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🍜Back Pain, Leeches, and Morning Ramen – A Fully Loaded Children's Day Hike
Before the hike, for some reason, I had morning ramen.
Not just one bowl—two extra servings of noodles and rice on the side.
It was the ultimate guilty full course.
My heart felt satisfied, but my body was weighed down.
Around this time of year, leeches start appearing.
I’ve had my fair share of nasty encounters in Tanzawa, so I’m a bit traumatized.
Just to be safe, I had AI predict the leech appearance rate for today.
The answer? “Low probability.”
But not zero. And that “not zero” messes with your head.
Once you start thinking about it, every step feels risky.
In the car, I was still stuck—should I pay for treatment, or trust nature to heal me?
While I was overthinking, we arrived at the trailhead.
There was a sign: “Trail closed due to landslide.” I felt a strange relief.
Just as I thought, “Maybe we should skip it,” my wife casually said, “Let’s go.”
And that settled it. Our dog Momiji was already eager and ready.
Back pain, ramen belly, fear of leeches. It was the ultimate “everything-loaded” hike.
Even a broken bridge and muddy trails couldn’t stop my wife and Momiji.
Momiji, who usually struggles with heat, was in great shape thanks to the cool weather.
The sound of the stream, the birds chirping—the calmness of the mountains healed my spirit.
Meanwhile, I was dragging behind, ramen trying to make a comeback.
At the summit, a cool breeze swept over us.
I suddenly noticed—“Wait, my back… it feels a bit better?”
Was it shock therapy? Just mental? Or maybe, moving really helped?
By the time we got back to the car, my back felt lighter.
The pain that had bothered me all morning had eased up.
Maybe sitting around all the time was actually worse.
Today reminded me how even a little movement can make a big difference.
Today’s hike had it all—back pain, leeches, ramen overload, heat, landslides.
But in the end, it turned out just fine.
Sometimes, all it takes is stepping outside to get your life moving again.
And sometimes, a fully loaded day is exactly what you need.
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