Climbing Mount Tonodake - Part 3

This is the last installment of a climb to Mt. Tonodake, in the Tanzawa mountains. Part 1 is HERE. Part 2 is HERE. 

After reaching the summit of 新大日(shin-dai-nichi), it was time to make the final push to our goal -- 塔ノ岳山(to-no-dake-yama). Chains and wooden bridges were frequently seen as the trail became narrower.

The trail:

After about an hour of climbing, my friend and I reached the summit at 11.45 AM -- 4.5 hours after our departure! Hurray! I posed at the summit marker.

On top of the world!

The summit marker notes the elevation here is 1,491 meters above sea level, or 4,891 feet.
We stayed for about 30 minutes at the summit, eating lunch and shivering in the cold with other hikers. The summit was very cold, and mist covered the mountain top, so we were unable to catch a view of Mount Fuji from this point. On a clear day, hikers can enjoy Japan's iconic mountain from the summit of 塔ノ岳(to-no-dake)....Click HERE to view. (photo courtesy of wikipedia commons)

Eating lunch and shivering....(>_<):

We left the summit at 12.20 PM. While ascending, we had stopped at each peak to rest; for the descent, we stopped only once, at 三ノ塔(san-no-tou). The hike down was slow and steady, with some nice views....

Descending:

My climbing partner and I reached the car park at 4.30 PM -- approximately 9 hours after our departure.   The total distance was 14.5 kilometers, or 23,039 steps (I had carried a pedometer with me). Whew!

We have already planned our next climb, which will take place next month. We'll try a new route to 　大山(oo-yama), traversing 2.3K to the summit. I'll be sure to blog about that experience. ^_^

塔ノ岳 (to-no-dake) is located in the Tanzawa Mountain range, in central Kanagawa. Access: Odakyu train line to Hadano station, then take the Kanachu bus to ヤビツ山道(yabitsu-yama-michi). The climb from Yabitsu to the summit will take 4-5 hours one way. 

You will need: good hiking boots, 1 liter of water, and food. We also carried an emergency kit, compass, map, flashlight and cell phone in case of injury/ poor weather. The trail is well marked and there are emergency numbers you can call in case of an accident along the trail. The trail is moderately difficult, with chains and ladders on the route, and very steep (60% grade) climbs in some areas. Toilets are VERY infrequent on this route -- we saw only 2 toilets open --- one at 三ノ塔　(san-no-tou) and the other at the summit. 

Further information can be found HERE. (site in Japanese only)