Good morning (afternoon, evening) cave crawlers. Welcome to my world for a few minutes.
Yesterday I went on two hikes in Karuizawa. I had planned to drive far and go on an ambitious trek yesterday but the road conditions on the way were not great and the afternoon weather forecast was for snow. I decided to change plans and do some shorter, more local hikes instead. I'm glad I did. I caught some spectacular weather in the morning and was home by noon--which is about the time the snow started flying. I'm glad I wasn't driving home through the mountains in that weather. Yay, me.
The firs mountain I hit was Koasama. The second wasn't Mt. Hanare. I'll write a separate post about that here: https://mymancaveisthemountains.blogspot.com/2024/01/the-lonely-mountain-mt-hanare-karuizawa.html
Here are the details on Koasama:
Location: Mt. Koasama Nagakura, Karuizawa
Starting and stopping point: Parking lot across from the Toge Teahouse 峰の茶屋
Peaks bagged: Koasama east and west
(First-time) peaks # --
Getting there/getting around: Car. There is a bus stop, though.
Map: Yama to Kogen Chizu 19 浅間山軽井沢・長野原の山々ASAMA-YAMA KARUIZAWA-NAGANOHARA-MOUNTAINS
Weather Information: Asama Weather
Total Time: 1:25 Break time: :00 Distance: 4.25km
Elevation: Lowest: 1,403m Highest: 1,655m Total Ascent: 354m Total Descent: 355m
Technical considerations/difficulty: Parts of this are steep but there are no ropes or chains. In the snow, crampons or some kind of spikes are a must. If you are into hiking poles, they would be a good idea, too. In the bare seasons, the trails have many spots of loose sand that make getting a purchase a little difficult. There are also lots of small rocks on the trail that pose a danger of twisting an ankle. Even so, this is a nice mountain for running on.
Facilities: Parking for a few cars at the bottom. Vending machines, public restroom and an udon restaurant at the bottom.
Thoughts/observations/recommendations: This is about a 45-minute drive from my home so I've been here three or four times and I grow fonder of it each time. The scenery changes with the seasons. Since the trees aren't that thick and the hills are well-defined, it's easy to hop off the trail and still find your way to the top easily.
Today's listening: For You The War Is Over
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