Thursday, July 31, 2008

Kyogakura in Ikusaka vil.

I went to climb a mountain in Ikusaka village, Nagano. I heard that they call those 1000 meter high mountains like Ikusaka mountain range, standing along the sides of Sai River. This, Kyogakura is the highest peak among those.

On the way to the top, I saw many kinds of mushrooms. I don't know those names so just saw. Many kinds of butterflies, too. The path was well maintained. Someone built short wooden ladders several places.

Near the mountain ridge, you can find very strange shaped rocks. And you can enjoy good views from there. I walked on the narrow knife ridge thrillingly, and then I had to go up on some rocks with ropes. Finally I reached the summit. Today it was fine in the cities, but the skies above the higher mountains were cloudy. So I couldn't see good views for them. Instead I enjoyed the beautiful green of nearby mountains.

You can see down slowly running Sai river and some dams. The summit has a 360-degree field of vision so they used this place as a castle and beacon fire point in Samurai period.

It took an hour to the top. I enjoyed this mountain very much.