The Big Guy
What's up cave critters? I had the chance the other day to connect the dots of my footprints with some past hikes. One day in August of last year, I hiked to Mt. Hachibuse and Maefutatsu from Okaya. Last winter, I hiked from the Yashimagahara Wetlands over Mt. Washigamine as far as the Wada Pass. On this hike, I took the chance to hike the space in between. It was a great chance to see the area in a different season. Actually, when I did the hike to Hachibuse, it was cloudy and rainy so I didn't see anything then. When I hiked Washigamine, it was a winter wonderland. Wow, it was beautiful. It wasn't exactly a perfect day weatherwise for this hike, but it didn't rain and I did get some long views, although no truly complete panoramic views. There are links to those blogposts at the end of this post.
Area: Shimosuwa, Nagawa, Okaya
This hike ranges through several different municipalities. It starts just northwest of Mt. Washigamine and the Yashimagahara Wetlands and proceeds northwest to Mt. Mitsumine before turning west to Mt. Futatsu.
The hike:
Oh, deer!
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 Mt. Mistumine (三峰)
Starting and stopping point: Parking Lot at Wada Pass
Peaks bagged: Mt. Wada, South Peak (和田山南峰) ~ Mt. Wada, North Peak (和田山北峰) ~ Mt. Mitsumine (三峰) ~ Mt. Futatsu (二ツ山) ~ Mt. Yokokawa (横川山) ~ Mt. Mae Futatsu (前二ツ山)
(First-time) peaks # 1,052 ~ 1,057
Getting there/getting around: Car. I don't think there's public transportation anywhere around here. Note that the Venus Line is closed from November to April.
Helpful Info
Weather Information:
Time and distance
YAMAP's Estimate Time: 11:03 Distance: 20.2 km
The Caveman did it in Total Time: 7:23 Break time: :17 Distance: 21.1 km
Elevation: Lowest: 1,512 m Highest: 1,888 m Total Ascent: 1,648 m Total Descent: 1,648 m
Technical considerations/difficulty:
This is a really straightforward hike. There are no ropes, chains or ladders to contend with. It is fairly exposed, so a windy day could get cold.
Facilities:
Nothing on the trail. About 20 minutes down the hill from Mt. Mitsumine is The Mitsumine Chaya (Teahouse) There is a pay toilet there and a fun restaurant which also sells mountain vegetables. I dropped in there once on a road trip and my guests and I all thought it was a nice place. They must close in winter because the road closes.
Thoughts/observations/recommendations:
These are just some really lovely mountains. They are far enough from the Kirigamine, etc. that there are no crowds, but they still have much of the same charm of that area and have similar great views.
(Along with all the regular stuff such as maps, headlamps, boots, feet, and brains, . . .) don't forget:
There are a lot of bear sightings these days. I did see some scratches on a few trees and some scat (poop.) Bring some bear spray and make noise, especially in the morning or early evening.
Let's look at some pictures.
The Nakasendo was one of 5 main highways in the Edo Period (1603-1868). This trail follows it.
Much of the Nakasendo is now paved road and there are many historical buildings and businesses on it. One of Japan's oldest hotels, the Saku Hotel, is in my town. It opened in the 1400s and has hosted many notable people from history, including Hokusai.
*Three* signs.
The top of Mt. Mitsumine. (Mt. Three Peak)
The highest point of the day.
Nagano has nice fall foliage.
(We're already seeing snow when we look up at higher elevations.)
Didn't I just see three warning signs?
Trouble comes in threes.
Yay! The sun came out.
Fuji was a nice surprise. I didn't think it would clear up enough.
Lake Suwa was much of the artistic inspiration for the anime, "Your Name", (君の名は).
I love the contours.
Mt. Arafune is 45 km (about 28 mi.) from this point.
Bambi and his friends showed up a lot.
If you are interested in this area, check out one of the adjacent hikes.
Thank you for your attention to this matter.
Caveman out.
