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.
Yesterday I headed out to Lake Motosuko, the western-most of the Fuji Five Lakes. Enroute, I passed by Lake Yamanaka. That's where I met the swans.
When I got to Lake Motosu, the first mountain I climbed is called 龍ヶ岳 "Ryugatake"--"Dragon Peak". That mountain is as cool as its name. I'll put more pictures of the swans at the end of this post.
Peaks bagged: Ryugatake Nakanokura Panoramadai Eboshidake Shiroyama
Getting there/getting around:
I drove. There are buses from Kawaguchiko Station in the east and from Fujinomiya Station in the south. It's not convenient for a day trip from Tokyo by public transportation.
Map: Yama to Kogen Chizu 32 FUJI-SAN MISAKA・ASHITAKA-YAMA 富士山 御坂・愛鷹山
Elevation:Lowest: 901m Highest: 1,481m Total Ascent: 1,420m Total Descent: 1,422m
Technical considerations/difficulty:
Most of it is straightforward. The last bit between Eboshidake and Shiroyama has some bouldering on a narrow ridge. There are ropes in a few spots there. If you're bringing little kids or are easily scared of heights, I'd skip that area.
Facilities:
Nothing on the trail except for picnic benches on Ryugatake and at the Panoramadai. There is a great scenic lookout on the northside of the lake. You can get there from a parking lot below at the Koan Campground (northside) in just a half hour or so of hiking. Much of the road that goes around the lake is closed off in winter--including the portion passing by the Tent Mura part of the Koan Campground. On the south side of the lake is the Motosuko Campground. That campground opens in March.
Thoughts/observations/recommendations:
Wow! What a great time of year to do this. This is my 3rd time up Ryugatake but the views yesterday were far and away the best. The first time I climbed it last August was so cloudy that I cut my route short and came home early. Also, since it is so much the off-season, I had the mountains basically to myself.
Here is what the hike looked like. I'll put pictures further down. Fair warning; it is really hard to pare down the pictures from yesterday to a reasonable number!
In the morning at Lake Motosu.
It was difficult to make time. Fuji was behind me as I climbed in the morning and each step higher, it got better. It was hard not to keep stopping.
The Minami Alps, home of the 2nd-highest peak in the country, got a fresh coat of white last night.
The grass in the foreground is 笹 "sasa"--bamboo grass. Mt. Ryugatake has a lot of it. I'm grateful to the volunteers who come up here and maintain the trails by cutting it back. It makes for very slow-going when sasa is allowed to cover the trail.
Kitadake is the 2nd highest. I climbed that and Ainodake last year. That was a great trip.
After I climbed Ryugatake, I descended all the way back down to the lake before going up again. The trail up to Mt. Nakanokura passes through the Koan Tent Mura Campground Their English website has good information on access to the area.
Bus stop at the camp ground. Not many buses go there.
The picture used for the image on the ¥1,000 note was taken near here.
The next few pictures are from the Panoramadai. I was there just 4 days previously. Both days were blessed with great views. I had this spot to myself yesterday. :-)
Last week's trek, and yesterday's were links in the chain of hiking all along the Fuji Five Lakes. With yesterday's hike, I completed the western four. I still need to link up with Lake Ashinoko in the east. That will take a while to complete that leg.
After passing the ruins of the Motosu Castle, I got down to the lake.
That's all from the cave for today. I'll leave you with some more swans. Subscribe. Comment. Have a nice day. Come again.
