MAPhttp://www.kancycling.com/KANcycling/Map.htmlhttp://www.kancycling.com/KANcycling/Map.htmlshapeimage_8_link_0
 

 

Before I went down the hill, I visited Shiretoko Goko (5 Lakes of Shiretoko) again, as I had on my first visit. Shiretoko takes bears VERY seriously, and apparently for good reason: from what people there said, three of the five lakes have been closed for quite awhile now, and the posted signs said it was because of the danger of encountering bears. Initially I thought this was code for “it’s too much trouble to maintain the trails” or something, but no - apparently a number of bears have taken up residence in the area (because of all the deer?) and it’s simply not safe. Here is one of the many signs telling people what to do if they encounter a bear. For particularly dumb tourists, they might also add “Do not hand the camera to a friend and try to get your photo taken with the bear” which I understand happens occasionally.

(Aside: seeing the sign above, I did wonder if “Active Bear Zone” meant that a devastating Magnitude 7.0 bear may strike at any moment...)

One more comment since I can’t resist.  “Do not panic” - easy for YOU to say...

Story & PhotosHokkaido_Okhotsk_Story_%26_Photos_1.htmlHokkaido_Okhotsk_Story_%26_Photos_1.htmlshapeimage_13_link_0
Nuts & BoltsHokkaido_Okhotsk_Nuts_%26_Bolts.htmlHokkaido_Okhotsk_Nuts_%26_Bolts.htmlshapeimage_14_link_0
AlternativesHokkaido_Okhotsk_Alternatives.htmlHokkaido_Okhotsk_Alternatives.htmlshapeimage_15_link_0
RouteHokkaido_Okhotsk_Route.htmlHokkaido_Okhotsk_Route.htmlshapeimage_16_link_0
HOKKAIDO OKHOTSKHokkaido_Okhotsk.htmlHokkaido_Okhotsk.htmlshapeimage_17_link_0

The next morning, after making my way up the hill back to the main road, I headed toward Shiretoko Pass. It’s not a particularly high pass, but apparently it gets socked in with clouds on a regular basis (as does Mt. Rausu, which many people come here to climb). One of the things I remembered about the YH is that they conduct an excellent orientation session for hikers in the evening. This night, they regretfully predicted that the following day would be one of the socked-in days - they advised waiting until the following day. Naturally, that was not an option for me. But on this lovely summer morning, with only a few clouds around the summit,  I did not anticipate any fog; I figured the YH people must have gotten it wrong.