This city is to the west and north of Lake Suwa in Nagano. Lake Suwa is featured in the animated movie, "Your Name." (君の名は)
I'll dispense with most of the usual information I post because this was a short hike and I doubt anyone will be going out of their way to do it.
Area:
Location:
Map: ***If you want a link to the latest Yama to Kogen map, comment and I'll get you a link. This link is to a printable topo map of Takaosuwa.
Starting and stopping point:Shinonomekaku (東雲閣) Shinonomekaku translates to something like "morning aura/eastern cloud+tower", either that or it is the name of a mortuary/crematorium operation. Your guess is as good as mine.
Peaks bagged: Suwatakao and Otokotakao
(First-time) peaks # 1,038 and 1,039
Getting there/getting around:I don't think there is any public transportation.
Helpful Info
Time and distance
Total Time: 1:39 Break time: :13 Distance: 5.5 km
Elevation:Lowest: 867 m Highest: 1,075 m Total Ascent: 429 m Total Descent: 429 m
Technical considerations/difficulty:
Pretty easy. Nothing too steep. About half of the trail is through the woods, the other half is on the forestry road (林道). The trail isn't marked so you must have your wits about you.
Facilities:
There is some kind of sink beside the Shinonomekaku and a porta-potty behind it. The water at the sink was off, though.
Thoughts/observations/recommendations:
Back to work on this day. Vacation's over. Sigh. I had to go to a training session on the other side of the planet on my first day back.
Hooray! I have a job! And I was able to take advantage of some mentally stimulating and socially exciting training opportunities on my first day back after my more-than-adequately long summer break. I totally could afford my summer vacation on my salary, too. 😜
Since the session took place in a spot a few hours from home, I wanted to take advantage of different mountains and bolted out the door as soon as training was over before I suffocated to death I think I might have knocked a few people over in my haste. As I was saying, I tried to ease the pain of being told to leave work by taking advantage of the few hours of sunlight left.
I climbed two minor hills in Okaya. I got to see Lake Suwa and also two kamoshika.
I started here with an eye to going in a clockwise circle but turned back after just a few minutes because the trail became too overgrown.
Cute
("登山口") = "Trailhead"
Lake Suwa with Yatsugatake in the background.
The top of Suwatakao
The other peak had no marker and no view.
Much of the rest of the hike was like this.
I've never seen black kamoshika before.
That is the end of the hike. I told you it was short.
It was hot today so I dropped into the Bihadanoyu Romanetto Onsen. It was a bargain.
That's all. Check out where I went after this training last year.
What's up cave varmints? It's been a while. Did you think I abandoned you?
I did, kind of. I just spent the last two weeks in the good ol' USA. The Caveman took his caveson, AKA Bam Bam, AKA Ryan, to visit the relatives in the "old country." What a great trip.
We got into the White Mountains of New Hampshire a bit, so I'll show you some pictures of that.
Forgive me that I'm deviating from my normal format in this post. I doubt that anyone reading this blog is searching for detailed info on how to hike or get around in New Hampshire!
The first excursion we went on was a hike around Crawford Notch* with one of my two favorite nieces, Meghan and the aforementioned Bam Bam.
*Notch is the word the locals use for pass. People in New Hampshire are delightfully defiant.
Here is the map of Crawford Notch at the Appalachian Mountain Club Highland Center:
We started at Saco Lake, which is just beside the AMC Highland Center
The mountains of the eastern US are old and consequently not that high. The mountains in my backyard here in Nagano dwarf them, as do the younger mountains of western North America. Since they aren't that high, the mountains are considered high around here if they are over 4,000 feet--not meters, feet.
They are worthy of respect, though. The weather in New Hampshire can be quite harsh and the treeline is much lower here than in other parts of the world because of high winds.
This sign is typical of the type of information posted around the White Mountain National Forest.
The first of the day's goals was Mt. Webster, the southernmost peak of the Presidential Range.
This was on top of Mt. Webster. Don't ask what we are doing with our hands.
I can't remember.
Mt. Webster was named after Daniel Webster, the prominent statesman from New Hampshire. This reminds me, I want to watch The Devil and Daniel Webster. I was made to read it in high school but didn't appreciate it. Probably because I was more interested in watching the Flinstones.
Another one Meghan, Bam Bam, AKA Ryan, and Margot.
(Meghan and Ryan are the humans.)
The real Ryan is much better-looking than the cartoon version.
Margot was a trooper but did need to be carried once or twice.
It's a good thing Meghan was there to do it. I would have just tied her to a tree and soldiered on.😘
Survival of the fittest, circle of life and all that.
By the way, do you know the difference between dogs and cats?
A dog gets fed, housed and watered by a human and therefore thinks the human is god.
A cat, on the other hand, is fed, housed and watered by a human and therefore thinks he is god.
I like this picture.
This is the top of Mt. Jackson.
Mt. Jackson is part of the Presidential Range but was not named after President Jackson, but after a 19th-century geologist.
Mt. Jackson is one of the 4,000-footers. This cairn marks the top. The cairn is a bit different than Japanese mountains, which always have a sign at the top.
This was a great hike and I'm glad Meghan was up for it. She's a bit of a cavegirl herself and has done several of the 4,000-footers.
Ryan had pizza three times in the US. His favorite was at the Pizza Barn in Ossipee, NH. It is pretty awesome. The Caveman was happy to drop by there for the first time in about 40 years.
(We managed to eat a lot on this trip. The Caveman gained almost 9 pounds in 13 days.)
On another day, Ryan and I headed toward Mt. Washington, the highest mountain in the northeastern US.
Our trip up there brought us up Route 93 and Ryan had the chance to experience an American diner for the first time. We dropped by a Red Arrow Diner and overate like most Americans. The Red Arrow Diners of NH are popular with politicians at election time and most presidential candidates drop by to get on TV talking to the common man.
Truth be told, I was disappointed in my waffles. They were tiny.
I love the food in Japan, but their pork 🐷 products don't hold a candle to bacon 🥓 and sausage in
On the way up 93, we were a bit early so I thought we might drop into the Flume Gorge. It's really cool. I think I was in elementary school when I went there last. When we pulled into the parking lot, I learned two things. First, it doesn't open until 9. Second, they charge admission now. We were too early and the Caveman is a cheap SOB so the Flume was out of the question. Fortunately, there was another trail accessible from the Flume's parking lot.
TBH, it was quite lame. It's called the Roaring River--but if there is a river, it must have migrated somewhere for the summer. There wasn't a drop of water to be seen.
Still, the Caveman is happy with any walk in the woods.
Next stop after the Roaring River was The Basin in Franconia Notch. This is also right off (Rte) 93. It's an easy walk with lots of running water to delight the senses.
I love running water so much. I'm sorry if this is too many pictures.
After the Basin, we hopped back onto 93 to head toward Mt. Washington.
Mount Washington is where one encounters this sign
I had actually wanted to climb Mt. Washington on this trip because I have never done it before. Looking at the stats relating to elevation and distance, it doesn't look too physically challenging. The weather is a very serious concern, though.
People die there because the weather can go really haywire, even in summer. I gave up on the idea of hiking it but was happy when Bam Bam said he'd like to go up the Cog Railway.
On the particular day we went to Mt. Washington, it had just about perfect weather. If I could have known how warm it would be, I would have hiked. It was 62 degrees fahrenheit on top and the hikers were wearing shorts. Visibility was 30 miles. The staff were commenting all day long about how unusually nice it was.
On this trip to America, I was really pleasantly surprised that nearly everyone we encountered was kind and friendly. I guess I watch youtube and the news too much because I didn't expect that. Three cheers for America. 🇺🇸
That said, I did encounter one rude guy here:
That was surreal.
Maybe the guy hasn't had any bacon or sausage lately. They always bring a smile to my face.
The train takes 40 minutes each way. It was fun.
Upon alighting from the train, I directed Ryan, AKA Bam Bam, away from the top. First, I took him about 10 minutes down the Tuckerman Ravine Trail so that we would then be able to hike back up. If I can't say that I have hiked up Mt. Washington, at least I can say that I have hiked on it.
People hike up Tuckerman's and ski down it in the winter.
Before hooking up with my nephew and his family, Ryan and I dropped by this spot on the Saco River and took a dip.
If you stand still, the fish will nibble at your feet.
At first, it surprises and scares the living daylights out of you. It's like being eaten by a very tiny shark. After the shock wears off, it kind of tickles.
Next stop, Jellystone Campground to spend the night with my Cavenephew, Brendan, and his Cavefamily.
Brendan has a lovely wife and 3 great boys. How much fun is that to camp with little kids--that you aren't responsible for.
Come on in!
This place is set up for families with young kids. Along with the waterpark, there are a lot of other activities to keep them entertained, such as mini golf and laser tag.
The water park has lots of water cannons and other weapons of mass inundation. Brendan's kids really liked to drench strangers.
Campfire time
Bam Bam's first s'more
S'mores were nice, but I remembered that I don't really like marshmallows.🤮
We brought the boys a type of summer festival wear from Japan called jinbei. It's really lightweight and comfortable on hot days. We told the boys that's what ninja wear and they liked that. One said, "I'm a ninja and I'm not going to change my clothes all week!"
(I wonder what Mom thought about that idea. 🤣
The Caveman was up long before sunrise the next morning and went hunting for coffee. No luck.
I recall hiking to Arethusa Falls in high school and invited my nephew and his family to do it with us on this trip. It was too much for the boys, though. The youngest is three after all. We turned back about halfway. Although we didn't make it to Arethusa Falls, we were able to see some other falls on the way back. They were great.
I forget the order of the pictures. One of these falls is called Bemis, another is Coliseum Falls and there is another spot called Fawn Pool.
Well, that's it for this trip back over the pond. It was really a great trip.
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