A hike in the woods

A few days after Christmas, Sarah, the kids, and I went with our friend Mike VanHoeke and his family to visit some American missionaries.  Tim and Donna Barger have been here for (I believe) 19 years and live with their daughter, Kokoroel, in the hills northwest of Yokota.  Mike arrived earlier in the morning to help the Barger's remove a nest of hibernating hornets.  We missed this, but got there in time to sit down to a delicious lunch of Minestrone soup, a Greek salad that we brought, and some of Kumiko Van Hoeke's apple pie.  Afterward, we all put on our hiking shoes and ventured up to a couple of falls at the top of the hill overlooking the Barger's home.  The walk to the first falls was steep but not too difficult.  Mike stepped on what he thought was solid ground, only to have his leg fall through a hole up to his knee, but he was fine.  After the first falls were reached, Tim and I walked up a much more treacherous path to the second falls.  The following photos are from the walk up to the trail and from the second falls.