Elevation: Lowest: 165m Highest: 733m Total Ascent: 1,706m Total Descent: 1,673m
Technical considerations/difficulty: The first half of this hike was surprisingly taxing. There are a lot of steep slopes with a lot of ropes that are really necessary. Going down these steep slopes was particularly nerve-racking as they are covered with slippery fallen leaves.
Facilities: Not much on the trails, but the trails aren't that far into the woods.
Thoughts/observations/recommendations: Nice day.
For the second week in a row, I dropped by some hills just south of the Chuo Line around Sagamihara and Uenohara. Last week, I went for a 7 km loop hike starting and finishing at Fujino Station. Today, I started at the adjacent station (Uenohara) and ended at Fujino Station.
I did these two hikes just to connect the dots. I've spent a lot of time hiking through Doshi Village all the way down to Lake Yamanaka. That long, un-broken line I've drawn on my map is quite satisfying. There was a blank spot on my wall map between that long trail and the Chuo Line though. That bothered me so I hiked from Uenohara Station as far as Tomioka Bus Stop at the Akiyama Onsen to close the gap.
These two hikes weren't especially photogenic but were satisfying in their own ways.
Here are some pictures.
Starting out near Uenohara Station just before 6.
These fences are everywhere. There is a lot of wildlife right next to a lot of agriculture.
Mt. Gozen. This is really just a hill--but it was surprisingly steep getting up to the top.
Looking toward Uenohara City. You can see Mt. Jinba and Mt. Rengyo on the other side of the city.
I'm not sure what this was about. Evidently you can try panning for gold at the stream behind this sign.
The stream
This is the area by Akiyama Onsen. I have started a few hikes from here and today's purpose was to connect the dots with those hikes.
Leech warning and an empty bottle of leech repellant. Thankfully I didn't get attacked today.
The Katsura River (which starts way down at Lake Yamanaka)
This area has a lot of artwork. There are art installations sprinkled here and there along the trails. It's called something like "The Trail of Art". Some pieces were better than others. Frankly, I thought most of them were pretty bad.
This old sign says "Art Land"
This is at a place called SGFRENTSPACE. It appears to be a picnic/BBQ area you can rent.
I already knew about one of these art installations and was really interested in it. It's on the side of a mountain and is visible from the train or the highway across the river. It's called 緑ラブレター "Green Love Letter". I'm not sure what it means, but I've always thought it was cool. This is what it looks like from the train.
I have seen it from a distance many times and was excited at the chance to see it up close and personal.
Unfortunately, it was less impressive up close than I'd expected. 😂
That's the bell of love. I rang it.
Well, that's it for today. I wonder where I'll go next.
“I would maintain that thanks are the highest form of thought; and that gratitude is happiness doubled by wonder.”
― G.K. Chesterton
(Lake Yamanaka, 7:00 am 11/22/2022 on the way to Motosu area)
Greetings cavedwellers.
I survived COVID and got out for a dayhike as soon as the authorities let me out of my cage. I went to the extreme western edge of the Fuji 5 Lakes region for another whack at climbing Ryugatake and Mt. Kenashi* yesterday.
*"Ryugatake" (竜が岳) means "Dragon" 🐲"Peak" ⛰. "Kenashi" (毛無山) means "Hairless Mountain". Some mountain names are cooler than others.
Not so easy. I took my scooter. There are buses that run seasonally to the Motosuko Campground. Public transportation would make a dayhike very difficult.
Map: Yama to Kogen Chizu 32 富士山 御坂・愛鷹山 FUJI-SAN MISAKA・ASHITAKA-YAMA
Lowest: 820m Highest: 1,964m Total Ascent: 1,714m Total Descent: 1,719m
Technical considerations/difficulty:
The climb down to Fumotoppara Campground (or up from it if you are going in the other direction) is a bit steep. This is the only spot where you encounter many ropes. On the other end of the climb--up to and over Ryugatake--bamboo grass is the bugaboo. In spots where it hasn't been trimmed back, it obscures the trail making hiking a bit dangerous as you can't see what you are stepping on.
Facilities:
Nothing in the way of water, toilets or commerce once you enter the trail.
Thoughts/observations/recommendations:
This was my second attempt at these mountains. I had basically the same plan in August by turned back just 90 minutes into the hike because it was cloudy and it just wasn't fun knowing that the views here must be spectacular when it's clear. Yesterday, the sky was clear until about noon and there were great views until then. In the afternoon, I felt like I got gypped again. The sight from Mt. Kenashi must be gorgeous because of it's unobstructed view Fuji. Alas, I will just have to imagine.
The bamboo grass was trimmed back as far up the trail as the top of Mt. Ryugatake. After that, it was overgrowing the trail and was waist to chest deep. The dew on the bamboo grass soaked my lower body and I decided to descend at Kenashi and return on the street rather than retrace my steps through that stuff. This made the trip a few miles longer and I ended up finishing long after dark.
I'm not going to write that much today. I'll just show you some pictures. If you have any questions or feedback, feel free to comment.
This is Lake Motosu.
Starting out
You can see the bamboo grass here has been trimmed.
Looking west toward the Minami (Southern) Alps
"Omidake" 大見岳
After crossing the second or third peak of the day, the sun disappeared.
The top of Mt. Kenashi.
Apparently, this is an emergency helipad! Their rescue helicopters must be the size of drones. You'd have to have a heckuva pilot to land here!
Fumotoppara campground. It looks like Yasgur's farm (where Woodstock was held) to me.
I was surprised to catch some last glimpses of fall foliage around here.
Dinner on the way home. Hoto. It's a local specialty. What is hoto, you ask? ほうとう
By the way, today is a holiday in Japan. It is Thanksgiving for Labor day. (How Japanese does that sound?) Tomorrow is Thanksgiving in the U.S. There, it's thanks to God. I like labor--but I think our Thanksgiving is more fitting.
Have you ever made a gratitude list? It's a good thing to do. I find when I start counting my blessings, there is no end to them.
May you/we all reflect on all the uncountable gifts we've received and may we then try to give to others just as profligately.
Don't forget to comment and subscribe if you haven't already. See you next time.
I shouldn't be making this post. I should be in the mountains now. I've caught the Wuflu and have to stay in for a week or so. (I'm really not feeling that ill and am getting better quite rapidly. Don't worry about me.)
Since I can't be there in person, I've decided to go there virtually and blog about a few trips I made before starting this blog. This first one is of one particular bike trip I made out to Okutama and back.
Elevation: Lowest: 106m Highest: 1,161m Total Ascent: 4,120 m Total Descent: 4,120m
Thoughts/observations/recommendations: This was a very cool ride. The Shuyudo winds up and between Mts Mito and Tsukiyomi from Lake Okutama on the north to Hinohara Village on the south. It's a popular road with bicyclists, motorcyclists and sports car drivers. It gives breathtaking views of the lake below and there are a few parking lots with great lookout points to take in the sights. You can get a great view of the profile of the mountains along the Ishione (Rock Ridge) across the lake. The weather didn't cooperate very well for visibility on this day, unfortunately.
You do need to keep your wits about you. I have come upon more than one accident on that road.
This closeup is focused on the Shuyudo area.
One thing I like about these animations is that they are always 30 seconds long. If it is a short hike, the little guy just crawls along. On something long like this, he runs faster than Charlie Sheen on Bolivian marching powder.
This particular bike ride is one I've done a few times. It takes me a couple of hours to get to Lake Okutama. Then, I ride along the north side of the lake for a few more miles . . .
. . . before crossing over to the south side and entering the Shuyudo around the base of Mt. Mito.
Shuyudo translates to something like excursion/circular/fun road. It's gated and locked at night. The opening hours are 8 to 7 from April through the end of September. The rest of the year it's open from 9 to 6.
On this particular trip, I encountered lots of monkeys.
And, of course, I encountered the monkey remains you saw in the first picture.
I still kick myself for not bringing that skull home. It was so cool.
If I recall, I actually saw that skull 3 times in 3 weeks. Once was on this trip. Then, I passed by the dead monkey a week later when hiking to Mt. Mito with my son. I managed to lose my wallet on that trip and returned the next week to retrace my steps. I didn't find my wallet on that trip but eventually, JR (Japan Railways) contacted me. They found my wallet near one of their ticket machines. I got it back in completely intact weeks after dropping it. I love Japan.
The Shuyudo is fairly steep and winding. It's a lot of work to go up it, but the views make it worthwhile. And going down is just too cool for school.
This is where I left the Shuyudo. Were I to continue on it, I would have soon passed the Tomin no Mori and then on into Hinohara Village from there. Instead, I did a little B and E to get through this gate into what I came to think of as Deliverance country. Seriously, you could almost hear Dueling Banjoes in the distance.
There were a few structures like this in that area. Is it a hunter's hide?
I got off the bike for just a short time to walk up to the top of Mt. Kurakake. It wasn't the safest place to be.
And that's all I'm going to say about that.
I'm stuck at home for another 3 or 4 (5?) days so I'm sure I'll be blogging more later. Take care and be sure to subscribe. If you don't, a pit viper might come and bite you.
