2013-05-05 前袈裟丸山

Short day hike to Mae Kesamaru in Gunma prefecture.

Access: by car 国道 122 until 小中 and then 県道 268 until the intersection (7.2km) make a right and continue to the trail head (6.6 km). There is a lot of fallen rocks on the last 10 km of the road and some are quite big, enough to seriously damage a car and its passengers should they hit directly.

The trail is almost entirely exposed to the sun, don't go there during the hottest month of the year. At the beginning of May the last stretch is still partly covered in snow and ice.

We started from Oriba tozan guchi, where the parking lot was crowded with cars and even a touring bus, so we had to park a good hundred meters away, on the side of the road.

The very beginning of the Yami no te trail is made of wooden stairs and goes through a sparse forest which offers no protection from the sun. After a short while we reach a ridge which is very particular as the South face is completely wooded while the North face has absolutely no trees but light green yellowish Sasa grass. The contrast is striking and such scenery quite rare in Japan as far as I know.

After reaching a small mound the trail starts becoming more level and even flat after passing 賽ノ河原 and the intersection with the trail going East. 賽ノ河原 is particularly intriguing as a multitude of cairns have been built on a completely flat stretch where there is absolutely no risks to lose track of the trail. I came to the conclusion that cairns have a different meaning than in France.

Until Komaru yama there are no steep parts and quite many level stretches, making the hike quite easy. Around there the view opens towards Nikko (Shirane, Nantai) and the other peaks of Kesamaru. Then a steep downhill quickly takes us to the emergency hut.

After a few minutes we reach the interesting part, a very steep stretch before the flat summit of Mae Kesamaru. Most of that part of the trail was covered in ice and snow. Most of the roots are robust enough to support one's weight and compensate for the lack of grip on the ground on ice plates.

The summit is almost flat but not many trees block the view. The view towards the West and Akagi was already good most of the hike but for the last part where Kesamaru becomes imposing and blocks the view to the North and West. Snow covered Tanigawa-dake can also be seen from the summit.

The way back follows the same track. Particular attention is to be paid to the steep downhill with ice and snow. The rest poses absolutely no problem

Overall a nice hike with good landscapes all the way. Too early for the flowers and still not too hot. Almost no shadow -> would be a great winter hike if the wind doesn't get too strong but I would never try to go there between June and September.

On the way back, drop by Ootaki (10 minutes round trip from the parking lot) The waterfall is almost 100m high and viewing platforms have been arranged. A vertiginous bridge shaped like a decreasing exponential curve leads to the other side of the gorge. The protective rails on each side a quite low and each step makes the whole thing tangle slightly, not recommended for someone with the fear of heights.

More pictures here:
https://www.dropbox.com/sh/i2ku9kn9uk3fjg9/TCK0yRu0CX?m