August 12th, 2012 | categorizilation: all categories,Hokkaido (Japan),Japan,Post-2008,Shiretoko Tour (2012)
This was our last day on the road together for this bear hunt in the Shiretoko region, home to more bears per square kilometer than anywhere else in Japan. We saw not hide nor tail of one. We saw plenty of warnings of bears. But no actual bears. Not even bear poop. This was our last day to see if we could catch one.
We said our farewells to Okaasan, Leon, Ric and Matt, and got on the road, feeling very grateful for some quality time with friends and the lovely hospitality of okaasan.
And what a sweet road it was. At 6:00 in the morning, it was free of automobile traffic, and the birds were up and singing.
Apart from one last gasping small pass, most of the day was downhill or flat.
This meant that we managed a solid 80km on our last day. Even if there were bears to be found, we probably wouldn’t have seen them.
So we rolled into Abashiri in the early afternoon, and thus ended our 12 day Bear Hunt in Shiretoko. Not a sign of bears on the roads or in campgrounds.
We checked into our accommodation for the night, and readied to depart by train back to Sapporo the next morning.
Route Map
Distance: 81.6km | Time on bikes: 4h 49m | Average speed: 16.8km/h | Bears: 0
Financials: Food:Â 4,821yen | Accommodation:Â 6,980yen
