The Mountain Claims a Sign, But Doesn’t Claim Me

Nikon D700 + Sigma 35mm F1.4 DG HSM — 1/250 sec, f/1.6, ISO 320 —
map & image data — nearby photos

Here, Let Me Hold That For You

今日は僕の第三回目の比叡山の山登りハイキングをしました。登るのはやっぱり去年より早い（二時間半じゃ無くて、一時間半）。
以前はバスで帰ったけれども、今回は足で、往復で28½キロ出来ました。嬉しい。ジムのおかげさまで。

Today I did my third annual Mt. Hiei climb. The climb in 2012 is what got
me started on the road to getting fit. Then it took me 2h 6m to make the
climb and I was completely wiped out. Last year it actually
took longer (2h 24m) because I was stopping so much for photography, but I felt much better in doing it than the extra time could explain.

This year it took 1h 36m and I felt just fine when I got to the top, so much so that I didn't stop to rest, and moved on farther to see some temples
a kilometer or so down the other side of the mountain. So good did I feel, in fact, that I walked back home as well. Total hike was 28½km (17.7 mile).

It's on the way back that I noticed this sign being claimed by the tree. I think it's a “put out your campfires” sign, but I'm not sure.

Nikon D700 + Sigma 35mm F1.4 DG HSM — 1/250 sec, f/2.2, ISO 720 —
map & image data — nearby photos

I passed it on the way up all three times, but likely didn't notice it because my head buried into the trail immediately in front of me.
Also related is that it was next to one of the trail signs that governed a fork in the trail that didn't matter on the way up, but made a big
difference on the way down. The sign was of no help so I just picked one of the paths, and as my GPS tracklog eventually showed, it turns out to have
been different from the one I'd taken up, so that explains why for half an hour I had the “none of this looks familiar” feeling.

But as per the unhelpful sign, it did eventually wind up at the proper spot and I can confirm that I did get home alive.

To be continued...