REPORT

It’s been a pleasant and unusual string of consecutive sunny days in the middle of the rainy season, and it seemed like the perfect opportunity to hike beyond the Happo-ike Pond and up towards the summit of Mt. Karamatsu. On my way up I an into a hiker who greeted me with a “Good morning Snownavi!”, before telling me that they started in the morning from the Cafeteria Kurobishi at 4:00 a.m. and had already climbed all the way up to the top of Mt. Karamatsu. They mentioned that they were even able to see the Noto Peninsula from the summit.
[The Trail to Mt. Karamatsu・Ogino Snowfield to Maruyama Cairn]

There were only two brief sections of the trail with snow remaining on the way up, both before reaching the Maruyama Cairn, with the first around 10m in length and the second around 50m, and neither required crampons. After climbing past the Maruyama Cairn, the rest of the path up to the summit of Mt. Karamatsu was entirely snow-free. The weather today was excellent, with the sky remaining clear throughout the day.
[The Trail to Mt. Karamatsu・Maruyama Cairn to Karamatsu Summit Hut]

The trekking course along the ridge did not disappoint! As you might expect, there were fewer people in the area beyond the Maruyama Cairn, though the Happo-ike Pond was able to draw a crow despite the fact that it was a weekday, thanks to the spectacular views. As for alpine flora, miyama kinpoge (meadow buttercups) were at their best between the Kami-no-Kanba forest and the Ogi-no-Setsuden snowfield, chinguruma (Aleutian avens) and koiwa kagami (fringed galax) were in full bloom from the Maruyama Cairn to the summit, and hakusan ichige (narcissus anemone) as well as miyama kinbai could be found in number in the vicinity of the hut.
[The Trail to Mt. Karamatsu・Maruyama Cairn to Karamatsu Summit Hut]

After leaving the Happo-ike Sanso at 8:30 a.m., I arrived at the Maruyama Cairn at 10:45 a.m. and the Mt. Karamatsu Summit Hut (pictured) at 12:00 p.m. I found myself needing to hydrate more than expected, and actually ran out of the 1 liter of water I brought with me halfway up the mountain. Luckily I was able to buy a 500 ml bottle of cold water (¥450) from the hut. The Cup Noodle which are also sold there smelled delicious, and start at ¥600 with hot water, or hot water alone can be purchased for ¥300 for 500 ml.
[The Trail to Mt. Goryu・Karamatsu Summit Hut to Ushikubi]

　　
[Happo-One Nature Trail Opening Information]
＊Business Period … 6/3 (Sat.) & 6/4 (Sun.), 6/10 (Sat.) ～ 11/5/2023 (Sun.)
＊Business Hours … Happo Alpen Line will open at 8:00, on 7/8 to 7/14 at 7:30～, on 7/15～7/17、7/22、7/23、7/29、7/30 at 6:30, weekdays from 7/18 at 7:00. Kurobishi No.3 Pair will open at 8:15～ on 7/1 to 7/7,  on 7/8 to 7/14 at 7:45～、7/15～7/17、7/22、7/23、7/29、7/30 at 4:30～、 weekdays from 7/18 at 7:15.
＊Fees … Round trip use of the Happo Alpen Line / Adults JPY3,300, Children JPY2,100 → Advance Discount Tickets Adults JPY2,950, Children JPY1,800! (No need to exchange tickets! Go staraight to the Gondola), Kurobishi Line / Adults JPY1,900, Children JPY1,140

＊This report is updated once or twice a week.
＊To Visitors Requesting Original Data of Our Photographs

reported by Snownavi