After lunch, a leisurely walk of 2hours brought us back to the lookout.

We encountered no bears no wolves. The only wild animal that ambushed us was this tourist-savvy squirrel.

Despite the horrendous gale blowing at 30m/s, our aircraft somehow managed to fly off into the blue sky above.

Making quite a contrast, Tokyo, our transit point, was enjoying a very fine evening, with the sun setting on the dramatic silhouette of Mt. Fuji.

- Back

　

The next day we got hit by a horrific monsoon storm. Luckily we had a perfect back up plan - visiting salmon science museum.

The museum boasts a comprehensive display of world's salmonids - using photos, films and live fish in the tanks. In the Shibetsu river that flows through the premise you can even observe the salmon running up the fish ladder.

Like lake Kussharo where we fished, this neighboring lake is also of volcanic origin, with a more pronounced conical shape.

The trek starts from the dai-ichi (first) lookout. In the far corner of the busy parking lot, you see a post marking the start of the trail, saying in big red letters: beware of bears.

While waiting for our flight we dropped in the museum of northern peoples, Abashiri.

Here we can learn the traditional lives and the spiritual world of Ainu, Hokkaido's aboriginal people, alongside those of such people of the arctic as Eskimos, Inuits, Sami, etc.

Scaling the steep last 300meters, we reached the peak of Mt. Mashu-dake, 857meters above sea.

The rugged crater and the mysterious lake separate us from the secular world yonder. Once called Kamui-nupuri by the aboriginal people, Mashu-dake still belongs to God as its original name suggests.

The first two thirds of the trail is a scenic walk along the rim. Distance of 7kms is considerable but the path is mostly flat. The cool breeze blowing up from the lake makes a nice company along the way.

Our last day in the lake district, we gave trout a rest and drove short half an hour east up the hill, to the lookout that commands a fine view of lake Mashu.

During warmer months the lake is often covered in a thick fog - as was the case with our last visit, but this time we fared better. There we could admire the big deep blue, as well as the sight of Mr. Mashu-dake towering on the far side.

The last stop of our trip was Utoro town, Shiretoko. The sea of Okhotsuku that was shining in deep blue only days ago was now raging like the hell broke loose!

Again we stayed at Hotel Kawabata, in the town center of Shibetsu. While the rooms are a bit overdue for renovation, the big spa is of a top notch.

Another indulgence as far as we are concerned is the tasty fish dishes at Kameshiro shokudo eatery right next. Grilled Hokke is my absolute favourite.

Next day, we drove back to Chu-rui river
to spend another day tangling with Chums.

You never catch salmon when they aren't there, but you catch loads when they are - particularly Chums and Pinks which travel in big numbers. In planning fishing trips we try splitting salmon days in pieces, so we can split the risk, or enjoy fishing with renewed enthusiasm.

At the end of the flat trail waits somewhat more serious challenge.

Here we had to scale up the rocky cliff on the four, but with the pleasure of admiring seasoned shirakaba trees along the path.

Our plan worked out nicely. And the river was filled up with new schools that started running up sensing the rain coming up.

Here, a nice female salmon of 7-8lbs.
Wish to see her offspring in 5 years.