Day 3: Camp

It is 7:30pm, It is dark, and I am sitting in my tent in my underwear sweating. My clothing from the day is soaked. It must be 30C in my tent.

I've said this before in many posts, but I cannot understate the serious issue the heat here is becoming.

During the day it is an intense, ever present challenge, sapping my energy as fast as the hiking. But at night it present a more insidious concern for me.

My tent is unexpectedly good at capturing my body heat, of which I produce copious amounts of. Even when I take my rain fly layer off the tent (and risk getting rained on in the night, messing gear up inside the tent) and expose all my vent panels, including the main one stretching the arch of the ceiling, it is still significantly warmer in here than outside.  And I cannot leave my door flap open for more than a moment before my tent is invaded by all manner on insect.

Add to that the other issue of my air mattress.  Specially selected for its a design and materials that reflect body heat back of the sleeper.  it's brilliant on cool nights, and was a big part of my strategy for

All this, plus unseasonably warm weather add up to a real problem.

I am concerned about how much sleep I will get tonight, despite being physically and mentally exhausted. However I am far more concerned about the viability of the hike in this weather.

Tonight I will think long and hard about my options and the risks involved:

- continue forward towards Kyoto, possibly risking my health if I cannot manage the heat.

- return to Osaka and wait 1-2 weeks for the weather to hopefully break for the season, accruing unaccounted for lodging and significantly eating up the buffer time allotted for rest days along the trail, possibly jeopardizing my ability to complete the hike before my time in Japan runs out.

I feel that I have many long, sweaty hours left this evening to contemplate these or any other options available.