30 — Mt. Makihata 1967 m
Peace
30 March 2019
Spade, crampons and ice axe on the handy we set of on a Friday night to go on a two nights mission. It was the slowest ascend I have ever done in my life, and I was dragging on with a new backpack stuffed with food, sleeping bag and unnecessary items. We bumped upon a human-made igloo and decided to snow cave in there for the first night. What everybody told me before seemed to be accurate, it is a lot warmer in the igloo than it is outside, but it is still cold. After a few hours of sleep, we woke up for the sunrise and had a view of the ridge we have climbed the night before, what a beauty.
Peace is the profound value of my ski buddy, and while talking about it on a ski trip to Nozawa Onsen, we realised that it is also connected to a lot of other values.
Start & End Point: +36.831273° N, +138.966852° E (crazy station)
Distance covered: 12.3 km
Time: 15.14 h (including sleeping in the igloo)
Vertical gain/descent: 1330 m
Weather & Visibility: Small moment of clarity in the morning to be replaced by Everest conditions for the rest of the hike.
Good for: Snow caving, routes that only can be done in winter, Tanigawa view.
1 September 2019
Finally made it back to Makihata, in the blistering heat this time. It was fascinating to see the place in summer, the big snow walls on the side of the roads were gone, and the local people were out and about in the early morning. I thought to be adventures and take the dotted trail but got called back by a lovely Japanese guy. He justed wanted to tell me this trail was difficult and I better take the main path.
Start & End Point: +36.954688° N, +138.935244° E
Distance covered: 17.4 km
Time: 7.36 h
Vertical gain/descent: 1929 m
Weather & Visibility: hot, sunny, humid, clouds coming in at the peak.
Good for: flowers, butterflies, practising Japanese, green rolling hills.
