Following the Yellow Band Road

May 13 cont...

At the top of a long winding road there was a phonebox which was just before the Tonomiro Tunnel. I stopped for one of my iron pills, some water and a lolly. The tunnel had no path in it but there was a Henro path beside it on the other side of the road. I crossed over and started up it.
It was very rocky, steep and because of the drizzle, slippery in places.

I came to a cross path but couldn’t see any Henro signs so, based on previous experience, I chose the one that went up. Henro always seem to have to go up!



I came to another cross path. I stood for a minute trying to work it out.
I went a little way down one path but it looked overgrown and unused. The upward path had a pink ribbon tied around a trunk so I took another punt that this was the way.



I still didn’t see any signs but I saw the occasional ribbon so I kept going up. I was really flying by the seat of my pants but knew I could retrace my steps at any time and maybe hitchhike through the tunnel.

I got to a T junction at the brow of the hill. I finally realized there were white bands painted on trees to the left, indicating the path to follow.



On the road coming up the hill to the tunnel, I had seen a large forest that had been felled. The only trees left standing had bands around them so I had thought that’s what the bands were around the trees here but at about every 10th tree, there was a symbol painted on it that I hoped meant ‘Temple’. I made another quick video showing these bands.

I was feeling more confident now – until the trees with white bands on suddenly went away from the path at an odd angle up the side of a hill, disappearing into the forest.

What do I do now?

I then noticed some old yellow bands on the trees still lining the path so I started following them until they suddenly stopped, leaving me with three not so obvious paths I could take.
I was getting really confused.
I went along each path until it looked overgrown or ‘wrong’ then returned to the fork. I then decided to go back to where the white bands went up the hill.
I stopped and had a ‘calorie mate’, the last of my food, while I thought about what to do.
Do I wait for another Henro?
Do I go back down to the Tunnel?
Or do I risk following the white bands?