Stage 2: Goshiki-ga-hara Hut to Yakushi-dake
Total Distance: 7.5 miles (12 kilometers)
Total Time: 9.5 hours
Ascent/Descent: 4,390 up and 3,560 down
Awoke at 4:45 a.m. and headed down for breakfast at 5:00 sharp. Beautiful sunrise! We were on the trail by 5:45 in a heavy fog. We continued across the broad meadow on another boardwalk, but couldn’t see much except juniper trees in the first hour. We descended into an Aspen forest briefly. As we started the first major climb of the day, the sun warmed up and the fog thinned, revealing spectacular views of the surrounding mountain peaks, deep valleys, and even the city of Toyama way in the distance!
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And then it got tough. The half a mile climb up and over Mt. Echuzawa-dake took over an hour to navigate through the boulders. Ropes were hung in a few places to assist with particularly steep sections. Unbelievably taxing! We had another couple of those treacherous little peaks to hump over before a late morning climb to Sugonokishi-goya hut for lunch. We arrived on schedule at 11:00 a.m. and slurped down a bowl of udon noodles along with a Pocari Sweat.
We had been hiking for 5 hours already and we had another 5 tough miles to go. We didn’t linger long at the lunch hut. The sun was shining and we had intermittent clear views as we headed for the grand finale of the day: Mt. Yakushi (2926m), one of Japan’s “100 Famous Mountains”. After another short, steep climb out of the cedar forest, we took it slow and steady up the scree slope of Mt. Mayama (2585m), passing a small pond and nodding a "konichiwa” to a couple of hikers moving in the opposite direction. We had encountered less than a handful of people all day - really a remote place for Japan! The clouds and scenery were stunning! From the top of Mayamasan, we could see the gradual incline to the first peak of Mt. Yakushi.
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Yakushi-dake North peak
It was uneventful until we hit the first peak and the boulder-strewn ridge walk. A cold, gusty wind greeted us, the dark clouds rolled in, and a light drizzle commenced as we picked our way across the rocky ridge toward the higher southern peak.
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The light drizzle turned into a full-on rain, the temperature plummeted and the wind was incessant. It took us another hour to reach the recently-rebuilt shrine at the second, higher summit of Yakushidake. Elated, but wet and getting a bit cold, we quickly continued onward down the winding switchback to the warmth of Yakushidake Sanso Hut.
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We arrived soggy wet at 3:30 p.m. and were greeted with an authentic smile from a lovely hostess who spoke a little English. Lots of lively day hikers from the nearby town of Oritate here — we could hear groups of Japanese people drinking, laughing, and talking in the warm, cozy common area. We hung our wet clothes in the crowded drying room and joined the crowd! Dinner was served at precisely at 5:00 on the dot — don katsu (breaded pork cutlet) again, along with unlimited rice and soup, served with an assortment of pickles.
We were assigned a mat in a group sleeping area, so I retired early in the hopes that I could catch some ZZZZ’s before it filled up. The guy next to me gnashed his teeth so incredibly loud that I locked eyes with the Japanese woman across from me and we shared a hilarious laugh! The night continued in this manner - teeth gnashing on my left, accompanied by the occasional leg incursion into my space (defended by a light but aggressive kick), loud snores from the guy next to Caffrey on our right (also defended with a light but swift kick from Caffrey), and total insomnia most of the night. Not much sleep in the group room on night #2, but up and at ‘em early for Day #3 to Kurobegoro, the most beautiful section of the five day trek…
Read more in Stage 3: Yakushidake-goya to Kurobegoro-dake —>
