Who Said This Was for Beginners? | A Story of a Day Hike to Mt. Mizugaki

"It's a mountain that you can visit on a day trip from Tokyo, and it's easy for beginners to climb."—.
During the first three-day weekend in November, it was decided that we would go hiking with my husband's friends, and we chose Mt. Mizugaki.
"Mizugaki-yama...?"
Being from Osaka, I had never even heard the name.
Since it's apparently one of the 100 Famous Mountains, I searched for it and saw the description mentioned above.
I remember a time when I used to climb Mt. Rokko once or twice a year...
At that level, I haven't even had many opportunities to wear hiking boots lately.
The autumn leaves should be just right this time of year!
If you're in the Kanto region, you can go to Yamanashi and back in a day!
With the words 'for beginners' imprinted in my mind, I set off on the Limited Express Azusa No. 1 on November 3rd, carrying nothing but excitement.

8:50 Nirasaki Station

We met at Nirasaki Station and took a jumbo taxi we had reserved to the Mt. Mizugaki mountain hut.
I had read information suggesting that the bus from the station might be too crowded to board, so I chose the safe and comfortable taxi option.
We were taken care of by Sutama Sankyo Taxi.

9:50 Departed from Mt. Mizugaki mountain hut

Wow, just as expected, the autumn leaves are beautiful!
Red, yellow, orange...
An open view!

...Yes, at this point, I still had the energy to enjoy the scenery.

10:35 Fujimidaira Hut

Still doing fine.
But from around here, the wind gets quite strong and there are some cold spots.

11:15 Momotaro Rock

Still, somehow doing fine.
Just as we arrived at Momotaro Rock, it started to snow, but I put on my hood and pushed through.
It's cold when you stop, so we keep moving.
The ordeal started here...

I knew from the reviews, but there are so many rocks (crying).
There are also quite a few chain sections.
I've known this for a while, but I'm a coward.
When climbing a mountain, what's harder than being out of breath is the fear that sets in.
Maybe I have a fear of heights, butabove all, I have no confidence in my own athletic ability.
That becomes especially apparent on rocky terrain.
Where should I put my hands?
Where should I put my feet?
What if I miss my grip?
What if I slip?

On the rocky terrain, I fought against considerable fear... no, I couldn't suppress it, so I moved forward while carrying it with me.

Furthermore, there was snow on the rocks.
I don't know if it was leftover snow or this year's snow, but there were places where it had piled up and frozen.

My work gloves were soaking wet... (tears)
And that coldness was biting—
Probably because I was using my fingertips so much on the rocks.
I got soaked faster than anyone else in the group.

There's a child climbing up easily.
Why? Aren't you scared??
I was incredibly envious of that agility and bravery.
"Fear" is a heavier burden than physical exhaustion.
Usually, when asked "If you could become someone else, who would you want to be?", I answer "Shohei Ohtani" (self-questioning), but at this moment, I desperately wanted to transform into a professional mountaineer.Truly.

By the time my brain went numb from the constant fear, the fatigue in my hands and feet had also peaked.

The people in the same group waited for me at first, but to avoid putting pressure on me, they aimed for the summit at their own pace, and only my husband moved at a snail's pace to match mine.

“Honestly, will I be able to make it to the top with these shaky legs?”
I have no strength left...
Should I just head back down halfway?...
But I’m sure everyone is waiting for us at the summit.
I have no way to tell them I’m turning back...

If I don’t climb, I can’t go home.

With that single thought, I grabbed the rocks and forced my legs to move.

13:15 Summit

Even someone like me managed to reach the summit.
I realized that if you just keep moving, you will eventually reach the goal.

However, it was a situation where I couldn't just be happy.
The summit was also a slope full of rocks, not a place where you could sit down and relax, but a cliff edge where one wrong step could lead to a tumble.
I actually brought a 'Curry Meshi (Seafood Flavor)' to eat at the top and was really looking forward to it, but the wind was strong, so we decided we couldn't stay long.

13:30 Start of descent

While climbing, I kept worrying about the return trip, wondering, 'Can I even get down from a place like this?', but the large rocky areas were surprisingly manageable.
However, I was constantly using my hands and landing on my butt.
I guess there’s a trick to descending, too.
A young guy in very light gear (sweatshirt & sneakers) kept breezing past me.
Ah... I’m so jealous of his athletic ability...

Once again, I let the members go ahead and was descending at my own pace when I realized a shocking fact.

Wait... at this pace, won't I miss the taxi home...?

This time, we had requested a jumbo taxi to pick us up at the Mt. Mizugaki trailhead for the return trip as well.
The average course time from various hiking logs I checked beforehand was 5 to 5.5 hours.
Considering my beginner status, I wanted to allow for 6 hours, so I had booked the 16:00 pickup with plenty of time to spare.

...It was not plenty of time at all.

To get back to the Mt. Mizugaki trailhead by 16:00, I wanted to be back at Fujimidaira Hut by around 15:10.
And yet.
I hadn't even seen the Momotaro Rock yet, and looking at my position on YAMAP, it was 14:30 in a place where it looked like I hadn't made any progress at all...

From there, for the first time, anxiety set in, and although I don't know how much it helped, I pushed the accelerator just a little bit, right up to the limit where fear would hold me back.
Every time I slipped on the sand or gravel (even though I didn't really slide down much), I felt like crying...
It was a mix of anxiety about whether I would make it in time, and the regret of having to hurry despite a faint resignation that I wouldn't make it no matter how hard I tried.

But, I still can't go home unless I keep moving my legs.
Moving my legs is the only thing I can do.

I walked as if I were undergoing ascetic training, without a shred of feeling like 'this is fun,' 'the scenery is beautiful,' or even 'I'm afraid of bears.'

15:40 Fujimidaira Hut

When I saw the hut, I wanted to run toward it. ...I actually laughed a little, thinking, 'Wait, I can still run.'
My companions were waiting for me not inside the hut, but at an outdoor table, boiling water for coffee and eating cup noodles in the cold, strong wind.
However, they said the water wouldn't boil at all because of the strong wind and low air temperature.
The noodles were rock hard.

As for me, I quickly called the taxi company since it wasn't time for my reservation yet.
I told them I had just made it back to Fujimidaira and asked to push back the pickup time at Mizugaki Sanso.
What a relief...

From here on, there shouldn't have been any large rocky areas, but a different problem arose.

The so-called 'ticking time bomb in my knees.'

Even though I only climb about once a year (maybe that's why??), my knees always get wrecked on the descent.
I did squats every day since this trip was decided, though...

I managed to get by by descending sideways and using the trekking poles I had put away in the rocky sections...

16:35 Finished the descent

The same driver from Sudama Sankyo Taxi who brought us here was waiting with the car heater on. T-T
Warmth is bliss!

Everyone else seemed very satisfied and high-spirited about this hike, where autumn foliage and winter snow coexisted.
As for me, it was a pretty tough journey where I felt like I was constantly facing my own weaknesses (that gloominess is probably showing in this diary, haha).
But, whether humans are convenient or foolish, I've already largely forgotten that pain thanks to the forgetting curve, and now I can look back at the photos and think, 'It was beautiful. I did my best.'

I want to go climbing somewhere again.
Next time, waterproof gloves are a must!

[Postscript]
My hiking boots really did their best this time.
I first bought them when I went to Yakushima in 2011, making them long-lasting companions of about 15 years.
A few years ago, I washed them with water after use and left them to dry outside in the cold, which caused the material on the toe area to crack.
This time, that part rubbed against the rocks and completely chipped off.
Thank you for taking the damage in my place.