So one day I went for a walk...

It is now 5:30am the sun has not yet risen and it is 26C. In this heat I do not think I am capable of carrying enough food and water to take a slow enough pace to continue. Botht weight and the bulk of the additional supplies to support a slower pace to accommodate the heat simply won't fit in my bag and be far to heavy if it did. I had hoped that starting the hike in September would have helped me avoid the summer heat, but it seems I was overly optimistic. I am going to return to Osaka now and regroup. Work out a different plan and then return to the trail once the weather is more favourable. I feel it is too risky to move forward knowing the conditions, possibly stranding myself between Osaka and Kyoto. Not a great start.

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 refl...