Mountain Hut Life, Right?
It was just past 4 AM, getting ready in my sleeping bag for a 4:30 AM breakfast. It was -2 degrees Celsius, so cold! And even though clear skies were predicted, it looked like it had snowed during the night. But still, I couldn’t feel refreshed… I was woken up multiple times by snoring and couldn’t get any sleep. It’s a common mountain hut thing, but I forgot my earplugs. Come to think of it, I recently got an email saying BOSE Sleepbuds II were on sale, and I considered buying them. Maybe that was a sign to buy them… (I’m actually debating buying them right now as I write this, lol).
Normally, I don’t eat carbs in the morning (I don’t like feeling heavy), but when it comes to mountain climbing, I know I’ll run out of steam if I don’t eat a proper meal, so I made sure to fuel up. The perfectly grilled fish was incredibly delicious, and the hot miso soup really helped clear my foggy head.
Through the Forest Zone up to the 5th Station
Left the mountain hut around 5:30 AM. Despite the snow overnight, it was a perfectly clear day! Up to the 5th station, it felt like we were zig-zagging through a forest of Japanese firs and other trees. According to the lodge owner last night, snow was expected from the 6th station, but we already needed crampons by the 3rd station.
Reached Otaki-gashira at the 5th station, about 2 hours in. Just as I saw at the bus terminal yesterday, the traverse route through Yabusawa to Uma-no-se was indeed closed.
Kosenjogatake Feels So Far Away…
After passing the 5th station and climbing for a while, we emerged from the treeline into a world covered in pristine white snow. Looking back, the dynamic shape of Mt. Kai-Komagatake burst into view – wow, what an amazing panorama!
The air was so clear that day, I could even see the peaks of the Northern Alps, including Mt. Yari. From the 6th station onwards, I kept getting captivated by the incredible scenery, stopping to take photos… which meant I wasn’t making much progress.
The slow progress wasn’t just because of the amazing views; the steep ascent towards Kosenjogatake was like a wall, forcing me to stop many times. It’s hard to convey in photos, but it was a relentlessly steep slope where you had to advance steadily, step by step, using an ice axe. Honestly, it was exhausting.
But amidst all that, when I happened to glance to my left, I saw the beautiful figures of Mt. Fuji, Japan’s highest peak, and Mt. Kita, the second highest. I kept wondering why seeing Mt. Fuji always makes me so happy, as I silently continued my climb.
Finally arrived at Kosenjogatake, at an elevation of 2855 meters. Phew, that was tough! I’d climbed high enough that Mt. Kai-Komagatake, which was majestically towering behind me just a while ago, now looked a bit smaller.
Meanwhile, directly in front of me, Mt. Senjogatake and a beautiful snow-filled cirque jumped into view. The 360-degree view from this peak was truly magnificent, and with hardly any wind that day, I felt like I could stay there forever, just gazing at the scenery.
Beyond the Thrilling Ridge Walk to Senjogatake Summit
From Kosenjogatake to Senjogatake, it was a ridge walk. While there weren’t any cornices, there were many places where one side dropped off steeply, so I had to proceed with a fair amount of tension. With such amazing scenery all around, I instinctively wanted to turn my body and gaze everywhere, but I had to limit that to spots where I had a reasonably wide and secure footing; otherwise, it would be dangerous.
There weren’t many hikers that day, maybe just over 10 that I could see. Still, knowing there were people both ahead and behind me offered a certain sense of reassurance.
What’s tricky about spring snow mountains is these occasional rocky sections. When you’re wearing 12-point crampons, these rocky patches are incredibly difficult to walk on, and you have to be extra careful not to slip.
Towards Senjogatake, there are cirques on both the left and right sides, and both look amazing for skiing. In fact, under the cirque on the right, there’s Senjo Hut, and according to the owner, people sometimes carry their skis up and ski down. Carrying skis all the way up, even including Kosenjogatake, sounds incredibly tough, but it must feel absolutely incredible.
That right-side cirque has a slightly gentler slope. Senjo Hut is located just below it.
With the summit right in front of me, the most nerve-wracking part was this ridge that dropped off steeply on both sides. Footprints continued to the right, but that right-side slope was also at a pretty terrifying angle, making my heart pound with the thought that if I fell, I’d just keep falling. I made sure not to look around too much, cautiously moving forward while focusing only on my feet and what was directly ahead. I was really glad there weren’t many other hikers.
Looking back now. Having crossed it, I still think it was incredibly scary. The person about to cross it also seemed hesitant, and I totally get that feeling. Honestly, the thought of having to go back through there on the way down gives me chills.
If I had to say, it was also true that there was a strange sense of relief knowing that Senjo Hut was below the “right side” cirque where everyone was walking. While a fall there wouldn’t be pretty, I felt like I could at least make it to the hut. Apparently, this hut is managed by the owner of Komorebi Sanso, where I stayed this time.
Finally reached the summit of Mt. Senjogatake! Wow, it was a long way, and I hadn’t felt that much tension in ages. There was no wind today, it wasn’t even that cold, and there were so few people, so I enjoyed the 360-degree magnificent view while munching on some bread and sausages.
From the summit, the way back involved views of Senjogatake’s cirque, Kosenjogatake, and Mt. Kai-Komagatake beyond. Honestly, the ascent was quite steep, so I was worried about the descent. However, the snow was fairly firm, which made it relatively easy to dig in my crampons and crunch my way down.
After crossing that infamous steep ridge and relaxing a bit at the summit of Kosenjogatake, another hiker mentioned, “From here on, you can descend calmly without feeling your life is in danger,” and it was so true. That being said, descending a snow-covered mountain for over three hours wasn’t exactly easy, and my knees and thighs definitely took a beating. Tomorrow’s muscle aches are going to be brutal!
So, my spring snow mountain hike on Mt. Senjogatake turned out to be an incredible journey, filled with a long-missed sense of thrilling excitement and absolutely breathtaking views.
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