丹沢山-2020-02-23 / P-chanさんの塔ノ岳・丹沢山・蛭ヶ岳の活動日記

We got up early (5 a.m.) in Kamakura and left home at 6 a.m. Arrived at the visitor's center at about 740...got the last free parking space (get there early when the weather is nice). A few minutes walk to the trailhead, past the camp site (looks nice). The hike up was steep but nice. Cross a small river, then up you go. Great views of Mt. Fuji. Hinokiboramaru (1,601 m) was really nice. Windy yesterday. On the way back down, we decided to try the Houkizawa route, which is quite a bit longer than the in-out route. It was really nice at first, but when you truly start to descend, it is nothing but loose stones and those round log steps that should be removed. Whoever decided to use round logs to make steps in Japan should be examined for mental problems. Those logs are slippery and to high for most people. Also, when it rains, all of the dirt washes away, leaving these horrible round logs that put unnecessary pressure on the sole of your foot, while forcing you to step at unnaturally high heights. Horrible. In one word, the round logs steps found all over Japan (mostly the artificial ones...plastic), are brutal. Thank someone for maintaining the course, which we appreciate, but the route down to Houkizawa is definitely one that I cannot recommend. At the visitor's center, it states that there have been many injuries on that route. Anyway, it was a great hike and we loved it....because I guess we love challenges and the feeling of accomplishment. As for me, I love being able to eat delicious food after hiking and not feeling guilty about it. Enjoy!