I barely got any sleep last night. Knowing that I was about to visit the final temple along the pilgrimage, my head was running full of emotions. A combination of sadness and excitement, I had too much energy to have a decent sleep. Getting up and ready well before dawn, I made sure I had everything packed the night before, knowing that I’d want to be well prepared for the walk ahead of me. I had no appetite this early in the day, so as soon as I showered I was out the door and arriving at the train station within a matter of minutes - eating could wait.

There was barely a handful of people at the station this morning; not surprising considering it wasn't even 6am yet. I was heading back to the little station that was next door to Temple 87, and then continuing on foot from there. It was very quiet at the station, almost as though Takamatsu had been deserted overnight, and the stillness of the cold morning air was a calming way to start my journey to the final temple of the pilgrimage. As I sat on the platform waiting for the train to depart, I pondered the last almost-seven-weeks I had been walking. I felt both physically and mentally hardened, I had lost almost 14kg in weight, and I had fallen in love with feeling a part of nature. My walking staff had lost inches from the base and had become much shorter now, from constantly tapping the path with every step I had walked, and my once brand-new hiking boots had almost lost all of their grip. I wondered how I would feel at the very end of my adventure, and if I’d feel different upon returning home.