22 — Mt. Yari 3180 m
1 July 2019
Ok ok, I am cheating, I have actually not yet stood on the very top of Yari-ga-take, I shivered, froze and almost cried about 20 meters below the summit holding on to a ladder and my life.
I finally decided to leave for my expedition into the Alps, the weather prognoses were not pleasant, and the day before the departure it rained heavily. I had enough of chilling and decided to go for it anyways. I started at 843 meters, with 2336 vertical meters ahead. The weather turned out pretty decent, but I didn’t see a single hiker on the route. I did pass two Japanese guys who were employees of a mountain hut and were checking the trails after the rain. (Yes Japan is fantastic like that.) They told me their hut was still closed and that an hour ahead there was a river that might be difficult to cross, but if I went ahead of a big rock it would be more comfortable and that seemed a golden tip. I decided to get wet but also stable as the water was coming down with an immense force.
The second hard racing moment I had was when I made it up to the ridgeline and met Everest-type winds straight in the face. I was also able to look over the ridge and saw massive mountains as far as my eyes could reach; I was alone on top of Japan. I had to take a break in between two massive rocks to dodge the wind and to catch my breath, I could see the hut now and then peeping through the clouds, it was still a fair distance away, and the road that led to it looked rocky and scary. I considered running back down to jump in an onsen and go home. The option was to trooper on for another half hour or so or to walk down for seven hours. So I did walk on to realize that I was the only person staying in the Yari hut with two Korean girls camping. The next day I dropped down into the Kamikochi valley and learned from some hikers on the way that the route had been closed down on the Kamikochi side the day I walked up from Shinhotaka Onsen.
But back to the very top of Yari. As soon as I reached the hut, clouds came in, and visibility was nihil. The hut is on a plateau that has a massive rock shaped like the Matterhorn right next to it for the final meters. I decided to chill, eat good food and get comfy to hit the summit in the morning. The clouds came in and out, and during rare and super short moments, the peak and the valley showed themselves. I was confident that the early morning would be full of sunshine and that I would be smiling away on the summit. That did not happen; it was cold, and miserable, and all were in the cloud in the morning. Yari I will be back.
Start & End Point: +36.278754° N, +137.572676° E
Distance covered: 15.3 km
Time: 7h36
Vertical gain/descent: 2336 m
Weather & Visibility: Clear and sunny on lower ground, windy and cloudy on higher ground
Good For: Alpine hiking, Alpine views, plants, massive river crossing
27 June 2022
Yes, I totally went back, with another three years of outdoor experience under my belt I realized how easy things had become. The cheesy lines I sometimes use during my PE lessons hold some truth, “you got to move to improve” “when you do it more often it becomes easier” & “no pain no gain”. Before leaving Japan and moving to New York City I wanted to do one more expedition. I knew I would run into some of the same problems I encountered in 2019 as the end of June is just a little early for the North Alps in Japan. Most huts open mid-august. I tried to make it up Kasagata en failed from two different approaches as it was just too snowy. To not waste the drive to Shinhotaka I decided to go up to Yari as I knew that the hut would be open, and with the hut open the trail must be somewhat doable. I took the same route as three years earlier and sincerely enjoyed it since I started a little later there was no other human to be found and once I reach the hut I, like last time, was the only person staying. Like last time I opted for chilling in the evening and ascending the spiral-shaped summit in the morning. The weather forecast predicted a nice and sunny morning this wasn’t the case but finally sitting on top of Yari and realizing how people grow gave me a lot of joy.
I strolled down via the same route and had a good wash in one of my favorite onsens before starting my drive to the South Alps of Japan for hopefully a more successful multiple-day mountain expedition.
