Caveman does the Flaming Mountain. Mt. Hiuchi of the 💯 Famous Mountains.

 

S'up peoples?  Welcome back for another tale from the mancave.

What do you think about the Caveman's makeover?  My fellow influencers call this branding, I'm pretty sure.  You can see that we spared no expense on a photo shoot to show off the look.  I'll be able to retire in a few weeks if I keep trailblazing like this.  

I got out to Mt. Hiuchi (火打山) yesterday.  It's on two lists, the 100 Famous Mountains of Japan and the 100 Famous Flower Mountains of Japan.  

The name Hiuchi means "fire" and "shoot" or "hit".  Google translates it as "flaming mountain."  After seeing pictures of it when the flowers🌼🪻🌺 are most colorful I can understand.  It does seem to be ablaze.🔥

Alas, I have to rely on other people's pictures to make this assessment.  It was pretty cloudy when I was there.  

Details

Area:

Location:

Myoko-Togakushi Renzan National Park (妙高戸隠連山国立公園) 

Myoko Togakushi website

Map:

Link to a topo map of Mt. Hiuchi　

Comment if you'd like me to get you a current link to the Yama To Kogen map.  I've given up on trying to keep links to them current.

Starting and stopping point: 

Sasagamine Parking Lot #1 笹ヶ峰駐車場＃１

Peaks

Peaks bagged: Hiuchi　火打山

(First-time) peaks  

#901

100 Famous Mountains peak 

#34

Getting there/getting around:  

I drove.  There is free parking at the Sasagamine Parking lot.  I was there on a Tuesday.  I imagine it's busy on weekends or in the peak seasons.

There is a bus from the Myokokogen Station. (2024)  Click on the poster for details.  The bus company's number is 0255-72-3139.  I'd suggest calling there for information in the future.

Helpful Info

Weather Information: 

Mt. Hiuchi's forecast

Time and distance

Total Time:  5:55 Break time:  :21 Distance:   16.6km

Elevation:  Lowest:  1,315m Highest:  2,461m Total Ascent:   1,287m Total Descent:  1,287m

Technical considerations/difficulty:  

There are no chains or ladders.  A few areas are steep and there are some boulders but the majority of the hike is actually a boardwalk.  There are precious wetlands here so they really really are trying to keep feet off of the flora as much as possible.  

There is still a little snow at the beginning of July.  Not enough to necessitate crampons or anything, but  this mountain is not far from the Sea of Japan and the snow is very heavy on this side of Japan in winter.  

Facilities:  

At the trailhead parking lot, you can buy portable toilets.  There is a tent set up on the trail if you need to use one of those portable toilets.  There is also a place at the trailhead to deposit your used toilet.  Ewww.  Glad that part of this report is over.

There are two waterholes on the trail.  One is about an hour up from the trailhead.  The other is at the Koyaike Hut (高池ヒュッテ).  The one on the trail is potable as it is.  The water by the hut is coming from the Koya Pond and needs to be boiled.

The Koya Hut English 高谷池ヒュッテ has lodging inside and a tentsite.   They have a pay toilet, too.

Thoughts/observations/recommendations: 

A lot of people combine this mountain with nearby Mt. Myoko in a two-day trip.  I live close enough that I can get up there easily enough that I can justify making two separate day trips.  I hiked both of these mountains during rainy season (and two or three others in the immediate vicinity) and, as a consequence, have no idea what anything actually looks like.  I've been robbed of seeing the Sea of Japan twice so far.

On the other hand, since I've been to these places at off-peak times, I have had the mountains mostly to myself.  They are my mancave, after all.  I do enjoy having my mancave to myself.  

Anyway, there are always opportunity costs whatever you do.  When is all said and done, I'd rather be spending cloudy/rainy days out in nature than on a sofa.

Without further ado, let's get to the pictures.

This is a longer movie of the hike.  If you have a short attention span my feelings won't be hurt if you skip it or fast forward through it.  If you stick it out to the end though, there are some critters you can enjoy.

Trailhead Vending Machine

Not to get ahead of myself, but this tent up the trail is where you would use the portable toilet.  There is even a little sign on the door to denote whether it is occupied or vacant.

. . . and when you return to the trailhead, this is where you can deposit your, ahem, stuff.

Now, back to our regularly-scheduled programming.  At least I hope it's regular.  After all this discussion of our last topic, I'm strangely concerned with regularity.

More stuff at the trailhead

The Kurosawa (黒沢), "Black River" is the source of drinking water on the way.

In case you were wondering what you missed

The Caveman felt at home finding this dinosaur fossil.

I've always been a fan of the defiant lone tree.

Much of the trail was like this.  It was such a gentle rise that for the first hour or so the ascent was barely noticeable.

The Koyaike Hut

Net for slingloading supplies by helicopter

My map has a waterhole with a note "Boil this."  Here, it says it's not potable.  It is coming from a pond.  I assume it is ok if you boil it but the sign gives me pause for thought.  There must be water access at the hut somehow.

The Koya Ike (High Valley Pond) next to the hut.

The tent sites are right next to the pond.  

After another 15 minutes or so, you get to Tengu Garden.  That's another wetland.  Beautiful.

Hiuchi is the big one

There are a lot of beautiful flowers up there.

This is Raicho Taira (雷鳥)--Thunderbird Plateau

The top.  2,462 meters

How about that view of the Sea of Japan down there?  Wow!

Breathtaking.

Looking back at the Tengu Garden

There is a lot of variation in the flora.

Back down at the Kurosawa

Someone knew how curious I would be about how they get the materials to build that boardwalk up there.  Of course, it is by helicopter.  It is a gigantic project.

I am reminded of talking to the owner of Mt. Ryokami, another of the 100 Famous Mountains in Saitama, one time.  I told him that I had been marveling at the stuff on his trail.  There are cast iron ladders, concrete pilings, long heavy chains. . .  Mt. Ryokami is a very rugged mountain and there is some heavy, awkward stuff up there.   I asked him how he got it all up there, "helicopter, right?"  

He looked at me kind of sideways and said, "I guess they'd do it by helicopter now, but I carried everything you saw up there on my back."  Respect.

I'm tired and I want to talk to Mrs. Caveman so I'm signing off.

If you want to see other mountains from the Myoko Togakushi Renzan National Park, check out one of these posts.

Amakazari

Takatsuma

Myoko

That's all for today.

Caveman Out

Epilogue

Just a few pictures from the ride home.  The first onsen I found was Naeno no Yu 苗名の湯.  Don't tell anyone I took a picture!

Mrs. Caveman spotted this guy from the car.  She was excited with her first spotting of a serow.

Saw a few of these guys, too.

We saw a marten (or maybe it was a badger), too but didn't get a picture.

That's really, really it.

Caveman out.

Caveman does another of the 💯 Famous Mountains. Mt. Myoko in Niigata Prefecture

(黄金の湯 Kogane no Yu)

S'up, Cavedwellers?

The Caveman here.  I got the chance to climb Mt. Myoko (妙高山) in Niigata today.  It was great!

Location:  

Mt. Myoko, Niigata

Starting and stopping point:

Tengu Onsen Parking Lot

Peaks bagged: 

Mt. Myoko Minami Mine and Mt. Myoko Kita Mine

(First-time) peaks 

#888 and 889

100 Famous mountain peaks

#31

Getting there/getting around: 

 I drove.  

You can get to the trailhead from Tokyo Station in about 3.5 hours.  Take the Hokuriku Shinkansen to Nagano.  Change to the Shinano Tetsudo Kita-Shinano Line on platform 2 and go 7 stops (45 minutes) to Myokokogen Station.  Then take the Myoko Haneuma Line 1 stop (9 minutes) to Sekiyama Station.  Then take the Myoko Sanroku Line (妙高山麓線)of the Myoko City Bus 20 minutes to the Tsubame Onsen (燕温泉).  (Just researching that makes me tired.)  In 2024, that trip costs ¥9,930.

Map: 

Search for 山と高原地図 妙高・戸隠・雨飾 火打山・高妻山・信越トレイル on the Mapple web site to get the latest Yama to Kogen Map.

Weather Information: 

Mt. Myoko Weather Forecast

Stats

Time

Total Time:  6:31 Break time: 1 hour   Distance:  13.3km

Elevation  

Lowest: 1,083 m Highest: 2,454 m Total Ascent: 1,550 m  Total Descent: 1,506 m

Stuff to think about

Technical considerations/difficulty:  

This is a steep climb.  The trail is very sturdy and well-maintained but much of it is exposed and there are many areas where you must use chains to climb and there are several places where you must walk next to a sheer drop.  Now, at the end of May, there are still many snowy parts that made for slow and slippery going.  For much of the trail along the Jigokunodani (Hell Valley), your are walking on the snow cover over a stream.  The snow has melted through in spots, and in some spots you can find the snow give way beneath your feet and plunging you into the water below.  There is a fair amount of scrambling over boulders to be done, but really not that much.  Care must be taken but I saw people of all ages, from elementary school kids to grandmothers, on the trail.

Facilities:  

There is free parking for about 30 cars just below the Tsubame (Tsubame means Swallow) Onsen and there is a public restroom at the parking lot.  

There is a box to drop off a hiking plan notification at the restroom.  There is also a box there requesting donations for upkeep of the trails.  They are asking for ¥500~¥1,000.

There are 5 or 6 hotels clustered together just below the trailhead.  There are waterholes marked on the map.  I would normally be a bit nervous about drinking from a stream in such a volcanic area, but they were on the map so I gave them a shot.  I haven't keeled over yet.

There is a really cool outdoor bath (rotenburo) just before the trailhead.  There's nobody manning it but there is a small hut to change in and there is a box for donations.  That was great to make use of before going home.

Thoughts/observations/recommendations:  

The weather is really warming up and the mountains here in my corner of Nagano have had the majority of their snow disappear so I forewent my crampons on this trip.  It wasn't the end of the world, but I should have brought them.  Niigata gets more snow than my part of Nagano.  I found out today that Myoko gets 14 meters of snow annually.  I'm thinking of leaving my crampons in my rucksack all year round.  I was making snowballs on Mt. Makihata in July last year.  I'm glad I had gloves.  I had to climb hand over hand in the snow in places today.

If I were living in Tokyo or coming here from overseas, I think I would make this a two-day trip and incorporate Mt. Hiuchi--another of the 100 Famous Mountains--into the plan.  This is far and expensive to get to from Tokyo.  

I was tempted to do both of those mountains today because I got a very early start.  I decided against it though because the snow conditions made for a bit slower going than if it were a late summer day.

One thing that recurred to me today is how often I meet people I really like in the mountains.  Maybe it's the same among other people with common interests, but I find hikers to be ready and happy to chat with strangers to a degree I don't usually see in society.  It's not just the atmosphere of being in nature because it's only the mountain enthusiasts who are like this.  Meeting the typical day-tripper in the mountains doesn't usually result in any kind of interaction at all.  I met and interacted with three or four groups of people today that reinforced my feelings on this.

Here are some maps and stuff.  

Here's a silly video in case you're interested.

OK, let's look at some pictures.

I got this one from the road on the way.

Hell Valley (Jigokudani)

The snow was quite slippery and the slope is steep for a few hundred meters along Jigokudani.  

It was the most arduous and nerve-racking part of the hike.  It was also a bit worrying to know that a stream is running beneath the snow and that the snow crust might cave in without warning.

The river . . .

The river is visible through these holes

That's one of the holes . . . but there wasn't any wind coming out.

Note where the picture was taken from; "Chinoike."  That means blood pond.  Shiver.

There were some blue skies when I was on top, but this was one of the few views I got of the mountain from below.

Time to head back down

"Mt. Myoko Trailhead outdoor bath

Kogane no Yu"

Men to the left, women to the right.  The women seem to have just a bit more privacy because of that screen.

Oh, yeah.  That's the place to end this day! 👍 ♨️

That's all for today.  If you want to see another of the 100 Famous Mountains, check out one of these:

https://mymancaveisthemountains.blogspot.com/2024/04/mt-hotaka-one-of-100-famous-mountains.html  or 

https://mymancaveisthemountains.blogspot.com/2024/02/100-meizan-mt-kusatsu-shirane.html.

Want to see more from this area?

Mt. Amakazari

Mt. Takatsuma

Caveman out