CONTRIBUTED BY CAPTAIN IAN
If you are an adventure seeker, but not exactly a full fledge dare devil, this rock wall is for you! I discovered it while shooting surfing photos on top of a cliff on Miyagi Island.
The best part of this story is my dogs. I needed to somehow scale this 40-foot monster of a wall in front of me, in order to get the position over the surf break I wanted. As I began pondering the best route up the vertical, coral created rock wall, I thought about life and death. I’ve never rock climbed before. I thought about my dogs. Would they go get help like Lassie if I fell? Or would they just lay next to me until I expired… As it turns out, I climbed a vein in the rock on a 25-foot section. And I didn’t die! As I posed triumphantly for a photo, lo and behold, there were my dogs!! They were standing right next to me as if I was a dumb human who took the difficult way to the top! Obviously they don’t have the required digits and dexterity to scale a wall 21 times their height. I was perplexed. How did they get up?
Standing in the perfect position for the photos I wanted, thinking about my dog’s achievement and framing my shot, it suddenly dawned on my inexperienced mind, “Uh oh, how do I get down?” This is where to dogs come through in a big way. When it was time to leave I simply told my dogs “Ok, let’s go!” and they took off. I followed them down through trees, over a dirt pile and shazam! I was at the bottom of the wall. Such a relief…
Since getting a taste of how fun the thrill of rock climbing is, I have since free climbed the highest sections and taken many friends to climb with me. To make it easier, there is a heavy duty rope anchored surely to a few rocks and trees at the top of the wall. If you take the low trail on the far right, back edge of the wall, you can walk to the top and drop the ropes down to the bottom for assistance in free climbing. Be careful! There are still loose rocks. Make sure you get a sure grip.
Directions: From Kadena gate 2, go left on 23 for about 1.5 kilometer. Pass 85 and under the bridge, then make a right on 75 (turns into highway 16). Follow 16 for a good 30 minutes. You will soon arrive at the popular red bridge and turquoise ocean on both sides. Keep on straight until you pass the fuel tanks on Henza Island. Miyagi Island is next. Keep an eye out for the Miyagi Salt Factory (Red and white signs). 400 meters after you pass the road for the salt factory, immediately after a few tombs on your right, Make a right on the small dirt farm road. Follow the farm road, keep left until you reach a semi T. The wall is a 200 meter walk from the chained off road on your right of the T.
Parking for the wall is easy. Park anywhere you can fit, and walk there! But locating the small road for the wall is most difficult. Please be careful and respectful.