Oh so green and flowery our valley: hiking from the Peak of Mt. Mikuni in June 箱根三国山 2

 

The peak of Mt. Mikuni 三国山 is surrounded by the colonies of False Helleborine, but no vista. It has two benches for lunch. When you start walking from Togendai Port 桃源台 around 9:00, it would be your lunch time here. After this peak to a café near Yamabushi Pass 山伏峠, there is no substantial space along the hiking road to unload your backpack. Better use the bench for a rest, I tell you. In any case, the trekking road does not have any detour either. Let’s walk ahead simply. The humidity of the hiking road now becomes obvious, and so did the vegetation we met. Unlike the road from Kojiri Pass 湖尻峠 to the peak, from the peak to the south the ridgeway has several points to cross steep valleys falling to Lake Ashinoko 芦ノ湖. It’s a very rapid descend, crossing an almost dry stream, then a sharp climbing to the ridgeway. I did this 3 times (… so my memo said; might be more, sorry), then arrived at Yamabushi Pass whose signpost stands at the hedge of trekking road in a deep forest. No vista at all to the west, but to the east beyond the forest we could glance at the surface of the Lake. In the middle of June, the caldera slope which fell to the lake had lots of Kousa dogwood with white large flowers. Japanese snowbell adorned not only slope but also our road with falling white flowers from the branches. Symplocos sawafutagi which normally spreads over mountainous stream stands on a ridgeway, i.e. the place is humid enough for this species to survive. Rubus pectinellus has large white 5 petal flowers with cute round leaves staying flat on the ground. And of course, mosses!

The hiking road from the peak of Mt. Mikuni
 soon becomes like this.

There are mosses and mushrooms along the route.
This is Galerina Earle (Galerina subcerina) which
 always sprouts alone from a bed of mosses.

The peaks of eastern lakeshore begin to be visible.

Formidable Japanese beech.
Some say they are the queen of forest. Indeed.

Rapidly going down,

crossing the dry valley

like this

and climb up again …

White flowers of Kousa dogwood
dotted the slopes surrounding Lake Ashinoko
 in June.

Wow!

Rubus pectinellus

I think if the weather was OK,
we could see Mt. Fuji from here …

Symplocos sawafutagi next to …

the motorway on the ridge.

This is the signpost for Yamabushi Pass.

500m or so from the Yamabushi Pass sign, we suddenly enter an open space. There is a café, Yamabushi Chaya 山伏茶屋, and a large parking space. It’s the only café for drivers of the toll road for a rest. The hikers like us can also use the premise for light meals, snacks, and souvenirs. The place also has fully equipped toilets. Please don’t miss the chance! From there the route runs almost in parallel to the toll road on our right. The scenery of buzzing cars is hidden beyond the thick bushes of sasa-bamboos. The area is, I think, the driest for today’s route. I’ve found a colony of woodruff, Galium odoratum (in German, Waldmeister). Wild Japanese meadowsweet had lovely pink flowers. About an hour from the Café on our right we saw a toll gate for the automobile road. Slightly we went up to reach to Umino-daira (ASL 941.5m) 海ノ平from which we can admire large Mt. Fuji to the west when it is a fine day, and Odawara City 小田原 on Sagami Bay 相模湾 to the south. From there, our course rapidly goes down to a deep forest, departing from the automobile road.

Café (or toilets) is near!

Yamabushi Chaya

Thick bush of sasa-bamboos secluded
the hiking course from exhausts of cars.

Woodruff

Straight ahead!

Japanese meadowsweet

The sign says
“Beyond the bush is the toll road.
No pedestrian allowed.”

The view from Umino-daira to the south.
It was not so fine day in the middle of June.
I could not saw Mt. Fuji …

From around Umino-daira,
if lucky we can meet Aquilegia buergeriana in June.

Goodbye, toll road.

The final stretch for today’s itinerary is almost one-way down to the lakeshore. As we descend more, the vegetation and the air become more and more humid. Now the stream we cross has enough water tumbling down to the lake. We also meet several sites where foresters are engaging their business of thinning and afforestation. We can feel human settlement of certain size near to us … Suddenly, we come to an open space where Lake Ashinoko is almost immediately below us. From there, steep steps going down and our trekking road meets with National Route 1. Phew! The end of our hiking for today. In front of us is Road Station (Michi-no-Eki) Hakone Pass 道の駅箱根峠. It’s a small Road Station serving light meals, sweets, and souvenirs. There, we can purchase fresh produce harvested on the local farms. And, toilet! From the Road Station, to return to Odawara Station, first we must go to Hakone Port 箱根港. You can use that ancient and slippery stone paved road, which is the remnant of the original Tokaido. Or, we walk a bit the present day smooth Tokaido, aka Route 1, to enter Hakone Yasuragi-no-mori Forest 箱根やすらぎの森, a natural park managed by Hakone Town. Do you remember we passed the gate in my post on June 9th? Inside has well-managed pedestrian roads for families. One of them works as a detour to reach Hakone Port. The park has maps showing you the route to the Port and the bus terminal to Odawara. Just follow it. For this park and the other forests along the lakeshore, I will return soon. Please stay tuned!

Pogonatum contortum everywhere

Hydrangea hirta. Cute.

A real stream.
In the end we’re descending the slope of caldera lake.

Afforested young trees are protected by a mesh.
These days, deer problem is rife in Hakone.
Without the protection, young seedlings are
 eaten away by the animal.

Almost the goal.
Could you figure out the Lake in front of us?

This way please.

We go down these steps,

then meet with Route 1.

Road Station Hakone Pass

Walk down Route 1 a bit,

and we find the entrance to
Hakone Yasuragi-no-mori Forest.

The condition of the Hakone National Park is watched by Hakone Visitor Center of the Ministry of Environment. Their contact info is

Hakone Visitor Center of the Ministry of Environment 環境省箱根ビジターセンター

164 Motohakone, Hakonemachi, Ashigarashimo-gun, Kanagawa, 250-0522
〒250-0522 神奈川県足柄下郡箱根町元箱根164
TEL：0460-84-9981
FAX：0460-84-5721

http://hakonevc.sunnyday.jp/english-info/