Mostly Japanese Mountains: Caveman hikes on a blustery clear morning on Mt. Koasama, Nagano/Gunma

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:　The Lonely Mountain　

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 If that link becomes obsolete, try searching for ”浅間山軽井沢” on the Mapple Website

Weather Information:

Asama Weather

Time

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

You may have noticed the "No Entry" on the Google Earth screen shot. Shh. Mt. Koasama ("Little" "Asama") is next to Mt. Asama, an active volcano. 　🌋 　There is a zone of several kilometers around the volcano that you are prohibited from entering ⛔ because of the air quality. I'm like a cat, though. And you know cats and their curiosity . . . I wanted to go up the trail toward the big mountain just far enough to look back and get a picture of Koasama.