I have been trying to get to the Susa Hornfels for a few years now. Every time I planned to go, it just didn't work out. So, of course, the one time I don't plan on going is when I finally make it there!
A couple of weeks ago, I was on my way home from a whirlwind day trip to Nagato, Omijima, and Hagi when I saw the sign for Susa. It was still kind of early and when I typed the Hornfels into Google Maps it showed that we would get there in about 20 minutes. So, I told my friends we were going to take a little side trip on the way home and started driving towards Susa. Well, I did a happy dance and jumped around for a few minutes before I got back in the van. I may have even squealed with joy while I was jumping around. At any rate, I was pretty excited!
About 20 minutes later I hear, "You have arrived at your destination." Um. Nope. I'm pretty sure the thing on my right is a train station and on my left are some buildings.... What the heck Google Maps?! I was a little bit sad because I thought I was going to have to see it some other time. I kept on driving straight so I could find a place to pull over and figure out the quickest way to get home, and then I saw a sign that said "Susa Hornfels" in English!! I followed the signs and I found it!
I couldn't wait to get down there and see it up close! I think the walk down was less than 10 minutes, but when I got to the end of the path I realized the real fun was about to begin. The rest of the walk down was definitely a little scary for me. It's rugged and slanted and I kept thinking I was going to slip (parts of it were wet). Then I saw a couple coming back up and the girl had HEELS on. Ahhhh....It's official. I'm a wuss. I will say that she was walking very slowly and very carefully, but still. I did not have heels on and I think she was walking faster than me.
I did manage to make it to the bottom without slipping! I would have done a happy dance, but it was very uneven and I wasn't going to push my luck.
It was so beautiful! The different layers of colors were just so amazing to me. I couldn't stop staring at it. It was like a large piece of artwork.
There was another path that went to the left when we started walking from the car to the path leading down to the Hornfels. I really wanted to go check it out, but I ran out of time. I guess that means I have to go back, right??
I highly recommend adding this beautiful place to your itinerary when you head to Hagi. It ended up being about 30 minutes from Hagi and then it took us a few hours to get home from the Hornfels. We didn't take the expressway at all on the way back.
