NOTE: Click on any image to view a larger format.
Who: Paul W & Reza
When: April 26/27, 2008
Where: Kumotori-san (“Taker of the Clouds” mountain)
Navigator: Paul W
Distance: 35 km (Total To Date: 105 km)
Duration: xx:xx (Total To Date: 23:25)
Altitude (Max): 2018 m
PHOTOS:
All the photos available on www.RezaK.com
REFERENCE LINKS:
Kumotori-yama – Live Weather Conditions
100 Famous Mountains of Japan
HIKE SUMMARY:
Well, I won’t be writing a long-winded summary (as I did for Training #4) given the fantastic and emotionally charged (!!) Training #5 summary written by Paul W.
What I will say is that it was a very challenging hike … the good, the bad and yes, the ugly. We certainly could not have done anything about the weather, but I just wish I had not injured my knee … which certainly had an impact on our pace … so for that, “sorry Paul” Otherwise, Paul pretty much says it all in his blog.
At the base of the mountain, the weather and the terrain was quite nice and agreeable … but as we gained altitude, the conditions changed dramatically and became quite challenging. It did however give us an opportunity to experience two situations we had not yet faced in our previous training hikes …. bad weather conditions … and night time hiking.
I think we did well in both conditions … but more importantly, we gained more knowledge about our gear and and readiness for such situations. More importantly, it allowed us to build a more comprehensive packing list.
A quick assessment of my gear in these conditions:
- Shoes – Have to start with the most important! With all the mud, rain, sleet and snow, I was genuinely amazed at the fact that my feet stayed perfectly dry and clean during the entire weekend … especially Saturday. If you recall, I used my high Timberland boots for Training #4 and even though they did OK, I was not happy about the fact that they simply did not breath enough and let out the moisture … which long term, can lead to blisters. However … with my Montrail Hurricane Ridge XCR shoes, not only did they not allow any moisture IN, but they allowed my feet to actually breath and let moisture OUT! Overall, a fantastic and top notch purchase. NOTE: Not having had “crampons” certainly impacted our traction and progress in the snow and ice, but as we do not expect those conditions for the 100K, I do not consider it an issue.
- Rain Gear – As Paul mentioned in his blog, one of the guys we met at the lodge did not have any wet gear … so he did the entire afternoon hike in the rain and sleet … with 4 hours of it (7pm-11pm) in the dark !!! In my case, I did not purchase anything new. I have a very light/compact rain shell top which easily fits in my backpack and for pants, I did not have anything as my hiking pants are the “quick dry” material. With that said, I think if we were in a strong “downpour”, it would have been a problem not having a proper pants shell. But for the conditions we did have, I was OK.
- Backpack Rain Cover – This is absolutely critical … they are super small and compact and the last thing you want is to have all your backpack contents soaking wet … not to mention that as the pack gets wet, it get heavier. Enough said. As for my North Face Ray 20 pack, it comes with a rain-cover included, so it was easy for me to whip it out and put it on.
Nightlight – I was very pleased with my Petzl Tikka Plus 4-LED unit … very light, very bright, very compact … except that Mr. Stupid (me!) had not put the batteries in!! … but I did at least have batteries! So I had to put in the batteries as Paul was shining some light on me … which of course is not how you want to be doing it!
So that pretty much summarizes it for my gear … overall, a solid showing … at least for the gear!!
HIKE METRICS: Reza’s Heart Rate & Hike Altitude vs. Time (Click on chart to enlarge)
Altitude Calibration Correction: -66 meters to the charts.
Day 1 – Chart A: As the cable-car is no longer in service, this is the hike profile from the base at Owa to the Mitsumine-jinja complex.
Day 1 – Chart B: This is the hike profile from the Mitsumine-jinja complex to the Kumotori-sanso lodge.
Day 2 Chart: This is the hike profile from the Kumotori-sanso lodge to the peak ann down to the base at Oku-tama.
