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Dewa Sanzan: Mt. Gassan Descent Descent from Mt. Gassan
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| Mt Gassan Descent | Someewhat below the top. | Splendor | |
| Ladders?? | Worse than the ladders | ||
| Normally, ascent is harder than descent. But not in this case. We learned on our night at the guesthouse that most people do not take the route we are about to take. There is a ski lift about 1.5 miles below the top. Modern people park at the lift parking lot, take the lift up and walk the last mile or so. This explains why the trail is rugged and demanding. | |||
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Nihon August-Sept 2019
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922 _19Sep05-nh19_0648_bw We awoke to heavy rain - unpredicted. Visibility less than 50 meters. Breakfast at 6:00 AM to allow extremely early start.  |
950 _19Sep05-nh19_B0712 We have to begin, nonetheless. The forecast is for worsening weather. It is vital to get off this naked mountain.  |
922 _19Sep05-nh19_0702_bw "Jeans are the worst clothing for the mountains," a veteran tells us without sympathy - heavy when wet, and require 24 hours to dry.  |
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Nihon August-Sept 2019
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925 _19Sep05-nh19_0830a_bw Visibility has improved. It is no longer raining. We feel reassured.  |
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Nihon August-Sept 2019
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930 _19Sep05-nh19_0854a_bw Some natural places far exceed the recording capacity of cameras. Perhaps poetry could do the job. There is no way to really understand without going there.  |
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934 _19Sep05-nh19_0936_bw The destination, pretty far below.  |
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Nihon August-Sept 2019
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936 _19Sep05-nh19_0943_bw I heard of this only the night before. The sight of them was still a shock. Boarding them safely was the tricky part.  |
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Nihon August-Sept 2019
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936 _19Sep05-nh19_1023a_bw All rocks are moss-covered, still wet from the rain, and slippery  |
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950 _19Sep05-nh19_B1030a This looks like a stream but is actually the trail. We all fell several times. But Noriko suffered most. Because she had opted to not carry a staff - scorning the example of the Yamabushi - she had nothing to grasp as she fell. On her worst fall she broke a finger and bruised other bones.  |
936 _19Sep05-nh19_1040_bw Noriko and Itsuko pause to assess Noriko's injuries while I scout the trail ahead for the next treacherous place.  |
936 _19Sep05-nh19_1059_bw From Mt Gassan to the shuttle parking lot at the end there is no bathroom.  |