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posted: May 31st, 2012 |
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This page begins with May 19th and a trip to Gunma Prefecture, where we met up with an internet friend of Kazuya's. He took us to Mt. Kesamaru for a climb of Mt. Mae-Kesamaru (1,878.2 m = 6,162 ft) and Mt. Ato-Kesamaru (1,908 m = 6,260 ft). Our goal for this day was not only a climb of the mountain, but also to see and photograph a kind of Mountain Azalea (Rhododendron pentaphyllum var. nikoense) which is very prevalent here. After that we jump to May 25th and a trip to Oze National Park. This was our 4th visit to Oze National Park - and this was the earliest in the year that we have ever visited here. Click on any thumbnail to begin.
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| Begin May 19th |
We started climbing at about 7:30 AM via a trail which is not on the map. This friend of Kazuya's (Daigo) climbs this mountain fairly often, so he knows of many routes up this mountain. These first 2 shots show the starting point and a zoomed-in photo of the rock shown in the first photo.
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We climbed up a ridge and the first photo in this row shows Daigo (left) and Kazuya (right) on a rocky outcrop part-way up the mountain. The 2nd and 3rd shots show a dead tree with an amazing growth of Shitake Mushrooms on it. This is an edible mushroom and we had never seen it growing wild before - an amazing find.
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Because we were not an a real trail we had to hike/climb up through the bamboo grass - this first photo shows me. The 2nd shot shows our first close view of the Mountain Azalea which we hoped to find here - the Rhododendron pentaphyllum var. nikoense. The 3rd shot is a photo - very much zoomed - which was taken through some bushes (the blurry things in the foreground). It shows the amazing abundance of Rhododendron pentaphyllum var. nikoense on the mountain ridge opposite our location. We'll descend via the ridge shown in this photo.
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Here is a shot of Rhododendron pentaphyllum var. nikoense and Daigo in first position. The 2nd and 3rd shots show the Rhododendron pentaphyllum var. nikoense and Japanese Paper Birch.
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In first position is another shot of Rhododendron pentaphyllum var. nikoense and Japanese Paper Birch. The 2nd shot shows more Rhododendron pentaphyllum var. nikoense and a false summit of Mt. Mae-Kesamaru which we will cross to get to the summit. The 3rd shot is a very strange bush.
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In first and 2nd position are shots of Mt. Nikkou Shirane, a mountain which Daigo told us the name of. As stated above, he climbs in this area fairly often, so he knows the names of all of the mountains which can be seen from this mountain. The 2nd shot also shows some nice Rhododendron pentaphyllum var. nikoense. The 3rd shot shows the ridge we are climbing.
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The first shot here shows the same ridge as shown in the previous photo, but it is different enough so that I wanted to include it. The 2nd shot shows me continuing to slog my way through the bamboo grass. The 3rd shot shows all 3 of us at the summit of Mt. Mae-Kesamaru (1,878.2 m = 6,162 ft). We'll go just over the peak and stop to eat the lunch which we brought with us and then we'll continue on for another 1 hour and 10 minutes (round trip) to Mt. Ato-Kesamaru.
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Some nice mountain scenery from the spot where we stopped for lunch. The 1st shot shows Mt. Hotokayama (a.k.a. Mt. Joushuu-Hotaka) on the left side of the photo and Mt. Shibutsu on the right side. The 2nd shot shows Mt. Ato-Kesamaru, our destination. The 3rd shot shows Mt. Shibutsu (center) - way off in Oze National Park - we have climbed that peak twice. You can search for it just below if you so desire.
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The first shot here is zoomed in to Mt. Shibutsu and it's a bit blurry due to heat waves. On the left side of the photo is Mt. Ko-Shibutsu - we've also climbed it twice. The 2nd shot shows me between Mt. Mae-Kesamaru and Mt. Ato-Kesamaru. The 3rd shot shows Kazuya and I at the summit of Mt. Ato-Kesamaru (1,908 m = 6,260 ft).
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Now we are headed back for Daigo's car, but it's still a couple or more hours away. The mountain on the left side of this first photo is Mt. Ato-Kesamaru. The 2nd shot shows some amazing Rhododendron pentaphyllum var. nikoense - and this is supposedly nothing at all compared to last year!!! The 3rd shot is a close-up shot of a single flower of the Rhododendron pentaphyllum var. nikoense.
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All 3 shots in this row feature Rhododendron pentaphyllum var. nikoense. In the 3rd shot notice the large bee.
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Now we are quite far down the mountain. On the left is Mt. Mae-Kesamaru. The mountain behind it is Mt. Ato-Kesamaru. We stopped for a break and a deer appeared out of nowhere. In the 2nd shot Kazuya caught it rather perfectly. In the 3rd shot I caught it, but I cut its ears off. I only got one shot and it was gone.
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Here are two final shots of Rhododendron pentaphyllum var. nikoense.
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Now we are quite far down the mountain and this is the last spot where we will be able to look back and see it. The center image is the left and right images stitched together. That peak off to the left of center is Mt. Mae-Kesamaru. Hope you enjoyed this adventure - it was a lot of work. We started climbing at 7:30 AM and got back to the car at 4:50 PM - a long day.
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| End May 19th, Begin May 25th |
On Friday, May 25th, Kazuya and I got up early, got ready and went to our local train station. We took the 5:09 AM train to Tokyo Station and then took a Shinkansen to Takasaki. From there we took a local train to Numata, then a bus to Tokura and from there, another bus to Hatomachi Pass - the beginning of the hiking trail for Oze National Park. This was our 4th trip to Oze National Park - and our earliest of the season. There was still snow, as you will see in some photos. The first photo in this row shows the start of the hiking trail - note the elevation of 1,591 meters (= 5,220 ft). Also note the snow behind the sign. The 2nd photo shows the trail and snow still remaining. The 3rd photo is a nice Trillium smallii.
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Here is a 2nd photo of the Trillium smallii in first position. That's followed by a shot of Mt. Shibutsu, which we have climbed twice in past years. This year the mountain trail is still closed due to excessive snow. By the way, this is the same Mt. Shibutsu which was shown up above in Rows 8 and 9. The 3rd shot shows a scene from the trail. By the way, if you would like to look at photos from later in the season taken during our previous visits here then please see the photos of June 2010 HERE, July 2010 HERE and July 2011 HERE.
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In this row are photos of an Oxalis, probably Oxalis griffithii var. kantoensis, a Heloniopsis orientalis and a nice Skunk Cabbage (Lysichiton camtschatcense) plant.
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Here are 3 Skunk Cabbage (Lysichiton camtschatcense) photos. Oze National Park is famous for the abundance of Skunk Cabbage Flowers in the spring, so you should expect to see several Skunk Cabbage shots on this and the following page. Keep in mind that we are still only on the entry trail!
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The first shot here shows Kazuya taking photos of a patch of Skunk Cabbage (Lysichiton camtschatcense). The 2nd photo shows the Visitor Center and campsite at Yamanohana. The lone tent sitting there is ours. It started raining just as we arrived there, so we had to set our tent up quickly. It continued raining the remainder of the day and for one-half of the night. The 3rd shot shows Kazuya on the boardwalk out in the marsh. Of course we did not let the rain keep us from hiking out into the marsh.
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The first shot in this row shows a large area of Skunk Cabbage (Lysichiton camtschatcense), taken from the boardwalk of course. The 2nd and 3rd shots show Caltha palustris var. nipponica.
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The first shot in this row shows an overflowing river - still lots of melting snow coming off the mountains. The 2nd shot shows me on the boardwalk trying to take photos in the rain. The 3rd shot shows a smaller river and Lysichiton camtschatcense (Skunk Cabbage).
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Here is an area of Lysichiton camtschatcense (Skunk Cabbage) with a birch forest behind it. The 2nd shot shows a small island in a river that is covered with Lysichiton camtschatcense (Skunk Cabbage). You can also see the boardwalk and a bridge in the background.
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| End May 25th, End Page 3 |
| Thanks so much for taking the time to look at this page. Please continue on to page 4 for the continuation of this Oze National Park adventure and then the conclusion of May! |
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