Stage 4: Kurobegoro Hut to Sugoroku-goya Hut
Total Distance: 3.8 miles (6.1 kilometers)
Total Time: 3.5 hours
Ascent/Descent: 1,820 up and 1,138 down
We awoke to gale force wind and rain. In the pre-dawn darkness, people silently scurried about the hut — zipping up coats, lacing boots, and securing pack covers. As we headed down to breakfast at 5:00 a.m., several headlights were already bobbing into the distance. Everyone else seemed privy to weather information we didn’t have. Following their cue, we didn’t waste any time. We slurped down breakfast, packed up and headed out into a very strong wind and drizzle. Kurobegoro Hut sits in a valley, so we were immediately ascending steeply towards the ridgeline of Mt. Mitsumatarenge (2841m). I felt a strange constriction in my chest and was having a hard time fully inhaling. Despite the weather, I was moving slowly, pausing every few hundred feet to attempt a deeper breath. This was a new and unpleasant sensation. About 30 minutes into the climb, the restriction eased a little bit and my pace improved. the tightness wasn’t gone, though, and all sorts of theories floated through my head — altitude? indigestion? gas? covid?
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Zero visibility. We hiked in a white-out, ponchos flapping, heads down, mission-oriented. I developed a new appreciation for the tightly-knit junipers lining the trail; they provided a superb wind block on an otherwise quite exposed and treeless ridge. We came to a junction below the summit of Mt. Misumatarenge. Visibility was poor and the wind was unrelenting. We consulted our map and chose the Makimichi route, which dips down into a meadow, off the ridge and sheltered a bit from the wind. It was an easy trail, cut deeply through more jumbles of thick juniper. We hurried along the rocky path, occasionally pausing to feel the raw power of the wind and watch the tall grasses sway. After a short rock scramble, the trail re-converged at a promontory overlooking Sugoroku Hut. On a clear day, the famously-pointed peak of Mt. Yari would have been visible. Today, however, it was completely cloaked in a thick grey cloud.
In a blustery wind and with the drizzle now a downpour, we blew into the hut around 9:30 in the morning. Two young women at the counter smiled cheerfully and welcomed us into the warmth. We had hoped to hike Mt. Yari today and sleep at Yari-ga-dake Hut, but the ladies at the counter told us the weather was going to get far worse (!?) and advised against going any further for the day. We called Yari-ga-dake hut and they, too, warned us not to continue onward. It was early, but we were done for the day. We moved into the drying room to undress and hang up our soaked gear. When we emerged, the lobby was full of other soggy hikers making last minute reservations at Sugoroku Hut. It was turning into quite the crowded party! We were assigned a mat in a group room with 4 other people. We took a short nap and then spent the rest of the afternoon in the common area, doing logic puzzles, sipping beverages (vin chaud!), eating noodles, and warming ourselves by a kerosene heater as the ferocious wind shook the shingles.
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The common area filled to capacity by mid-day and dinner was split into two shifts. We had a break from don katsu with fried vegetable tempera and soba noodles! It was soooo good…. but I had no appetite, a headache, and my breathing was still a bit shallow. I did not eat much dinner and retired early to bed… only to add insomnia to the growing list of symptoms as I tossed and turned well past midnight, listening to the thunder and pounding rain…
Note: The scenery from Kurobegoro Hut to Sugoroku Hut was described in the Cicerone guide as having “endless mountain views in every direction”. Apologies for the lack of landscape photos on Day 4, but whiteouts are a reality in the Japan Alps. The weather can be a stinker at times, but it definitely pays back as it clears! Day 5 was another lovely scenic gift!
Read more in Stage 5: Sugoroku-goya Hut to Shin-hotaka Onsen —>
