Epic Hikes of the World ( PDFDrive )

The ‘place of completion’ hosts the last 22 of the temples. I was virtually flying now,
at full fitness after nearly four weeks of walking. I rambled down out of the
mountains to the Kagawa plains and visited temple after temple.
© Hanoded | Getty
shoes of weary pilgrims hang at Ishite-ji temple.
A millennium of pilgrims has tried to attain enlightenment by completing the
Shikoku pilgrimage and that was my goal too. This was more than just a hike – it
was something spiritual. As Kōbō-daishi said, ‘Do not just walk in the footsteps of
the men of old, seek what they sought!’ I felt it. I climbed the last steep climb to the
Ōkubo-ji, Temple 88, and enjoyed a moment of relief. It wasn’t over though. The
next day I strode back to Temple 1 and completed the circle. It felt like a major
accomplishment – I had walked in their footsteps and sought what they sought –
though time will tell if I’m on my way to enlightenment. CML
WELL-EARNED REST