On Friday, August 27^th, I accompanied the Samani Elementary 4^th graders while they climbed Mt. Apoi. They were originally supposed to make the hike at the beginning of May, but due to a government mandated State of Emergency, it was postponed.

The Samani Elementary students, from grades 3 to 6, all climb Mt. Apoi as part of their curriculum. The 4^th grader's goal was to reach the summit, and the theme of their hike was plants. The geopark guide pointed out various flowers as we hiked up the mountain.

The 4^th graders enjoyed ringing the bear bells (5^th station).

View of the summit from the 8^th station. There is fog surrounding the summit which was a complete opposite from the sunny 1^st station. It was a bit windy and chilly towards the top.

Japanese Pepper tree

This signboard has been clawed many times by bears. There's also some bear fur that remains attached to the sign.

There aren't as many flowers to see below the 8^th station, but I will introduce what we did find.

Miyamauzura

Kinrobai

Umebachiso

Shakunage

Daimonjiso

Benihikage butterfly

The 4^th graders were great at finding things and pointing them out to me. We also encountered squirrels and a snake skin. I haven't had the opportunity to hike Mt. Apoi much during summer, so it was a nice change and a fun day.