Preparations
My practical preparations didn't begin in earnest until about 2 months before I left for Shikoku. The majority of pilgrims travel around Shikoku by bus or car. I wanted to walk and the main issue for me was where I would stay during the pilgrimage.
Equipment
I decided I was going to camp out and bought the following camping equipment -
The total weight was just over 3kg and everything was reasonably compact. The sleeping bag in particular was very good. I didn't want to use proper hiking shoes because they tend to have a stiffer harder sole and the majority of the walking would be on asphalt so I opted for a light trail boot. As for other items I basically packed some of my hiking gear.
I had an 80 liter back pack and I managed to completely fill it with things I thought I would need or might need. It weighed about 14kg when I left home and I expected to pick up a little more weight as I proceeded around Shikoku. I wanted to take a lot of photos so two cameras. I also wanted to write about my trip and I opted for a very small laptop. Pen and paper would have been easier but I am glad I had my laptop. Thoughts which came to mind while I was walking I planned to jot down in a small note book.
Guidebook
About 2 weeks before I left for Shikoku I bought the guide book I would use and that was when the excitement and realization of what I was about to do really started to build. Up until then I had been reading other people's accounts of their journeys and researching the pilgrimage on the internet. The guide book gave me a great introduction and a guide to all the temples with short interesting snippets of information about each temple.
Fitness
My general level of fitness in 2011 was probably better than it had ever been. I had run 4 full marathons at the start of the year. In July I had successfully run the Mt. Fuji Race, a race which starts at 800m and finishes at the top of Mt. Fuji at 3776m. I had also hiked up and down Mt. Fuji a further 5 times before and after the race and continued my running right up until I left for Tokushima. I had no worries about my fitness before I set out.
The final thing I needed to do was buy the ticket to Tokushima. I bought a one-way ticket to Naruto, Tokushima about a week before I left. I was as ready as I was ever going to be and in a week or so I would find out for myself what ohenro was all about.
Equipment
I decided I was going to camp out and bought the following camping equipment -
- Lightweight one man tent - Espace Solo
- Self-inflating sleeping mat - Therm-a-Rest
- Down Sleeping Bag - MontBell Super Spiral Hugger #3
The total weight was just over 3kg and everything was reasonably compact. The sleeping bag in particular was very good. I didn't want to use proper hiking shoes because they tend to have a stiffer harder sole and the majority of the walking would be on asphalt so I opted for a light trail boot. As for other items I basically packed some of my hiking gear.
I had an 80 liter back pack and I managed to completely fill it with things I thought I would need or might need. It weighed about 14kg when I left home and I expected to pick up a little more weight as I proceeded around Shikoku. I wanted to take a lot of photos so two cameras. I also wanted to write about my trip and I opted for a very small laptop. Pen and paper would have been easier but I am glad I had my laptop. Thoughts which came to mind while I was walking I planned to jot down in a small note book.
Guidebook
About 2 weeks before I left for Shikoku I bought the guide book I would use and that was when the excitement and realization of what I was about to do really started to build. Up until then I had been reading other people's accounts of their journeys and researching the pilgrimage on the internet. The guide book gave me a great introduction and a guide to all the temples with short interesting snippets of information about each temple.
Fitness
My general level of fitness in 2011 was probably better than it had ever been. I had run 4 full marathons at the start of the year. In July I had successfully run the Mt. Fuji Race, a race which starts at 800m and finishes at the top of Mt. Fuji at 3776m. I had also hiked up and down Mt. Fuji a further 5 times before and after the race and continued my running right up until I left for Tokushima. I had no worries about my fitness before I set out.
The final thing I needed to do was buy the ticket to Tokushima. I bought a one-way ticket to Naruto, Tokushima about a week before I left. I was as ready as I was ever going to be and in a week or so I would find out for myself what ohenro was all about.
© 2011 A Shikoku Pilgrimage. All Rights Reserved.