This mountain just about killed me, but Mt. Yakushi-dake (薬師岳) had
without question some of the most striking vistas and panoramas I've
ever seen while climbing the Japan Alps.
My big mistake on the first day of hiking was trying
to make it from the Murodo (室堂) Terminal trailhead all the way to the
Sugo-norikoshi-goya (スゴ乗越小屋) mountain hut in one day.
Although the
Lonely Planet's Hiking in Japan book
estimates the hiking time from the Goshiki-ga-hara-sanso (五色ヶ原山荘)
mountain hut to the Sugo-norikoshi-goya (スゴ乗越小屋) mountain hut as 4
hours, it took me nearly 7.
Murodo (室堂)
Terminal trailhead
As a result, I didn't arrive at the hut till around 8 pm, and because I
had made advance reservations, they sent out a search party for me.
Not good. Arriving late at the huts is a
big breach of Japanese mountain climbing etiquette, as dinner is
usually served around 5 or 6 and lights out are usually by 8.
When I
arrived, most people were already in their futons and lights
were out, but the cordial hut staff served me dinner anyways.
That section of the Mt. Yakushi-dake (薬師岳) trail is one of the most
up-and-down & primitive I've ever encountered in Japan, and can
really take a toll on your body. From Goshiki-ga-hara-sanso (五色ヶ原山荘)
you go up about 100m, down 250m, up 250m, down 300m, up 100m,
down 250m, and finally up another 150m to the
Sugo-norikoshi-goya (スゴ乗越小屋) mountain hut. Wow.
And if that weren't enough, some of the
sections are virtually vertical, requiring ascents/descents of 10-15
meters with the aid of built-in ropes and chains. As they say, "A
picture's worth a thousand words," so this
elevation profile
should give you a better idea of what you're up against.
My favorite passage from the Lonely Planet's description of this trail
section is "So just relax and enjoy the scenery and the morning." Makes
me wonder if the writer actually hiked this course.
View of Mt.
Yakushi-dake (薬師岳)
This trail is not very busy, and so if you have an accident you might
be in deep doo-doo, as it could be ages before you
get rescued, if anyone comes at all.
My advice for future trekkers starting from the Murodo (室堂)
trailhead & who aren't camping, is to stay overnight at the
Goshiki-ga-hara-sanso (五色ヶ原山荘), where they actually have a hot
bath, an extreme rarity at mountain huts in Japan.
Interestingly, I had no trouble on Days 2 & 3. In fact, on Day
3 I left the Tarodaira-goya (太郎平小屋) mountain hut (where I stayed the
2nd night) before 5:30 am and was back in Tokyo by 2:30 pm via bus,
local train, and shinkansen (bullet train). I finished my hiking at the
Oritate (折立) bus stop.
I hope you enjoy my pics below, hosted at Flickr !
It's some pretty stunning scenery, I'm sure you'll agree, and
helps explain why I've lived in Japan such a loooooong time.
Mt. Yakushi-dake (薬師岳), elev.
2926 m,
Japan's 19th highest peak,
Aug.
9-11, 2008
Route Map of Mt. Yakushi-dake (薬師岳)
(from yamareco.com)
Mt. Yakushi-dake (薬師岳) Elevation Profile
for the above route.
(Please note: the above route map and elevation profile differ slightly
from my own route, as they include an ascent of Mt. Tateyama (立山).
Please stop by again soon, as I hope to add more details on
this Mt. Yakushi-dake (薬師岳) climbing trip, including hiking times
and expenses. Cheers !
book
estimates the hiking time from the Goshiki-ga-hara-sanso (五色ヶ原山荘)
mountain hut to the Sugo-norikoshi-goya (スゴ乗越小屋) mountain hut as 4
hours, it took me nearly 7.
