Onward and Upward...and Upward... and @#($&#^!!!ward...

As you near the top of the mountain, the signs become increasingly numerous. The path is already marked with those little hanging yellow placards that say, "pilgrims: this way", little red posts buried in the earth at your feet, and a few hanging ribbons and trinkets left behind by those who have blazed the trail before you. Now, every hundred meters or so, there is a new sign saying, "Keep on keeping on! You're almost there!" These signs lie to you over and over again to keep you on the straight and narrow.

This sign really does say, "You made it!" and I think something about parking...

But eventually, you turn a corner and you are greeted by a rock!

This really raised my ire when I rounded a corner and confronted it.
I don't know what it is, what it does, nor anything else about it.
All I know is I was suddenly hit by the terrible thought that this was all
there was to the temple. Happily, I was mistaken.

And then you go around another corner and it starts to get better:

Look at the middle carving on the big rock. 

I imagine the dialogue goes something like this:
A san - hey, dude! Don't leave me here.
B san - No freaking way am I carrying you any farther.
You're on your own. And I'm taking your pilgrim stick.

And finally, you reach a true threshold, a gate that will be 1200 years old in Heisei 26 (two years from now - 2014). 

There's a little sign there where you can see "1200" written. It's actually quite amazing
that people 1200 years ago had time to come up here and establish this shrine.
There's really not a whole let else to do in Kochi ken...

Stay tuned! Next time we head to the temple proper and the extraordinary buddha garden therein! Don't miss the angry red devil, the midget pilgrim, and the wall of memories!