戸倉上山田温泉に住んでいて、嬉しい事の一つは山のハイキングをしたいならすぐそばに山は沢山ある事。

夕べは子供達が学校終ってから冠着山(1252m)の登ぐちまで連れて、皆でテントを種って、頂上まで登った。暗くなってから下の長野市の光が見えて来て、夜景が綺麗だった。そして、朝は雲が風で流れて周辺の山々と踊っている様に見えた。

こういう景色は山の頂上だからこそ見える。

朝食後、キャンプを片付けて車まで戻って下に降りて、子供達をそのまま学校へ連れて行きました。

冠着山の登ぐちは亀清旅館・戸倉上山田温泉から県道498号で7.7km、車で約20分です。そこから頂上まではハイキングで約25分。

亀清旅館からあまりにも近くて、こういうプランをお客様に提供したくなった:
旅館にチェックインし、
夕方に登山口までドライブして、頂上までハイキングして、ピックニックでもして、暗くなったら夜景や星空を楽しみ、
懐中電燈を使って下りて、旅館に戻って温泉に入って、山の天辺の夢を見ながらお休み！

One of the nice things about living here in Togura Kamiyamada Onsen is being so close to mountains.

Last night after the kids got home from school, we piled in the van, drove up to the trailhead for Kamuriki Mountain (1252m), carried our tent and gear up to the top and camped out. As it got dark, the lights of Nagano City down below came out treating us to beautiful night scenery. Then in the morning we got to see the clouds drifting in and out amongst the mountain tops, as if they were dancing with the mountains. These are the types of sights you can only enjoy from the top of a mountain.

After breakfast, we packed up, walked back down to the car and drove back down, dropping the kids off at school along the way.

The trailhead to Kamuriki Mountain is 7.7km (approx. 20 minutes by car) from Kamesei on County Road 498. The hike to the top takes approximately 25 minutes.

Being so close to the mountains like this gave me an idea for a plan to offer to our guests:
Check in,
Drive up to the Kamuriki trailhead in the evening.
Hike up to the top, have a picnic, enjoy the night view as it gets dark, use a flashlight to come back down.
Return to Kamesei Ryokan for a soak in the onsen, and have a peaceful sleep filled with dreams of your time at the top of the mountain.

Picnic picture courtesy of Peter Ninnes.
Hiking picture courtesy of Andy Mak.