Yarigatake (Kamikotchi)
槍ヶ岳
3.180 m Three days, two nights tour. Day one.
13. Oct 2012
Kamikotchi – one of the most famous hiking area in Japan – is a beautiful valley right in the center of the Japanese Alps. It is closed for public traffic; frequent bus service is provided. I reached the parking place, which is located outside of Kamikotchi valley, in the eveining. Had spaghetti for dinner, which I bought at a convenient store, and slept in the car watching a beautiful sky with thousands of starts. It was cold at night, about 5 degrees only.
In the mornign I took the early bus end started hiking at Kamikotchi vally before the first sunlight reached the bottom of the valley. It was an absolutely beautiful morning and many hikers entered the valley together with me.
The trail was easy to go and lead deeper and deeper into the mountain valley. In the higher areas the leaves turned into beautiful colors – autumn has started.
Until Yarigatake mountain hut the trail can be described as easy – but if you want to reach the peak, you need to climb steep ladders and iron cramps. You can leave your luggage at the mountain hut, will make it much easier to climb until the top. From the top the view is stunning!
The campsite is located at the edge of a big rock – wow, what a feeling. After setting up the tent I watched the sunset – impressive and deeply touched my heart.
Start: 上高地 Kamikouchi, 6:40 am, 1.505m
Trail: 横尾 Yokoou, 8:00 am, 1.620m
Trail: 槍ヶ岳山荘 Yarigatakesansou, 2:20pm, 3.080m
Top: 槍ヶ岳 Yarigatake, 2:45 pm, 3.180m
Finish: 槍ヶ岳山荘 Yarigatakesansou, 3:30pm, 3.080m
