I forgot that I've posted about this mountain so many times! I probably wouldn't have written this one if I realized that sooner. 😜 At least the routes I used for each hike are varied.
Time: 5 hours or so. I started about 6:30 am and was finished well before noon.
Distance: 13.3 km
Elevation:Lowest: 236 m Highest: 790 m Total Ascent: 1,185 m Total Descent: 1,193 m
Technical considerations/difficulty: Nothing difficult. One or two steep spots but pretty easy.
Facilities: Nothing on the trail.
Thoughts/observations/recommendations: This area is a go-to for me when I don't have much time to go far from home. I'm glad I went early before the snow started melting and before many other hikers came out.
Slick streets in front of Mitake Station in the morning.
Can you spot Tokyo Skytree?
The top of Iwatakeishi. It was nice to be there alone for a change.
Elevation:Lowest: 1,352 m Highest: 1,742m Total Ascent: 410m Total Descent: 411m
Technical considerations/difficulty: Easy, peasy
Facilities: Rest hut near the top for a picnic
Thoughts/observations/recommendations: Just a swell place. The views are not as breathtaking as those from the big boys nearby, but it's a nice mountain. The campground at the bottom looks like a lovely place to stay, too. Kyukamara Campground
Today I bring you a smaller mountain from Tsumagoi Village in Gunma.
This mountain is called Murakami (村上). "Mura" means "village" and "kami" means "up." So, I guess this is an upper-crust mountain.
Actually, I think the mountain probably is suffering from some kind of Napoleon complex. It's the lowest hill in the area and I think it's overcompensating in its choice of name.
It's with some mixed feelings that I finish this hike. It means I've exhausted just about every peak in that area. If I look north from my neighborhood, this is what I see.
Where I've been . . .
Thank God there are mountains in every other direction of the compass!
I've been in the area three times in the last month or so. I was surprised at the amount of snow there was this time. I thought there would be less, but they must have just had a fresh dumping. There was another foot or two more than when I'd visited this particular place in February.
This is a picture I took of Mt. Murakami on one of my recent treks.
And here are some more pictures. I won't comment much more.
This is near the trailhead. That's Murakami above.
Warm!
I was fine in just crampons for this hike but I did sink in a few times.
The top
Mt. Azuma, one of the 100 Famous Mountains.
Looking towards Tochigi. You can see the mountains of Nikko from here.
A panoramic shot
Tashiro Lake
The mountains I've climbed recently are all nearby but there are no unobstructed views.
The Kyukamara Tsumagoi Kazawa Hotel (3 stars)
(It's the same business as the campground linked above.)
Mt. Sashiki is behind it.
Well, cavedwellers and squatters, that's it. I had a blast on this hike and it was fun to recall it.
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I'm suffering a caffeine deficiency these days so feel free to buy me a coffee--or a whole plantation if you have the dough.
