Visitor Center Report

Mt.Akadake trail report

In Mt.Akadake snow on the trail is all gone.

In Daiichi hanabatake there is no puddle, no snow melting water.
After raining the trail is very slippery, watch your step, please.

In daini hanabatake , In daisan sekkei rocks on the trail is very unstable.
The trail is sometimes very steep. Watch your step.
Most of “Dicentra peregrina” in Komakusa is out of bloom.

In Daiyon sekkei the trail has no puddle and no snow melting water.
It is easy to walk.
Some place is muddy, gravel road. It’s hard to walk.
Around the top of Mt.Akadake
“Phyllodoce aleutica ”,” Gentiana nipponica” and Gentiana algida f. igarashii “” are blooming.
Some leaves of “Arctous alpina var. japonica” start to turn to red.
We are looking forward to see beautiful autumn leaves.
For a while we can see alpine flowers more.

We thought that a typhoon has passed and the air would be cooler and leaves would turn to autumn color.
But it doesn’t change after last posting (August 14th).

Some leaves is tuning their color more.
But the temperature stays high.
The situation is almost same as last year.

Look at the first pictures.
That is around Manekiiwa. We wander if leaves of “Sorbus matsumurana” turns their color a little.
The second picture is around Mt,Ponkurodake.
It’s same as Last post.
*Mt.Kurodake ~Mt.Hokkaidake/ Kurodake ishimuro lodge ~the junction of Mt.hokuchindake the view is green. Autum leaves have not started yet.

*in Daisetuzan Mountains range everywhere is brown bear’s habitat.
Bring noisemakers like bear bells and whistles.

Mt.Kurodake report

Summer flowers in northeast slope of Mt.Kurodake is going to end.
Instead autumn flowers like “Cirsium kamtschaticum” , “Saussurea riederi subsp. yezoensis” , “Cirsium kamtschaticum ssp. alpinum” and “Solidago virgaurea subsp. leiocarpa” are blooming.
Hikers can see summer flowers a little.
Now is transition period summer to autumn.

Seeing all mountains, most of trees and plants are green.
Between the top of Mt.Kurodake and Mt.Ponkurodake some “Arctous alpina var. japonica” leaves are tuning red.
“Sorbus matsumurana” is still green.

Depends on weather autumn leaves period change.
We continue to watch autumn leaves.

*around Akaishi river we found brown bear’s trace.
Please bring bear bells or whistles.
*snow gorge under the junction of Mt.Hokuchindake is gone.
But hikers get lost because of bad weather.
Signpost is very old, so hikers miss this signpost.
If hikers walk from Mt.Kurodake to Mt.Asahidake,bring a map.
Some hikers missed their root, and walked wrong root that is not trail, that is going to under the cliff.
When in foggy, and visibility is poor, please follow the yellow sign that is painted on the stones.
After snow is gone, trails are really muddy. It’s hard to find hiker’s footmarks.
Please be careful to climb.

Around Mt.Hakuun hut report

Around Mt.Hakuun hut
Brown bears often appear from July 22nd.
Hut keepers said that we don’t know how many bears appear. Because we can’t recognized bears individually.
They rest on the snow near the camping site, walk around the toilet, eat near the trails of Takanegahara and Itagaki shindou.
They appear here and there.

We were waiting for them at the terrace.
We found a bear walking on the snow on the trail to Takanegahara.
But it’s very far, so we could not take pictures.
He looked like resting on the ice, soon he started to find his food on grassland.

When we observed him with binoculars, a hiker that was approaching from Mt.Chubetudake had almost come across a bear. (The distance is 10m.)
The bear ran away.
30minutes passed after the hiker left.
Same bear came and found the food at the same place.

Hut keepers said that these bear don’t mind the sound of bear bell and whistle.
They walk very close to hikers, and leave.
Please check whether bears is there or not.
Camping area is now opened.

Please follow the instructions from hut keepers.

There is much water to drink. Depends on weather in this month there might be no water.
(Look at photos!)