Rando au Japon 山歩き
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Kusatsu-Onsen – Yoshigadaira

Gunma

芳ヶ平

Cover photo: Kusatsu-Onsen – Yoshigadaira

Snowshoes under the larches

View 9 photos
Distance
6.8km
Ascent
577m
27 m of descent
Walking time
2 h 59
5 h 25 with breaks
High point
1,832m
low point 1,264 m
Season
Winter
January 2012

Under snow-laden trees

In January, the climb from Kusatsu to Yoshigadaira crosses a snowy forest before coming out on the plateau. Snowshoe tracks wind between the trunks. Near the hut, bare trees and conifers stand out in a pale light.

Inside the hut, plants and objects fill the shelves. The kerosene lamp lights the room; outside, the sun appears as a pale disk behind the clouds.

Night at the hut

From the GPS tracks: where they stop in the evening and start again in the morning.

Photos 9

Snowshoeing up through the larch forest

Bare trees on the snowy Yoshigadaira plateau
Bare trees on the snowy Yoshigadaira plateau, at about 1,810 m.

Yoshigadaira-Hütte under snow
Yoshigadaira-Hütte (芳ヶ平ヒュッテ) under snow, at about 1,840 m.

The kerosene lamp at Yoshigadaira-Hütte, in the evening
The kerosene lamp at Yoshigadaira-Hütte, in the evening.

Panorama: Yoshigadaira-Hütte among firs and larches, on a snowy morning
Yoshigadaira-Hütte (芳ヶ平ヒュッテ) among the firs and larches, on a January morning.

Panorama: the wood-paneled common room of Yoshigadaira-Hütte
The wood-paneled common room of Yoshigadaira-Hütte, in the morning.

Sunny snowy path lined with trees and dwarf bamboo
Snowy path in the sun, between bare trees and dwarf bamboo, above Kusatsu-Onsen, at about 1,280 m

Hikers seen from behind on a hillside trail lined with wooden railings
Hillside trail between two wooden railings, above the valley

Snowy plateau dotted with larches, a hiker sitting in the distance
Late afternoon on the Yoshigadaira plateau dotted with larches, at about 1,830 m