*After I did this, I found out that I was actually trespassing on the ski area I traversed and that the authorities and owners don't want anyone to do that. I was copying a plan someone else had used. I assumed it was ok because, although there were signs on all the surrounding trails saying no entry, there were no warnings on that route. Evidently, the authorities didn't think it necessary to put warnings there because it's private property. They don't want anyone going anywhere near the peaks of Shirane from any route at all.
I chalk this up as one more thing in the mountains that I wouldn't do again--but that I'm kind of glad I did.😜 You, dear reader, know better than I did though. Do as I say and not as I do. Don't do it.
Getting there/getting around: Car. The place I started is on a toll road. ¥1,070 to get in and the same amount to get out. Can't get around the toll--except if you go early in the morning before the booth is manned, I'm told.
There is a Seibu bus stop where I started. According to the sign on the bus stop, dated last November, a bus stops there three times a day. I can't find the bus route on googlemaps, though. I think the bus probably does still run, but Seibu hasn't told google. That's often the case with local bus companies. I can't puzzle through Seibu's website either.
Elevation:Lowest: 1,423m Highest: 2,071m Total Ascent: 847m Total Descent: 847m
Technical considerations/difficulty: It's steep. For most of the hike, I was walking straight up abandoned ski slopes. There are no ropes, chains, ladders or boulders to negotiate. There are two spots where you aren't following ski trails and you have to pick your way through unmarked forests. I needed my GPS there. Other than those spots, you'd have to be blind as a bat to get lost. There're really no windbreaks. I got a sunburn. I should have remembered sunscreen.
Facilities: Nothing on the hill. Nothing open, at least. The abandoned ski lodges and lifts are still there.
Thoughts/observations/recommendations: Loved it. I still enjoy the mountains even when I can't see much because of less-than-clear skies. Then there are clear days like today. Wow.
And I had a whole ski area to myself! What a treat.
This post is brought to you by the Chinese Communist Party.
I caught the wuflu (for the second time) last week. Similar to my first time catching COVID, I felt like I had a bad cold for the first two days and then got better fairly rapidly. I was told not to go to work for the whole week so as not to infect my students.
I was not told to not go to the mountains.
The mountains have always been my go-to for social distancing since the plandemic first struck.
After all, if I were to stay home in my pajamas and watch Tik Tok all day, the commies would win!
Some of my readers might think I'm a conspiracy theorist because of some of my thoughts on COVID.
I'm pretty sure they called Noah a conspiracy theorist, too.
Until it started raining.
I took advantage of some absolutely gorgeous weather on the last day of my quarantine to tackle Mt. Kusatsu Shirane in the Joshin Etsu National Park in Gunma.
Mt. Shirane is an active volcano and there are restrictions on how close you can get to the crater. One of the peaks is listed as one of Japan's 100 Famous Mountains. It is only accessible from one side, the side of the closed ski resort. Because of trail restrictions, this is the only legal way up.*(As I said before, this isn't legal either.)
The bus stop. I parked on the side of the road here.
That's where I started.
My first time to try these bad boys out. They worked great!
For the most part, the snow was crusty and sounded like styrofoam as I went along. There were several areas on the hike where the snow conditions changed and I would sink in despite wearing the snowshoes. It was over waist-deep in places.
The weather report called for temps well below zero Celsius. They were wrong. Particularly in the sun, it was downright balmy. I had a "wicking layer" (basically long underwear) under my snowpants. I was sorely tempted to take off my snowpants and hike in my underwear because it was so warm.
Mt. Haruna (Gunma) is in that group of mountains.
Mt. Asama
That pointy one is another of the 100 Famous Mountains, Mt. Azuma.
I climbed it once last year on a cloudy day and had no idea how pretty it is.
I'll have to go back on a nice day.
Haruna, Asama Kakushi and Hanamagari are in this pic.
I didn't realize it until I got home, but that hill in the foreground offers a great viewpoint of a crater. I'll have to go back.
The marker on top
There is another tourist spot right where I parked my car. It's the Tsumagoi Bokujo (Tsumagoi Ranch) and Aisai Bell. There are a few plays on words going on here. The name of this village, Tsumagoi, (嬬恋) is a combination of the words for wife and romantic love. The Asai of the Asai Bell's name is another combination of different characters that mean love and wife. Check out the website for yourself and copy and paste it into google translate.
It's a hoot.
I particularly liked this sentiment. "The Japan Beloved Wife Association has been more concerned about the phenomenon of households becoming colder than global warming. As the number of beloved wives increases, the fatigue that has plagued the marital environment will be alleviated, and the home will become a little warmer."
Elevation:Lowest: 1,220 m Highest: 2,145 m Total Ascent: 1,229 m Total Descent: 1,229 m
Technical considerations/difficulty: It's fairly straightforward. It would be hard to get lost. There are some steep spots but nothing that necessitates chains or ladders.
Facilities:There is water at the Wada Hut 和田小屋 and at a point on the trail by the name of 雷清水. There is a lodge at the top that also has some food, a pay toilet and some stuff for sale. I bought a pin badge there.
Thoughts/observations/recommendations: I'll have to go back on a clear day. It was so cloudy all day that I have no idea what this place looks like!
Today's listening:
Bible in a YearI had several episodes to catch up on and it was great. I started with the Messianic checkpoint overview podcast. That's an introduction to Matthew. That was cool. Ever wonder what the deal is with all those begats? Listen to that episode to get a clue. That was posted around September 14, 2023. Episode 259 is worth listening to also. It's about the Sermon on the Mount.
Great Detectives of Old Time Radio Before Dragnet, the TV series, Jack Webb appeared in Dragnet the radio series. Even before that, he acted in the radio in a few roles as various hard-boiled characters trying to scrape by on the mean streets. On this trip I listened to one of his performances as Jeff Regan, a private investigator show. I love the hokiness of these old programs and the dialogue is really funny. Think Phil Hartmann or Leslie Nielsen talking very seriously. One of my favorite lines from yesterday was something like this; "She was pushing fifty and it showed. She looked tired."
This is what the lay of the land was.
As I glance out the window at a beautiful blue sky while writing this blogpost, I can't help but reflect, "Why wasn't it this nice yesterday?"
The other thing on my mind is, "Why are you such an idiot? Why did you trust googlemaps again?"
Why is it that I forgot so quickly that google's motto no longer is "Don't Be Evil."
I really should know better, but this is the second time that I trusted googlemaps to get me to the mountains and it took me somewhere I didn't want to go. I would have been better off just committing the route to memory; I would probably have gotten there. Instead, I unthinkingly turned on googlemaps and followed its directions. It wasn't until the gas light turned on that I realized something was amiss. "Gaslight? I should have had more than enough gas. Wait a minute, where am I? . . ." Anyway, I had been shooting for a mountain in Gunma but changed plans when I realized I'd blown by it and ended up in Niigata.
Thank God for the car's gaslight. It made me aware how google was gaslighting me.
At least google didn't send me into a lake so I guess they're not that evil.
Usually on these rants, I merely digress. Today I'm afraid that I've digressed from digression into dissing. It is 'dissing', right? I really wish it was 'dission.' That would sound more clever.
Anyway, here are some pictures from yesterday. I'm sorry to say that I really don't have many good pictures because of the weather. It was still nice to be in the woods, but it just wasn't as visually beautiful as usual.
This parking lot is about 5 km up a very narrow road from Route 17. Small~medium cars are 1,000 yen/day.
I wonder why I took a picture of the restroom instead of the parking lot.
Well, it was the end of a long ride.
Owada Koya/Kagura Ski Area Lift
In the morning (only) the lift operates from here, (I think.) You can take this part of the way up the mountain and cut an hour off your hike. It doesn't go all the way to the top and you must walk down.
Like I said, I think this is where the lift is. There are several chair lifts and gondolas around but I wasn't interested so I didn't look that closely into it.
Much of the trail is like this. It would be hard to get lost.
Lots of bamboo grass on these mountains. Bear and deer both like this stuff.
I kept coming upon these scenic overlooks and was left to wonder what I was missing.
The (木のトレイル) wooden trail is long. Much of the flora is wetland and they are protection.
This is Kaguragamine, Mt. Kagura. If the marker wasn't there on the side of the trail, I wouldn't have thought it is a mountaintop.
Behind that marker on the side of the trail denoting Mt. Kaguragamine is a narrow path through the thick bamboo grass leading a few meters up to the top of a ridge. It seemed like the likely spot for the actual mountain top and I wanted to take a peek and see if there was a nice view, or another marker.
All I encountered was what I stepped in under the bamboo grass.
There are no dogs around here. I think all I found was Yogi Bear's walkway to his restroom.
The final push up to the top is a steep slope with a climb of a few hundred meters. It is rewarded by this view of this plateau wetland as you pop out of the trail.
Naeba Hut.
Lodging, food, pay toilets.
Note the net wrapped around the blue sheet. It makes me nostalgic for my days doing helicopter slingload operations in the army.
I got off the mountain about 3 pm and piled myself into the car.
You have no idea how happy I was to encounter this river on the road. This type of swimming hole is much more to my liking than an onsen.
This swimming hole is bellybutton deep.
Ice cold.
Perfect.
Oh yeah, that's the ticket.
And no, I will not take a picture of anything above my knees. This is a family blog.
As a bit of a coda/epilogue, here's something I encountered on the road somewhere in Gunma. I have no idea what it is or why it's there but it does seem fitting for the caveman's blog, doesn't it?
Well, cavedwellers, that's it for today. Subscribe, tell your friends about me, send me wads of cash, etc. See you later.
Caveman out.
ps A commenter wanted a picture of the badge I bought on top of Naeba. I'm posting here a pic of my banner listing the 100 Famous Mountains. I pin on a badge each time I cross one of them off. I've climbed 27 of them by now. I'd love to do them all, but I'm not made of money and a lot of them are too far for day trips.
Still waiting for those barrels of cash for being an influencer. How do the Kardashians do it?
