The initial hike was steep from the get-go, having to scale 400m just to reach the first checkpoint, Mt. Sasuzawa. I found myself out of breath and thought to myself, am I really out of shape? It has been a while since I hiked but I'm pretty sure it was just my body adjusting because after an hour or so, that was all gone and I was smooth sailing up.
The trees were lovely, and autumn was definitely starting now with hues of red, orange, and yellow all around. Reaching Mt. Sasuzawa was the highlight of the hike as it provided an amazing view of Lake Okutama below which appeared like a small pond from that high and yet it stretched on and on towards the mountains on the horizon.
The hike towards Mt. Gozen was enjoyable, with just the right amount of challenge, and no people around so it was great. The views at the top were just as wonderful, the summits of the surrounding mountains had a reddish-brown hue which was quite a sight to see.
The way back down was actually not that bad as well, eventually leading to a paved road which my knees were quite thankful for. From there I walked all the way back to Okutama Station, passing by several bridges with amazing views of the gorges of Okutama.Read more
November 4, 2023 in Japan