The other day, Mrs. Caveman invited me camping. ⛺ All she needed to say was, "Do people go camping even in this (fall🍁) season?"
Being the sensitive spouse I am, I intuited all she wanted to convey. ie, "Remember that place we went camping in the rain☔ last month and you couldn't hike because it was too wet? Let's go there again this weekend."
To which I replied, "Mrs. Caveman💖, you always have the best ideas.💡"
(She really is a trooper to put up with me.)
Unfortunately, although the weather cooperated this time, my physical condition didn't. We went to the Togakushi Campground on Friday with a plan for me to hike Mt. Takatsuma on Saturday. Mrs. Caveman (who is an artist) would hang out in the campground sketching while I was climbing. Things looked great on Friday. The weather was spectacular and we had a nice day of sightseeing/leaf-peeping before setting up. The problem started in the middle of the night in the tent. I woke up around 1 a.m. with a pounding headache and didn't sleep a wink after that. By the time the sun rose, I was not in the mood for any physical exertion and I thought it better to stay out of the mountains in case I was coming down with something serious.
We packed up and came home soon after breakfast. Thwarted again.
In case anyone is interested in doing the hike I was planning on, I will (re)post the template comments I'd started in anticipation of this hike. It's one of the 100 Famous Mountains, so you should climb it if you want to say you're living your best life.
I'll also put up some pictures I took on our little jaunt. We dropped by Lake Nojiri on the way up and it was a picture-perfect day for fall colors. And, it was warm, too. (Global warming gets such a bad rap. I don't mind it. Heck, maybe England will again have vineyards someday.) Lake Nojiri has a boat tour. (25 minutes, ￥1,400) They discovered some elephant fossils in the lake so there is a museum. We dropped into the Naumann Elephant Museum after the boat ride. When we got to the campground, we took a walk and encountered some animals that are actually still alive.
Pics follow the template.
Location: 高妻山 Mt. Takatsuma Togakushi, Nagano
Starting and stopping point: 戸隠キャンプ場 Togakushi Campground
Peaks bagged:
(First-time) peaks
Getting there/getting around:
I drove. Mrs. Caveman and I spent the night at the Togakushi Campground and I left our car there. There is free parking near the trailhead for daytrippers. Checkout is in the morning, but if you get the basecamp plan, they'll let you check out at 4:30 for just another 500 yen.
It is possible to get there by public transportation. From Tokyo, take the Hokuriku Shinkansen to Nagano Station. (Or you could take the bus from Shinjuku to Nagano Station.) Change to the Nagano Togakushi Bus Line for the Togakushi Camp Ground. Depending on your choice of routes, it should take between 4 and 6 hours and cost between 6,900 yen and 10,000 yen each way.
Map: 山と高原地図18 妙高・戸隠・雨飾 火打山・高妻山・信越トレイル
Weather Information: Japanese weather forecast
Total Time: Break time: Distance:
Elevation: Lowest: Highest: Total Ascent: Total Descent:
Technical considerations/difficulty:
Facilities: Togakushi Campground
Thoughts/observations/recommendations:
Today's listening: Bible in a Year
Here are some pics.
There are still some Cosmos at the lower elevations.
