From Mt. Shirigari to Yonbonmatsu. Mt. Shirigari is 980 meters above sea level, and Yonbonmatsu is 721 meters above sea level. That’s a 260-meter descent.
I’d heard that the climb from the Nogawa trailhead was steep, but this descent is truly steep. And after I go down this, I’ll have to climb back up again to return, won’t I? (sweat) I’ll worry about that later.
So, I kept descending. At first, the path was like a scree slope, then it turned into a trail that looked like a small stream. Along the way, I joined the trail that passes through “Mizu no Iki” (Water of Life). Descending further, I came out into a clearing. This is Yonhonmatsu. I don’t know the origin of the name, but there was a pine tree, and a signpost stood beneath it. I’m not sure if I can call this the summit, but I’ve completed my peak bagging!
Now, I’ll be climbing back up about 300 meters to Shika-no-Koru. This was surprisingly tough… It might have been the hardest part of the day.
