Summer Info
In striking contrast to the dramatic sea of clouds below, the sky overhead was clear, calm, and intensely blue. Beyond the clouds, I could see Mt. Asama (Mt. Maekake, 2,524 m), which I had climbed five days earlier, along with the Myoko-Togakushi mountain range, the Yatsugatake Range, and Mt. Fuji. From the Karamatsu-dake Summit Lodge, breaks in the clouds also revealed the Tateyama Range, including Mt. Oyama (3,003 m), which I had climbed two weeks earlier, and Mt. Tsurugi.
[Trail to Mt. Karamatsu・Maruyama Cairn to Karamatsu-dake Summit Lodge]
At the Karamatsu-dake Summit Lodge (pictured), I ran into the family from Nagano City again (Mt. Karamatsu, Pt. 1, first photo). They told me, “The bag of potato chips we took to the summit actually burst. We still enjoyed eating them, though!” Atmospheric pressure on Mt. Karamatsu is only around 72% of standard sea-level pressure, so the lower outside pressure causes sealed snack bags to swell dramatically. Water also boils at around 91°C, which can lead to cup noodles being slightly firm and rice undercooked in the center.
[Karamatsu-dake Summit Lodge]
I reached the summit of Mt. Karamatsu (2,696 m) at around 9:30 a.m. A man from Tokyo (pictured) approached me and asked, “Would you mind taking a photo of me holding this up?” He told me, “I started from Renge Onsen and traversed Mt. Asahi, the Hakuba Sanzan, and the Kaerazu-no-ken ridge before reaching the summit of Mt. Karamatsu! Now I’m heading down to Happo.”
[Mt. Karamatsu]
Rewinding to 6:30 a.m. at Happo Pond, a light breeze had created ripples across the surface, so there was no mirror-like reflection of the Hakuba Sanzan peaks. Even so, breakfast in the cool morning air was a pleasure in itself. A woman from Tokyo whom I met on the south deck told me, “When I came in July, everything was completely hidden in mist, but today the views are incredible!”
[Happo-One Nature Trail・Happo Pond]
*From 7/11 (Sat.) to 8/30 (Sun.), the Kurobishi 3 Pair Lift will begin operating at 4:30 a.m. for sunrise viewing on Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays, public holidays, 8/10 (Mon.), and 8/12 (Wed.) to 8/13 (Thu.).
[Happo-One Nature Trail Opening Information]
*Period … 2026/5/30 (Sat.) & 5/31 (Sun.), 6/6 (Sat.) – 11/3 (Tue.)
*Hours … Happo Alpen Line: Aug 8–16 and Aug 22, 23 from 6:30 a.m.; weekdays Aug 3–7 and Aug 17–21 from 7:00 a.m. Kurobishi Line: Aug 8–16 and Aug 22, 23 from 6:45 a.m.; weekdays July 21 – Aug 7 and Aug 17–21 from 7:15 a.m.
*Fees … Happo Alpen Line round trip / Adults ¥3,500 · Elementary school children ¥2,300 →Adults ¥3,200, children ¥2,000 with early-discount tickets! (No need to exchange at the ticket counter—bring it directly to the gondola gate!)
