Mostly Japanese Mountains: 100 Meizan, Mt. Azuma Gunma/Nagano

Greetings cave dwellers of all ages.

I was blessed to get into the woods today. the weather isn't cooperating too much these days but--if it's true that a bad day fishing is better than a good day at work, it must be doubly true about days in the mountains.

I had all sorts of mountain plans for this summer vacation but the weather and schedules aren't making the longer treks feasible. I gave up on a planned 3-day trip to the Alps this week. Today I only drove about an hour away and did a not-so-long hike in case the weather went bad. It did go bad, so I guess I did the right thing.

The main mountain I climbed was Mt. Azuma (四阿山) in Gunma. It's one of the 100 Famous Mountains so I assume it's beautiful. I can't really say though. Because of the weather, I really didn't get a good look at it. Nor from it, either. I'll have to go back on a clear day sometime.

Here are the details:

Location: Mt. Azuma Gunma/Nagano

Starting and stopping point: Sugadaira Bokujo (菅平牧場)

Peaks bagged: Neko (根子岳) ~~ Koneko (小根子岳) ~~ Azuma (四阿山) ~~ Nishiazuma (西四阿山)　~~ Nakaazuma (中四阿山)

Getting there/getting around: I drove. There is a parking lot (200 yen) near the trailhead at Sugadaira Farm. A bus from Ueda Station will go as far as the Tengu Bus Stop, which is a 37-minute walk from the trailhead.

Map: 山と高原地図１７志賀高原草津白根山・四阿山

Weather Information:

Mountain Weather (English)

Mt. Azuma Weather Japanese

***I checked 3 different weather reports. As usual, they all conflicted. One forecast lightning, thunderstorms, the four horsemen, of the apocolypse, sharknadoes . . . Another forecast partly sunny skies. The other predicted a perfect day. Of the forecasts I checked, the first link I posted above was the best. There were thunderstorms.

Total Time: 5:52 Break time: :43 Distance: 11.3km

Elevation: Lowest: 1,580m Highest: 2,354m Total Ascent: 1,094m Total Descent: 1,094m

Technical considerations/difficulty: Fairly straightforward hike. There is a lot of bamboo grass. I encountered one snake on the trail.

Facilities: Public restroom, cafe, gift shop at the trailhead. Nothing on the trail.

Thoughts/observations/recommendations: I'll have to do this again on a clear day. I was robbed of any views because of the weather. It really poured a few times and there were thunder and lightning. Thankfully, not when I was near the top.

Today's listening: Bible in a Year

Without further ado, here are some pictures.

Snake! This guy did not care that I was there. I threw a lot of rocks and sticks at him but he wouldn't budge. I finally took my life in my hands and hurdled over him.

There is a lot of this bamboo grass (sasa) on these mountains. Bears like it. Apparently there was a bear sighted on this trail last month.

I didn't take many pictures of the rain because it was coming down too fast and furious. I do wish I'd taken a few when it was really coming down because it had really turned the trail into a stream.

This is the second hike in a row that my feet have turned into hamburger from getting wet.