2013-08-03 八ヶ岳縦走

Yatsugatake traverse from Kannon daira to Mugikusa pass.

Most people would do this hike in 2 or 3 days, but I couldn't afford this much so we set for a crazy day.

From Takao ride the last train (JR Chuo at 22:26 and get to Kobuchizawa at 0:38 the next day) and get into a cab to Kannon daira. There are still cabs at this hour but don't expect them to hurry, the driver was busy with some business at a bar and didn't seem to care much about us.

We started hiking in total darkness at around 1:40 AM towards Gongen dake from where I initially expected we could see the sunrise. Most of the ascent to Mitsugashira is in the forest on a trail very easy to walk even in the dark. There are tall trees almost all the way and when the sky cleared up we could only see the lights of the cities from a few vantage points. From Mitsugashira we had a nice sky with countless stars and we could even see the shape of Akadake in the distance, all pointed towards a grand sunrise.
Even if we started more than 30 minutes later than what I thought we made it to Gongen by 4:00 (2:20 vs. 4:45 map time). It was rather cold and still pitch black but unfortunately we were in the middle of a cloud and the perspective of missing the sunrise was a bit disheartening. The very last part of the ascend require a bit of care especially in the dark.

We decided to go on while it was still dark and we were still in the middle of the clouds. We passed the interminable ladder which only made our fingers yet colder. After less than 30 minutes it was getting brighter but we were still not lucky with the clouds when suddenly everything cleared up. It felt as when a planes emerges from the cloud when all white becomes all blue. We were then a few meters from the ridge, on its dark side while the sky was getting colored in pink and purple. Upon reaching the ridge we finally got our reward, a magnificent sunrise appearing side by side with Akadake still not getting light.

After a series of many pictures we kept going towards the Kiretto hut where many hikers were making final preparations before leaving. About a hundred meter from the hut there is a water spot but it is more like a trickle and one can only hope to refill a 500 ml bottle as anything bigger is to bulky. From the hut map time to the summit is 2 hours but it took me only 55 minutes, passing the handful of hikers who left before us. The way up to the summit it quite steep and there is a bit of scrambling involved with also some ladders but overall there is no particular danger.

We reached the summit shortly after 6:30 AM and it was still crowded with annoying people asking to get their picture next to the Akadake sign taken with their cell phones while some of them had reflex powerhouses. From the summit the sea of clouds towards the East was great while the Southern Alps already visible from earlier tower over Gongendake.

Then way down from Akadake was rather boring since it was extremely crowded and we were on a tight schedule. People were getting cold feet when they met others going in the opposite direction and it became like a giant traffic jam, which we had to pass on the side. This stretch is not a trail there are marks on the rocks and people walk along the chains, there are more unstable rocks further away from the chains and a rock fall wouldn't feel unnatural at all so care is needed.

Up to Yokodake the ridge is fantastic and the trail still very crowded. The bright green of the mountains and the deep blue of the sky contrast with the few higher clouds for ideal picture conditions. After Yokodake the slopes become much gentler and the density of people drops, on the flip side the view towards the North becomes less interesting but the one to the South is still great.

We then reached Iodake, a very flat summit seen from the South but a very sharp cliff seen from the West, and found another crowd. We then kept going and reached Tengu dake, the last major summit of the day.

The trail becomes less interesting from there, with many large rocks making progression very slow. The last kilometers proved to be tough on the knees and we were also gained by the fatigue.

We were fast (some parts done in less than half the map time) but in the end we were not fast enough to catch the 12:00 bus. At the very end we gave up and took a long break to finish the hike shortly after 1 PM.

The last bus from Mugikusa pass leaves at 3:20 PM (http://www.alpico.co.jp/access/suwa/pdf/mugikusa2013.pdf), we tried hitchhiking but that failed and had to wait for more than 2 hours. Taking a cab would have cost 10,000 yen so we took a nap while waiting for the bus (1,400 yen to Chino station)

Overall the hike was fantastic, the weather great and we had wonderful sceneries to feast our eyes. The sunrise itself was worth the 10 hours of transportation round trip.


More pictures here: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/e8kpjigu4v0igbb/pQuZ-bN73v