Mt. Tenyo to Gongendake hike. Cloudy day in southern Yatsugatake
S'up, cavepeeps?
I had some caveguests this week.
Unusual, I know. Many people have mancaves for social purposes like watching sports or playing pool. I go to my mancave to get away from people.
Honestly, there are approximately 10 people on this planet that I would welcome into my mancave. (And there are approximately ten people on the planet that would want to remain friends after hiking with me once. I lose more friends on the trail than anywhere else. Nobody calls me up after our first hike and says, "Let's do that again.")
But I digress. As I was saying, some of the few people I'm willing to hike with came to Japan this week. We did some hiking in Yamanashi from Mt. Tenyo to Mt. Gongendake. It was a nice time to catch up with my relatives.
. . . about the southern end of Yatsugatake
Yatsugatake, as many know, is a range of mountains mostly in eastern Nagano that is about 30km long and runs from north to south. The southern end is higher and is characterized by more boulders whereas the northern end is a bit gentler and has more flora. Mt. Akadake, in the south, is the highest point in the Yatsugatake range at 2,899 meters. Most people access Akadake from the north, west or east and the mountains around Akadake on those sides are quite popular. For this hike, we went up to Gongendake, which is about 3 km to the south of Akadake in Yamanashi. This end of the Yatsugatake Range also is quite beautiful but is not as crowded because it is a long way to get to Akadake from here. Our hike started in Hokuto City, Yamanashi at the Mt. Tenyo Parking Lot.
Peaks bagged: Tenyo(天女山) ~ Maemitsugashira(前三ッ頭) ~ Mitsugashira(三ッ頭) ~ Gongen(権現岳)
(First-time) peaks # 223~226
Getting there/getting around:
I drove. The nearest bus stop is 2.2 km away at the Yatsugatake Kurabu Restaurant on the Kai Oizumi Line. The nearest train stations are Kai Oizumi or Kiyosato on the Koumi Line. I did see someone arrive by taxi when we were in the parking lot.
Elevation:Lowest: 1,522 m Highest: 2,715 m Total Ascent: 1,340 m Total Descent: 1,340 m
Technical considerations/difficulty:
This is pretty straightforward. A lot of it is below the treeline. It would be difficult to get lost. Just prior to the peak, there is one area with chains. Honestly, I was a bit disappointed in it. I had read a danger warning on YAMAP and was anticipating something spicier. 😂
Facilities:
There is a porta-potty next to the parking lot. There are no facilities whatsoever on the trail we used although there are several mountain huts not too far off.
Thoughts/observations/recommendations:
As always, I was happy to be in the woods. It was a cloudy day and we really got no views but the trees were beautiful and the Japanese Nightingales were singing beautifully.
We were a fairly large group of people and moved slowly. I think that getting to the kiretto within the same time frame would have been possible at my normal pace--that Akadake could be done in something like 10-11 hours, probably.
Here are some pics:
(This picture is not oriented correctly. It's been turned clockwise a bit.)
To get to Mt. Tenyo's peak, you walk downhill about 5 minutes from the parking lot. Easiest summit of my life.
The whole gang
Getting near the top:
The peak of Mt. Mitsugashira.
The name means "three" "heads."
Rhododendrons (shakunage 石楠花) and Siberian Dwarf Pine (haimatsu はいまつ)
She's a mountain goat.
The Caveman and John
⛓😁 Chains 😁⛓
Well, that's all for today. Don't forget to subscribe. Check out my youtube channel. If you value what I do, you can buy me a coffee. No pressure, though. If you want that nagging guilty feeling and don't mind losing a little sleep, who would I be to stop you?
Looks like everyone had a good day out. I reckon the trail from Gongen-dake to Aka-dake via the kiretto has the most fun parts of Yatsugatake. I especially loved camping at the Kiretto-goya.
Hi David, That's good to hear because I need to camp there. When we first looked at this area, I was thinking of getting to Akadake in a day but that's ambitious. I am due for an overnight! Stay safe.
Looks like everyone had a good day out. I reckon the trail from Gongen-dake to Aka-dake via the kiretto has the most fun parts of Yatsugatake. I especially loved camping at the Kiretto-goya.
ReplyDeleteHi David,
DeleteThat's good to hear because I need to camp there. When we first looked at this area, I was thinking of getting to Akadake in a day but that's ambitious. I am due for an overnight!
Stay safe.