Showing posts with label Gunma. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Gunma. Show all posts

Monomi is Mon Ami. The Caveman does sunset near Mt. Monomi.


Sunset from Monomi Iwa



Sunset

I wasn't planning on hiking yesterday but my gym was full so I shifted gears and went to the mountains.  I initially planned on just doing some bushwhacking/trail running to bag a particular unimportant peak (Mt. Myogen).  It's not got any trails to it and there are no views.  It's only utility is for me to add another peak to my count (894) so I won't blog about that.

Anyway, it was a really gorgeous afternoon and I decided to make another quick run up to a viewpoint in the area to catch the sunset after I finished the first run.  It's kind of a bookend I guess.  I went to the same general area to catch the sunrise just last month.

Location:  Mt. Monomi 物見山

Starting and stopping point:  Uchiyama Bokujo Campground

Peaks bagged: Mt. Monomi (物見山)

(First-time) peaks XX

Getting there/getting around:  My trusted car

Map:  Yama to Kogen Chizu #21 西上州 妙義山・荒船山

Weather Information: Mt. Monomi's weather

Total Time:  :49 Break time: :08  Distance:  3.5km 

Elevation:  Lowest: 1,228m  Highest: 1,375m Total Ascent: 266m   Total Descent: 266m

Technical considerations/difficulty:  A lot of this is runnable.

Facilities:  There is a public restroom and a free parking lot by the campground.   Arafune Panorama Campfield

Thoughts/observations/recommendations:  There are a lot of deer in this area.  The trail runs beside a cow pasture.  I've never seen cows there myself, but have seen pictures.

Arafune

From the Uchiyama Wireless Relay Tower Observation Deck



Monomi Ahead

Still from the Uchiyama Wireless Observation Deck

Mt. Haruna, Akagi are out there.









If you want a loooooong video with music.





Here are links to a few other trips I've made to Monomi.  

https://mymancaveisthemountains.blogspot.com/2024/01/the-year-of-dragon-is-upon-us-monomi.html

https://mymancaveisthemountains.blogspot.com/2023/10/mt-monomi-around-sunset.html

https://mymancaveisthemountains.blogspot.com/2024/05/sunrise-from-mt-monomi.html




That's all for today.  Caveman, out.

Sunrise from Mt. Monomi. 物見山の日の出

Mt. Monomi Sunrise 物見山の日の出


Location:  Mt. Monomi 物見山

Starting and stopping point:  Uchiyama Bokujo Campground

Peaks bagged: Mt. Monomi (物見山)

(First-time) peaks XX

Getting there/getting around:  My trusted car

Map:  Yama to Kogen Chizu #21 西上州 妙義山・荒船山

Weather Information: Mt. Monomi's weather

Total Time:  1:49 Break time: :42  Distance:  5.81km 

Elevation:  Lowest: 1,228m  Highest: 1,373m Total Ascent: 355m   Total Descent: 355m

Technical considerations/difficulty:  A lot of this is runnable.

Facilities:  There is a public restroom and a free parking lot by the campground.   Arafune Panorama Campfield

Thoughts/observations/recommendations:  There are a lot of deer in this area.  The trail runs beside a cow pasture.  I've never seen cows there myself, but have seen pictures.

Here are links to a few other trips I've made to Monomi.  

https://mymancaveisthemountains.blogspot.com/2024/01/the-year-of-dragon-is-upon-us-monomi.html

https://mymancaveisthemountains.blogspot.com/2023/10/mt-monomi-around-sunset.html


No comments today.  Just look at the videos.





Caveman out


Mt. Haruna of 200 Famous Mountains Fame

 Lake Haruna

榛名湖 Lake Haruna

Hello, cavedwellers.
Today's trek was around Lake Haruna in Takasaki, Gunma.  


Location:  Lake Haruna, Takasaki, Gunma

Starting and stopping point:  Visitor's Center Parking Lot (Public Restroom)

Peaks bagged: 氷室山 ~ 天目山 ~ 榛名富士 ~ 烏帽子ヶ岳 ~ 鬢櫛山 ~ 榛名山(掃部ヶ岳)

(First-time) peaks # 868 ~ 873

Getting there/getting around:  I drove.  There are several free parking areas.  I don't know how empty they are during tourist season, though.

Map: 山と高原地図 赤城・皇海・榛名 袈裟丸山・足尾山地 2024

Weather Information: Haruna Weather in Japanese

Total Time: 7:48  Break time: 1:24  Distance:  12.6 km

Elevation:  Lowest: 1,085 Highest: 1,449 Total Ascent: 1,367  Total Descent: 1,367

Technical considerations/difficulty:  Each of these mountains, by itself, is not particularly challenging.  Any of these peaks could be done in just a few hours.  Circumambulating (I love that word.) the lake, as I did, makes for several ascents and descents.  There are some areas where the snow is deep and some places with ropes where you need some upper-body strength.  

The snow conditions varied widely on this trek.  In spots, it is waist-deep.  On the south side of Haruna Fuji, there is no snow at all.  I needed snowshoes only for about 30 minutes.  Most of the rest of the day I needed crampons.  Going down was very slippery and icy in places.

Facilities:  There is nothing on the trails or mountaintops, but the lake is nearby and has many public facilities and tourist attractions.  Not much is open in the off-season, but the Yusuge Onsen is open and only costs ¥520.

Thoughts/observations/recommendations:  If you want to catch the view but are lazy, you could take the gondola to the Haruna Fuji Ropeway.  ¥950 roundtrip for adults.  




I don't feel particularly witty today, so I'll just jump into the pictures.




On go the snowshoes.



Thankfully, the temp. stayed at or below freezing all day.  I didn't need to deal with much melting snow or mud.



After going up to the first two peaks, I came back down to the water level--before going up again.  I repeated this a few times this day.  😜


Looking up toward Haruna Fuji


The view from Suzuri Iwa ("Inkstone Boulder") is the best one of the lake.

Kamongatake is the highest peak of the Haruna Mountains.  That was my last peak of the day.

The hike up to Haruna Fuji is on the south face of the mountain so all the snow was melted.  That was the only snowless trail of the day.  In contrast, the other side of the mountain was very deep.


Asama is 32 km away.


Mountain Graffiti!
"Sagamihara F.D."
"Isesaki F.D."


Ropeway prices.

Just beside the ropeway, there is a viewpoint.


It's 124 km to Mt. Fuji.






On a clear day, you can pick out Mt. Tsukuba (113 km) and Tokyo's Skytree (119 km).  It was too hazy to see Tsukuba.  I was able to find Skytree with the naked eye but my iPhone couldn't pick it up.





From the Ropeway, it's maybe a ten-minute walk up to the top.

"This way to the top and to the Haruna Fuji Shrine"

Haruna Fuji


The shrine

Top Haruna Fuji


Time to put the crampons on.  This side of Haruna Fuji is very snowy.


Time to go down.
Again.




Lots of critters out here.
A few times I could actually smell the deer.



After slipping and sliding down the 300 meters to the lakeside, I looked up at my next destination--Mt. Eboshi--in disbelief.
"Did I really put that in my plan?"


Eboshi is the word for traditional pointed hats.  There are many mountains named eboshi here.

This dude Lord Ashikaga really rocked one of those hats back in1868!


The trailhead to Eboshi.


From the top




Mt. Eboshi looking at Mt. Haruna

Dining al fresco.


After Eboshi, the next stops were Mt. Bingushi and Suzuri Iwa.





From Suzuri Iwa ("Inkstone Boulder")

Suzuri Iwa

On the way up to Suzuri Iwa, I passed a young couple wearing jeans, sneakers and sweatshirts.  It was a nice day, so they just hopped out of their car on a whim to head up to the overlook.  They did not really think it through, though.  They got up to the top and then considered that going down would be harder than coming up.  The trail isn't long, but it is very steep and icy in many places.

Oh, to be young and in love . . .  stupid.  😆

 I gave them my hiking poles and wished them luck.


The biggest mountain in the next picture is Mt. Akagi.  I climbed that last year.
https://mymancaveisthemountains.blogspot.com/2023/04/mt-akagi-red-castle-one-of-japans-100.html


This is what greeted me as I came off the mountain.


Back to the lake level



I dropped by the Haruna Lake Yusuge Moto Onsen and was greeted by these guys.  
The fat one is definitely the alpha cat.


Men to the left.  Women to the right.



I snuck a picture of the bath.  I won't put it up here, though.  

When I got home and looked at the picture, I realized there was a person in it!  When I took the picture, he was not visible to me and I doubt he could see me either, because he was outside and the window was all steamed up.  Imagine my surprise when I got home and looked at my pictures to realize the iPhone had picked up his image.  

Thank God it was too blurry to see anything.  I'd have to wash my eyes with bleach or something.




That's all for today.
Caveman, out.