美ヶ原-2019-08-10

I broke loose on a multi-mountain marathon by myself, to see how many peaks I could climb in one day.  I was concentrating in the Utsukushigahara plateau.... The first peak for this day (or 10th of the year) was Chausuyama (臼山は) (2006.5 meters / 6583 feet). Met a feathered friend on top, with slight cloud cover to the east.  The second for the day (11th of the year) was Monomiishiyama (物見石山) (1985.2 meters / 6513.1 feet). This peak is furthest to east in the area. Next, I came back west to Ushibuseyama (牛伏山) (1990 meters / 6528.9 feet), which is right next to the large open air museum on the plateau.  This was the 3rd peak for the day (12th for the year).  Then, I needed a break, so I went to the restaurant just next to Ougatou for some ice coffee and restocked my water supply. After that, I was on my way to Takeshimine (武石峰) (1972.9 meters / 6472.8 feet), the 4th peak for the day (13th for the year).  This is the most northern peak in the plateau, and is a 6km hike from Ougatou, before you climb it.  I then came back to the Utsukushigahara Nature Conservation Center, and decided it was time to have fresh ice cream. Then, I returned to Ougatou (王ヶ頭) (2034.4 meters / 6674.5 feet), which is the highest peak in the area. This was the 5th peak of the day (14th for the year). And then, it was just a short hop over to Ougahana (王ヶ鼻) (2008 meters / 6587.9 feet), which I feel has the best views in the whole area.  This was the 6th peak of the day (15th for the year). Sunburnt and exhausted I climbed down from the plateau and decide to climb one more "easy" peak.  I walked up Idemine (出峰) (1487.7 meters / 4880.9 feet) from the road on my way back to the car.  This was the 7th of the day (16th for the year). It was a nice day with lots of great views.....I walked a total of 34.7 kilometers (a little more than 21.5 miles), and climbed 624 meters (2047 feet) along the journey. With a little planning and better preparation, I should be able to climb 10 peaks in one day next year.