When my climbing buddy & I scaled Mt. Kashimayari-ga-dake
(鹿島槍ヶ岳) in
Aug. 2007, it was our 2nd attempt, having failed 2 years
before. On
that
prior trip we encountered very severe weather (including a lightening
storm)
on the morning of our 2nd day of hiking, so decided pack it in (back to
Tokyo).
Wise
decision. In fact, on that same August day in 2005 a couple of
hikers died in an avalanche in the Daisekkei (大雪渓) (big snow valley)
enroute
to the top of Mt. Shirouma-dake (白馬岳), only about 15km north of us.
That abbreviated trip was a fun experience nonetheless and if you get a
chance, please check out my pics of Jii-ga-take (爺ヶ岳)
and Tsumeta-ike-sanso (冷池山莊) from that trip.
But
this time.....WOW. Clear sunny weather....so much so in fact that it
got so HOT
on our 2nd day of hiking, even in those higher altitudes I suffered
from a moderate
case of dehydration. My hiking buddy (15 yrs. my junior) left
me in the
dust and I arrived at the Goryu-sanso (五竜山荘) mountain hut (late for
dinner)
about a
half-hour behind him.
Atop Mt.
Kashimayari-ga-dake (鹿島槍ヶ岳)
Aug. 12, 2007
In my defense, even though this route doesn't look too intimidating on
the map, from the Tsumeta-ike-sanso (冷池山莊) (elev. 2410m) where
we
stayed
the 1st night, you gain 479m up to the summit
of Kashimayari-ga-dake
(鹿島槍ヶ岳),
drop 419m down to the Kiretto-goya (elev. 2470m), gain 344m up to the
summit of Goryu-dake (五竜岳), and then drop 324m down to the Goryu-sanso
(五竜山荘) (elev.
2490m), which was only 80m higher than the day's starting point.
WHEW !! This is quite a workout for anyone not in tip-top shape. We
started
hiking at 6:10am and I didn't finish till 6:35pm. Ugh !!
Here's the elevation profile of my exact
route, posted by another hiker who went the same way.
But one of the nicest things about this hike was the way it
finished.....with a nice soak in a hot spring. Hiking out the Hakuba
Goryu ski valley, we were able to catch the Goryu Alps Daira Telecabin
(ropeway) down to Escal Plaza in the village of Kamishiro, where we had
lunch and enjoyed their
onsen. From there it was a 7 1/2 hour bus ride back
to Shinjuku in Tokyo.
Mt.
Kashimayari-ga-dake
(鹿島槍ヶ岳) Pics &
Video
I hope you'll have time to enjoy my pics and video shown
below. The video of the Kashiwara Shindo Climbing Route (柏原新道)is just 25-seconds
long, but has already been
circulated virally throughout cyberspace. It'll make you wish you were
there. Enjoy !!
Pics of Mt.
Kashimayari-ga-dake (鹿島槍ヶ岳), elev.
2889m,
Japan's
23nd highest peak,
Aug.
11-13, 2007
(complete Flickr set here)
Kashiwara Shindo Climbing Route
(柏原新道),
Northern Japan Alps (25-second
panorama of the
spectacular mountains from
Shirouma-dake (白馬岳) in the north, to Karamatsu-dake, to Goryu-dake
(五竜岳), and
to
Kashimayari-hoppou in the south, taken from the Tomione ridge)
My Google Map of Mt.
Kashimayari-ga-dake (鹿島槍ヶ岳)
(zoom out to see all 25 highest mountains)
Well, I guess that's enough for now. Please stop by
again soon, as I intend to add more
details later on
this Mt. Kashimayari-ga-dake (鹿島槍ヶ岳) climbing trip, including hiking
times and expenses.
Better still, you can subscribe to this
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Thanks for visiting...
