Hiking the Minami Alps*

*the photo above is actually from this summer in the North Cascades.

Tomoe will be gone to Austria for a week-long business trip, leaving me a week vacation. Its strange how even though I don't have a regular job, I see Tomoe going away as a "vacation"...

I will be taking this opportunity to catch a (last this year?) multi-day hike. I spent all day pouring over maps and bus routes trying to figure out what will be the most productive hike in terms of time spent on-trail relative to cost of transportation.

A meeting with a client on Oct. 30 means I have to be back by Oct. 29, and Tomoe leaves Oct 23, so I have a seven day window. I have been wanting to hike Kamikochi, but after a few phone calls, I find that my desired entry point for is closed due to a landslide or some other damage. The other possible routes would take an entire day just to get to the trail-head (unless I am willing to pay even more money for a taxi).

Looking to get the most on-trail-time for the lowest price, I turned my attention to the Southern Alps in Yamanashi and found what I think will be a kick-arse route. Six days of hiking (four completely in the mountains) and five nights sleeping beneath the stars, rain, or snow. I will cover four of the "Hyakumeizan" (One-hundred famous mountains), including Kita-dake - the second highest mountain in Japan (after Fuji) - and the trip ends with an onsen and a beer. It doesn't get any better than that.

Above: The southern alps in relation to Japan: (The days of the hike alternate between red and yellow)

Above: Day 1. Arrive 10:15 at Aoyagi bus stop (2,300 yen) and walk 1.5 hours to the trail head, followed by 3 hours trail hiking to Hokora campsite. I would like to hike longer, but 5:00 sunsets means the next campsite is too far away.

Above: Day 2. While I start the day on a trail, I eventually run into a road, then back on a trail, ending up just past the 2584m ****. - maybe 10 hours in total.

Above: Day 3. Over the 2840m Hououzan (one of the Hyakumeizan), down into a valley, and half way up Kitadake (another Hyakumeizan), where I camp after a good 9 hour hike.

Above: Day 4 takes me over two more Hyakumeizan, both over 3000m - Kitadake (3193m) and Ainodake (3189m).

Above: Day 5. Ten hours of hiking with Senjyogatake (3,033m) as the main attraction.

Above: Day 6. What a treat that on the last day I get to summit one last hyakumeizan, Kaikomagatake (2967m), before heading down to Nagasaka station for a hot-spring bath before catching a bus home.