Mostly Japanese Mountains: 石尊山

That's not toxic waste. That is what a river near a volcano looks like.

Hello Cavedwellers. It's been a while since I've hiked anywhere blogworthy. How are you doin'? I'm grateful to be alive, as always.

We had a window of nice weather yesterday. That's so nice. Some years the rainy season never allows for a sunny weekend day. This year it is working in reverse and it's been raining on weekdays. Hooray!

I went to a peak just to the south of Mt. Asama. It was great. (Any mountain is great, providing you get home alive.)

Here are the details:

Location: Mt. Sekison. Nagano Prefecture, Karuizawa

Starting and stopping point: Oiwake

Peaks bagged: Mt. Sekison

Getting there/getting around: I drove and parked on a dirt road. No bus stops in evidence. You could just walk from Shinano Oiwake Station. It would be about an extra hour or two.

Map: Yama to Kogen Chizu 19 浅間山軽井沢・長野原の山々ASAMA-YAMA KARUIZAWA-NAGANOHARA-MOUNTAINS

Weather: Asama Weather

Total Time: 3:54 Break time: 0 Distance: 14.1km

Elevation: Lowest: 1,051m Highest: 1,677m Total Ascent: 761m Total Descent: 761m

Technical considerations/difficulty:

A GPS device is a good idea here. Most of the way is very easy to discern, but at one or two points, you could get twisted around.

Most of this was just a very pleasant walk in the woods. As I was driving to the trailhead, I entered a long stretch of un-paved rugged road and decided to start walking ahead of time in order to save my car the wear and tear. Since I did not start at a regular trailhead I did need to do some bushwhacking to get to the trail, but with my smartphone in hand, it wasn't too hard to find. I did cut across some private property on the way but nobody caught me so no harm, no foul. (This reminds me...If a B and E is done in the woods, has a felony been committed?)

From the trail entrance for most of the way, it was just a nice path through the woods.

There was only one place I encountered any ropes. If you notice from my track, there is a bit of a detour before going to the peak. That trail leads to a cave (evidently for zazen meditation). Getting up to the cave, there is one steep part with a rope. It's not challenging or dangerous, though.

This hike is on the side of the volcano and there are safety considerations. Below are the notes I included for my hike on the mountains to the west of Mt. Asama in May:

First and foremost, it's important to remember that this is an active volcano and there are usually restrictions on where you can go. Depending on the air quality, you may not even be able to climb it at all. The authorities have 5 levels of caution. 1=no restriction, 2=the fewest restrictions, 3=climbing nearby allowed with more restrictions, 4=local residences are in danger and should prepare for evacuation, 5, Run you fools!

You can check the current levels on this page from Komoro City's web page. It's in Japanese but you can figure out the level by finding something that looks like this near the top of the page:

火口周辺警報（レベル2：火口周辺規制）（令和5年3月23日）

火口周辺警報=caldera area warning

(レベル2:火口周辺規制)=Level 2: restrictions around the caldera

(令和５年３月２３日)=Reiwa Year 5, May 23

Here are some pictures for your perusal:

Where I parked. Next to where I parked, there was a sign noting the time and date of a bear sighting just 2 weeks before. (Let's not divulge that factoid to Mrs. Caveman.)

The Nigori River. (濁川) Nigori means something like pollution or clouded. I don't think the water is dirty, however.

I am curious about whether it is potable or not, though. I wouldn't hesitate to drink out of most mountain streams around here. This, however . . . I wonder if this water needs purification to be drinkable or if it's beyond hope. Does anyone have any input on this?

The Chinotaki ("Blood" "Falls")

Around here is the only place I smelled sulfur on this hike. On the other side of Asama, the sulfur smell was quite strong.

On the way to the cave . . .

Inside the cave, there are human and animal footprints. I wonder what goes on in there at night.

After dropping by the cave, I headed toward the peak and got my first views of the day.

Kengamine on the left, Mt. Asama on the right.

That post marks the top of Mt. Sekison.

Looking east toward Gunma and beyond. Mt. Myogi is in the picture. So it Ryokami and Toridani.

Facilities: Nothing

Thoughts/observations/recommendations: One thing I liked about this hike was that it was pretty secluded. Karuizawa is a happening place but I only bumped into two groups of people on my hike. I had the peak to myself.

Bring bug spray. I had planned to pick some up at 7-11 but they didn't have any. There weren't mosquitoes but there were giant bugs with swept-back wings. I am pretty sure they were horseflies. If you stand still they'll land on you and give you a painful bite.

Today's listening:

Bible in a Year

Babbling brooks and summering cicadas

Postscript

I had the pleasure of Mrs. Caveman's company for (some of) this trip. While I was hiking, she was sketching at the Wild Bird Preserve. Check out her blog here: Put Out Into The Deep

On the way home, we dropped by the Shiraito ("White" "Thread") Falls and the Ryugaeshi ("Dragon" "turn back") Falls.

Shiraito Falls