REPORT

Autumn sunlight, autumn colors. Pushed by the low early morning temperatures that had me feeling chilly, I set out for the summit of Karamatsu-dake (Mt. Karamatsu, 2,696 meters). On the trail, I spoke with a hiker from Tochigi Prefecture (pictured, far left), who told me, “I came here to do a one-day climb of Mt. Karamatsu because I heard it was a good introductory mountain for the Northern Alps, but it is really tough (lol). We are going to keep moving slowly and aiming for the summit.”
[The Trail to Mt. Karamatsu・Maruyama Cairn to Karamatsu Summit Hut]

On the way from the Maruyama Cairn to the Karamatsu Summit Hut, I spied a pair of raicho (rock ptarmigans) on the southern slope, prompting excited responses from nearby hikers such as, “This is my first time to see them! They’re so cute!” Further up, as I passed through a steep and narrow section of trail (pictured), I was particularly careful not to kick any rocks down on hikers behind me.
[The Trail to Mt. Karamatsu・Maruyama Cairn to Karamatsu Summit Hut]

It took me about 4 hours to reach the summit of Mt. Karamatsu, including the last, approximately 25-minute, hike to the peak from the Karamatsu Summit Hut. On the top, I ran into a pair (pictured) from Niigata Prefecture’s Itoigawa City, who energetically asked me to take their picture. They told me, “It’s quite cold because of the northeast wind, so we had to put on our jackets. We’re looking forward to your report.”
[The Trail to Mt. Karamatsu・Mt. Karamatsu Summit]

As I started my descent, I began to hope that I could come back here again around the time of the first snowfall. On the way down I took a break at the Ogi no Setsuden, the large spring and early summer snowfield, but all the snow has long since melted away. Suddenly, I heard a man yell out “ya-ho,” as is customary in the mountains, but I had no idea where he was. Someone around me commented, “I haven’t heard that for a long time (lol).” Another person added, “Someone should answer him.”
[The Trail to Mt. Karamatsu・Karamatsu Summit Hut to Mt. Karamatsu Summit]

　　
[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.
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reported by Snownavi