Astute perusers of this space will recall that--despite twice driving to and spending the night at the base of Mt. Takatsuma--the Caveman was denied ascension of Mt. Takatsuma both times. The first time by rain, the second time by illness.
Takatsu--高妻山--means "Tall Wife" in English. Mrs. Caveman, while being very high in my estimation, is, shall we say, vertically challenged? This situation has made me wonder if the "Tall Wife" might be jealous of my short wife and of how my affections run toward her rather than toward one as monumentous as herself. Maybe that is the reason Mt. Takatsu had played so hard to get.
No matter. The Tall Wife is vanquished. Long live the short wife.
The queen is dead. Long live the queen.
Take that you, you mountain you.
Yesterday I drove up to Takatsu to do the hike on a day trip. I was a bit iffy about doing this trip on that day because the weather was questionable.
I really was on the fence about going there until the very last minute. The weather reports varied widely and I was tempted to stay local and hike something less noteworthy since it was possible there wasn't going to be anything to see anyway. On the other hand, I didn't want to put this one off too long or it might have ended up out of reach until the snow's melted in around June of next year. Even on the trail I was tempted to turn back. By the time I got to the first peak, the snow had picked up and it was white as a sheet up ahead. With another 400 meters to climb in elevation, I imagine that the weather might turn nasty. I had just made my mind up to turn back when the sun came out--for about 1.5 seconds. That was enough to spur me on.
I drove. There is free parking near the trailhead. The trailhead is inside the Togakushi Campsite. The campsite just closed for the season but you can walk through to the trailhead.
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:
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.
Total Time: 7:28 Break time: 1:02 Distance: 13.1km
Elevation
Lowest: 1,173m Highest: 2,352m Total Ascent: 1,498m Total Descent: 1,498
Technical considerations/difficulty:
As you can see from the picture, there was snow. It was fresh and wasn't deep yet. I was glad I had my crampons. Snow remains on Mt. Takatsuma into May, so keep that in mind if you want to bag this one.
The hike is fairly steep and the level of ascent is noteworthy. This hike is comparable in distance and change in elevation to climbing to the top of Mt. Fuji from one of the usual routes.
I climbed up to Takatsuma on the east side and that section was fairly straightforward. There are some spots with chains, but not too many. It is just steep and rocky. I came down to the west, passing by Mt. Jizo and the Ichifudo Refuge Hut (一不動避難小屋) on the way. From the refuge hut to the bottom has a few more exciting spots--nothing too challenging physically but a wrong step could really ruin your day. Also, that trail crosses over and through a stream several times. I was glad that I was doing this at the end of the hike and not at the beginning. My feet were absolutely soaked from the stream and it wouldn't have been pleasant to go tramping around in the snow with my boots and feet in that condition.
Inside the campground, there are few restaurants. This soba restaurant seems to be open year-round.
Thoughts/observations/recommendations:
This is another in a long list of mountains I've climbed which I wouldn't be able to pick out in a line-up if my life depended on it. Visibility was pretty poor all day, so I have no idea what this mountain or the ones around it look like. That isn't to say that the views weren't cool. The snowscape was great to see. I would like to get back some clear day, though. Maybe in summer.
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?
