As often happens when I look out the window here, I felt drawn to the hills this morning.
There was a fresh coat of snow on the mountains all around and I couldn't not go for a quick hike before work.
This area I went to is characterized by a viewpoint on a small hill which faces Mt. Asama, the Takamine Kogen and Yunomaru Kogen across the valley which the Chikumagawa meanders through.
One of the first things I did when we moved here was to run to that viewpoint from home and back--about 10km.
Since then, I've hiked there about 20 times because it's so convenient. Since I go there so often, I don't usually blog about it but today it was just too pretty not to share some pictures.
If any of you have been through Saku, you may know the Michi no Eki (rest stop) called Healthy Terrace Sakuminami. Mt. Kokuzo is right behind there. You could hike up it in about 30 minutes from the Healthy Terrace.
I usually start at the Tafuku Temple.
I don't stop at the viewpoint either. I typically go as far as a certain triangulation point further up the trail.
Getting there/getting around: I drove. It's a narrow, winding road off of the Cosmos Road. If my name were Paul, I might say it's a Long and Winding Road.
Elevation:Lowest: 1,037m Highest: 1,350m Total Ascent: 453m Total Descent: 453m
Technical considerations/difficulty: These hills are not really high but demand your full attention. The ridgeline is as sharp as a knife in places and the ridge falls away steeply on both sides. There are a few spots with chains or ropes. I was hiking after most of the snow had melted so there was quite a bit of mud. That made for slipperier conditions than if it were snow-covered because I couldn't make use of crampons. If conditions were better, I probably would have gone just a bit farther to be able to see the Rosoku Iwa from all sides but decided it wasn't worth it. At that point, the trail was in the shade and covered with snow. The trail there was quite narrow and just hugged the side of a really steep hill.
The Rosoku Iwa(s) themselves are not really for hiking. The trail passes around them but getting to the top of two of them entails actual rock climbing and necessitates all the equipment incumbent on that kind of adventure.
Facilities: Nothing. You may be able to get some water from the stream, but there's nothing up there.
Thoughts/observations/recommendations: Like I said, I'm glad I ignored the weatherman. If I had slept in today and then walked out into the sunny morning that it turned out to be, I would have been bummed out.
This was my 3rd or 4th time to this area. Sometime soon I will have to get to the nearby 立岩(Tateiwa) "Standing"--"Boulder".
I'm so bummed out the snow is melting so quickly around here. I'm going to have to drive a bit far to get to snow.
Here are some pictures:
This is just before the peak of Mt. Ontake. I'm sure many people mistake it for the peak.
Mt. Asama is in the distance in the middle of the picture.
Rosoku Iwa is actually 3 places named P1, P2 and P3.
P stands for peak. h/t to Naresh Deora.
This is P1.
This is P1.
I could climb to the top of this one.
I didn't even realize that I had climbed P1 until I saw a picture of it on another blog.
It was a bit dizzying and climbing off
of it was a little unnerving.
I was on that one on the left, Kabuto no Iwa, a few weeks ago.
I got as far as just beneath P3 and turned back.
The trail was pretty slippery--(and I was already in
danger of being late for work. Shhhh.)
I'm grateful for the chain.
Pictures can't quite capture how narrow and how high this ridge is.
Saitama's Mt. Ryokami is in the distance.
Well, that's it for today. The last pictures are pics with mountain names labeled on them in case
any of you are geeks like me with an interest in knowing the names of mountains.
If not, you can stop reading now.
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Or not.
You do you and the caveman will do the caveman. (Hey, I think
I just came up with the name of the next new dance--The Caveman! It'll be bigger than the
Today I took Mrs. Caveman for a traditional Sunday drive. My plan was not to go hiking at all.
Honest.
The plan was to take her for a lovely lunch at a Michi No Eki near the Utsukishigahara Highlands which has a nice view.
After laboring uphill for a long time, just 100 meters of so before the pass from the south side of the Utsugushigahara to the north side--where that Michi no Eki is-- we encountered a locked gate across the road pronouncing it closed for the winter.
Happily, right next to that gate was the parking lot for the Yamamotogoya (mountain hotel)
That hotel is adjacent to the trail up to the Ogato Hotel on Mt. Ogato (王ヶ頭--"King" "Head").
We parked there and initially planned just to walk as far as the first hotel and check it out. The going was easy and we kept on going. We eventually got to the highest point in the area. Despite there being a few feet of snow on the ground and being at an elevation of over 6,000 feet we were able to do the "hike" in regular street clothes. Everyone else was wearing snowshoes but they had packed the snow down enough in places that we could walk without sinking in.
I truly love where we live. The license plates on the cars in the parking lot were from places far away. People had to spend a lot of time and money to get to someplace we're able to get to on a whim. I'm really grateful.
It was a nice surprise of a day. The weather was beautiful and the views were great. Mt. Fuji even made appearances. Not bad, considering that is about 110km away.
Take a look at the pictures below. Maybe Mrs. Caveman will make a cameo on the blog.
Elevation:Lowest: 1,927 Highest: 2,034 Total Ascent: 166m Total Descent: 166m
Technical considerations/difficulty: This is a pleasant walk.
Facilities: There are a few inns up there. Plenty of pay toilets. Restaurants, etc.
Thoughts/observations/recommendations: This is a really nice place. It's a plateau with great panoramic vistas. Since it's a plateau, you don't have to climb at all. Today we just walked a few miles. I made a longer trip here last August. That post is here: August hike around Utsukushigahara.
Fuji
The top.
There are a lot of antennae up there. It makes this place easy to spot from other mountains.
We had lunch at the Ogato Hotel. The Caveman usually doesn't do store-bought food. This was a special treat, though.
Considering lunch was at a restaurant on a mountain, the prices weren't bad. Unlike other mountains huts, they obviously don't get their supply by helicopter. The beef stew was ¥1,200. ¥500 for a coffee was a bit dear, though.
That hotel actually has a shuttle bus service. I also noticed they had a lot of snowshoes and boots for their guests to borrow. My guess is you could go there "tebura" (Japanese for "empty-handed") and do the hiking thing.
