Posted in Hokkaido hikes, tagged hiking, Hokkaido hikes, Hyakumeizan, Japan, Mt. Poroshiri on September 29, 2009 | 3 Comments »
I checked-out of the decrepit hotel in the dingy town of Tokachi-shimizu early on a cool and calm Saturday morning. The dreary drizzle of the previous night gave way to stunningly blue skies, the perfect climbing conditions for knocking off my final peak in Hokkaido.
I walked out to route 274, stuck out my thumb, and [...]
Posted in Niigata hikes, tagged hiking, Hyakumeizan, Japan, Mt. Echigo-komagatake, Niigata hikes on September 26, 2009 | Leave a Comment »
As a brutally wet August comes to a close, I venture off into the hinterlands to knock off 2 of my remaining 5 peaks. It won’t be easy though, with torrential rain on the horizon and nearly 3000 meters of vertical elevation gain awaiting. Successfully scale these peaks and all that lay between myself and [...]
Posted in Kita Alps treks, tagged hiking, Hyakumeizan, Japan, Kita Alps, Mt. Kasa on September 23, 2009 | 2 Comments »
I roll out of my cozy sleeping bag a little before 6am on a cool September morning. Sandwiched between a row of coin lockers and a protective railing on a traffic island in the middle of Takayama bus terminal, I escape detection while rolling up my evidence. Tucking into the station to illegally recharge [...]
Posted in Tohoku hikes, tagged Aomori, Hyakumeizan, Mt. Iwaki, Tohoku hikes on September 5, 2009 | 1 Comment »
The car dropped me off in front of Hirosaki station just before 3pm. I quickly checked the bus schedule: 3:05pm departure for Dake-onsen. Not in time for the last shuttle bus to the 8th stage, but it would have to do. At the hot spring, I walked up the road with my thumb outstretched. 20 [...]
Posted in Hokkaido hikes, tagged hiking, Hokkaido, Hyakumeizan, Japan, Mt. Meakan on September 1, 2009 | 1 Comment »
The threatening skies during my ascent of Mt. Shari held off until boarding the train to Mashu, where the rain fell in great sheets. At the station, I learned that the last bus to Lake Akan left just 5 minutes prior to my arrival: perhaps a deliberate ploy by the taxi companies? The [...]
