Karasawa Hut, The Kita Alps Goal For Today
Karasawa Hut at 2,300m/7,500' was today's destination and would be home for the next two nights. Karasawa Hut acts as a base for hikers and climbers who are heading to the peaks of Hotaka-Dake and Kitahotaka-Dake both very difficult and strenous climbs. Nonetheless, extremely popular for the Japanese and foreigners. Karasawa Hut is only open from April to November. You can stay overnight with meals or with dinner and breakfast in the dorm rooms. It's also possible to camp but there is a charge for camping on the rocks.
Everything in the backpacks, we set out early from Tokusawa Hut up the valley along the Azusa River that would eventually lead to a high valley. The first four miles wasn't too difficult altitude wise - only about a 200m/600' gain.
At Yokoo, we had to cross one of those slippery pole bridges. Two skinny poles next to each other with the Azusa River rushing underneath. Our nemesis. Neither ex-Marine nor I are really good on these, probably mind over matter, but all the brain needed to process was "..if I slip, I'll fall into the river on those rocks..." and we just can't do it. The solution - we crawled across on hands and knees! This created great hilarity among our group and some Japanese sitting on the other side of the river. However, they politely covered their mouths while laughing at us unlike the group in hysterics. No matter what method used, we got across. Oh...duh...this means we'll have to crawl back across this same bridge on the return.
From Yokoo, the trail continued uphill for three more hours on a defined but very rocky trail. At first through the heavily wooded slopes overlooking gorges with the leafy colors becoming more brilliant the higher we went.
Once above tree line, the faint trail wound it's way through nothing but boulders and rocks for hours. Finally, there was Karasawa hut standing out in a field of grey rocks...
...with several tents erected right between the boulders. I was very thankful that those weren't our sleeping quarters until we actually entered Karasawa and saw where we were going to sleep. Dorm style only with either a long line of individual bunks and a few rooms with two double bunks meant for sharing.
No problem sharing with another couple. After all, It was only for two nights and we were grateful that it was NOT us sleeping in the boulder field.
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