days on the Northern Route of the We Love Japan Tour 2015. Originally I was to kayak the coastline of Shiretoko National Park for our second Hidden Beauty, but due to the rough seas gave up that plan in favor of trekking instead. I can't say I regret it one bit... the beauty of Shiretoko is evident any way you view it!

My journey to Hokkaido started with a train to Haneda Airport, then a flight to Memanbetsu Airport in Eastern Hokkaido, and finally a rental car to the Shiretoko Grand Hotel Kitakobushi in Utoro, where I checked in and set out to enjoy the evening relaxing at the brand new footbath looking out onto Utoro Bay! It was cold, but with your feet in the hot water it is quite a cozy experience.

During the night, a strong storm with high winds and heavy rain blew in. I was set to start my day at 5:30AM to get the most out of the kayaking experience, but my guide, Mr. Yagi, called at 5AM to change the meeting time to 8AM because of the weather. I had the chance to look out the window to watch the pre-dawn activity of the fishermen getting the boats ready. Luckily, I could go back to sleep after a few pictures!

At 8AM, after a bath and breakfast, I met Mr. Yagi in the lobby. He explained that since the kayaking was cancelled we would trek around Shiretoko National Park, hopefully running into some of the local wildlife! Right outside the Port area was a well-known spot for bears. We stopped, but the birds had claimed the area for their own.

But not far into the park we saw a number of other animals, such as the Ezo Red Fox and many Ezo Deer. Both deer and foxes were out foraging for food to last them over the long, cold winter, so they weren't terribly concerned with the humans taking photos of them.

This was the first of two foxes I spotted today! Actually, my guide Mr. Yagi spotted them. Thank goodness he was with me!

The deer are larger than their southern cousins, and are currently in the midst of growing their winter coat, which is the darker brown growing over the summer spots.

After several stops for pictures, we arrived at our first choice of a trek, the Shiretoko Goko, or five lakes area. Unfortunately, due to fallen trees from the storm, the parking area and trails were closed. Our next hiking trail was near Furepe Falls, and luckily it was open!

The sun was out, but the wind was extremely strong. Once you got into the trees, you were more protected, but as we approached the ocean you really had to hold onto your hat... and your footing!

Due to the wind, the weather changed suddenly to grey clouds and a little rain. You can see a hint of blue sky behind the bluff. It took only about 30 minutes for the wind to blow the storm away, and we were back to sun again!

The coastline was extremely rugged and beautiful, but getting close to the edge to take pictures was difficult in the wind! At this point, we headed back into the forest to swing around to our original starting point.

Once back in the forest, evidence of bears was everywhere. In this season wild mountain grapes are ripe, and the bears climb the trees to eat the grapes. We saw evidence of both the half-eaten grapes and the climbing bears. What we didn't see were the bears themselves, but I think I'm okay with that...

After examining a number of trees with claw marks, we also came across an old winter burrow that had caved in. It seems like the bears have moved on... whew, safe!

Then another few steps and in front of us was a truly giant Ezo deer eating the leaves off a fallen tree. He barely glanced at us as we crept closer and closer.

His antlers were huge and must have been extremely heavy! He'll lose that pair in late winter, then regrow a whole new set in spring. What a life!

With our fill of wildlife and wind, we headed back to the car and a small picnic area for a snack. Then, Mr. Yagi asked if I wanted to see a bit more of the park. I of course agreed, and we drove from that point up to Shiretokotoge, a small mountain pass that goes right by the largest mountain of the seven mountains of Shiretoko Peninsula, Mt. Rausu.

Heading up the pass was interesting because even at slight elevation changes, not only do the types of vegetation and trees change, but the colors change as well, becoming more yellow and red the higher we went. It is still early for drastic colors, but beautiful nonetheless!

We didn't stay long at the lookout point, as the wind was strong and cold. But instead of heading back towards Utoro, Mr. Yagi continued driving down towards Rausu town on the other side of the peninsula from Utoro. About half way down the other side, he pointed out something that amazed me.

Do you see that spit of land off in the distance? That's Russia! Well, it's one of the islands claimed by both Russia and Japan and settled by Russians. But still! Wow! It really drove home how far north we were!

Our final stop before heading back up the pass was the Rausu Visitor's Center. It's a small building on the way to Rausu, and isn't a place I would have considered stopping on my own. But inside... well...

Along with various educational and interesting exhibits about the local flora and fauna is a full-sized male orca skeleton! It's HUGE. The skeleton really put into perspective how tiny humans are compared to the mammals of the ocean. Orca's aren't even the biggest whale by far. It was a really cool chance to see!

With a final look about the museum, we headed back towards Utoro to finish the tour. No bears made an appearance on our way back, but we did see a few salmon swimming their way up river. I bet the bears are waiting at the waterfalls to catch those fish as they swim upstream. Glad I'm not a fish!

I said thank you and goodbye to Mr. Yagi after a fantastic day exploring the beautiful wilderness and animals of Shiretoko National Park, despite the capricious weather. I wanted to see a few more sights close to the hotel, but the strong wind drove me inside instead for a hot bath and a yummy dinner. Now with all said and done, I'll leave Shiretoko tomorrow on my way to another Hidden Beauty, but I hope to come back to this breathtaking area again someday!