The name of Mountain: Mt. Shiragamon (Snow treckking)

Date: April, 11th, 2004

Route: Doai（6：40）⇒The Matsunokizawa no Kashira（8：40/9：00）⇒Top of the Shiragamon（9：35/10：00）⇒Doai（11：30）

Participants: Shinohara, Takada, Morita, Murano, Sakaue, Uchida

10th April

We arrived at the car parking near the trail. After preparing a tent and so on, we started drinking as usual. I don’t remember accurately when we went to sleep, but I think it earlier than the time of going to bed at usual mountaineering of this club.

11th April

We got up before 6 AM and began to walk at 6:40. It was cloudy, today. Mr. Ishikawa, who intended to join us this morning due to his business reason, told over the telephone that he stopped to come because of his bad physical condition.

As there was snow around the car parking, I expected much snow in the mountain. Entering forest however, there was not snow at all and it was hot very much like summer. Though I thought many of people bringing ski could not ski, snow was appearing little by little after we passed through the woods.

We arrived at the Matsunokizawa no kashira (means the source of the Pine tree mountain stream.) on 8:40. I found the crack of the snow on the slope in the direction of the Jiji-iwa(Old Man Rock) and the Baba-iwa(Old Woman Rock). I thought an avalanche would happen there.

We met the big crevasse ahead. It was a core point for me. Thanks to the severe training executed by Mr. Kumagai and Mr. Miyawaki at the Mt. Asama, I could pass through somehow.

After passing a steep uphill, we arrived at the peak of the Mt. Shiragamon at 9:35 in the morning. Unfortunately as we could not see a distant scene because of some haze, we enjoyed the scene of the east face of the Mt. Tanigawa-dake, the Mt. Kasa-ga-take or the Mt. Asahi-dake. （dake［dake］ or take[take] means mountain. ：Tanigawa-dake means the mountain of mountain stream, Kasa-ga-take means the mountain like Japanese old rain wear and Asahi-dake means♪♪the mountain of the rising sun.♪♪ Note that　[deik] or [teik] is wrong.）

Seeing the rock faces of the Ichinokurasawa(very famous rock climbing area) , I came to think I would climb such place in the future. But is terrible?

Though we　went down along the same way from the top, I felt the slope of the trail becoming steeper than when I went up, and so I could not went down smoothly at the beginning.

In spite that I could gradually come to walk faster, I could not catch up with other people of the party. Is their pace usual? We arrived at the car park at 11:30 using no Japanese snow shoe or cranpon。

We dropped in at the hot spa and came back to Kumagaya at around 15:00.Even though walking hours was short, I got tired badly.

I did not feel uneasy accompanied by Mr. Shinohara, the leader, or　the other mastery persons. But it was difficult for me to catch up with you.　All of your walks, particularly walking down, were very fast considering being under that circumstance. I should be stronger.

Described by Uchida and translated by Tsunekichi.　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　Please send your impression to BBS. Thank you.