Mt Asahidake

It's good to have ambitions, right? Well my ambition for the day is to drive for just over an hour back into the Daisetsuzan National Park, take the Asahidake ropeway to 1600 metres, hike up to the summit of Mt Asahidake in around 4 hours, ropeway down then drive for 5-6 hours to Wakkanai in the north west of Hokkaido.

If it all pans out it will be a L-O-N-G day. I've been checking the Asahidake summit weather for 3 days and it's been consistently predicted to be clear for this morning. So I'm up at 5:30 and in the car by 7. I reach the Asahidake ropeway a bit after 8, manage to score FREE PARKING (I thought that was a myth in Japan) and buy a ticket for the ropeway.

As soon as we all cram into the ropeway carriage (me and the tiny retirees of Japan) and it starts upwards, it's obvious we have a real problem (the photos are obvious spoilers). What weather forecasts can't predict is FOG, and there's a lot of it around.

At Sugitami Station (the ropeway end point) we are at 1600 metres. All photos were taken here or a little higher. There is an observation deck and a short trail of around 1km. I walk towards the summit trail and start upwards. I see a couple of men who must be at least 70 walking some distance behind me. Although the trail isn't that difficult (and for once I'm wearing the hiking boots) there is no view, just a foggy void.

As a solo hiker, I'm concerned about not being able to see the trail on the way back. So I make the decision after 30 minutes or so to head back down. The 2 men behind me continue upwards. I pass some hiking groups with the same intention (photo of 1 group). Why are they doing this. The conditions aren't particularly pleasant AND THERE'S NOTHING TO SEE.

I take some photos around the ropeway trails, occasionally the wind clears some fog and opens up some of the landscape. A photo of a couple of steam vents is below but the video I've taken captures their hissing.

So I'm back down the ropeway around 10:30 and start my drive north. Not particularly eventful, but closer to Wakkanai I get to drive on a FREEWAY (that's right, free parking and a freeway on the same day 😲). My car GPS has a little glitch for a while, leading me off the freeway onto a parallel service road. I employ executive override and we're back on track.

It's after 5 by the time I reach Hotel Saharin, my home for 3 days. Long day even without the summit hike.Read more