Nabewari-yama to Tonodake Hiking Gone Wrong

This is the hardest hike I’ve ever done in my life.

SEP 07, 2024– We started our ascend at 8:30 and was supposed to be at Sonbutsu Sanso in Tonodake by 16:00 but we didn’t get there until 18:40. It was already dark and the last hour of ascend was just too hard for me I really thought I was gonna die in that mountain.

I was told that there was no water in Nabewari so we had to bring a lot of water and I had about 4L of water + 1L of aquarius in my bag bringing my total bag weight to about 10kg. I ended up drinking lots of water because I was so thirsty but I was told that maybe if I didn’t have a heavy bag, I may not need to drink as much water.

Leeches are common on the mountain after rain and during humid times between May and October so I bought a leech repellent from KoujitsuSanso , my favorite outdoor shop. I bought most of my hiking gears from them. I like that the staff are really helpful in assisting you find the right size or type of hiking shoes, bags etc. I love the quality of the products that they sell in their store.

I sprayed the Leech repellent on my shoes and pants before I left my place, but I did spray again when we got to Okura Bus Stop. There’s also some salt at the toilet area at Okura bus stop, you can just bring a plastic or ziploc to put it in, but in my opinion there’s not a lot so I would just bring from home next time.

We also bought the stamp-rally pamplet for ¥500 at Yama Cafe near Okura bus stop. We want to collect the stamp for the collectible gift when you complete all the stamp from the Tanzawa mountains.

Timeline:

8:30 – Rico, Pauline and I left Okura bus stop and made our way to Nabewari Trailhead / 登山口 / トザングチ . I was so nervous about the leeches so I was always looking at my side or my clothes and I think it might’ve contributed to my muscle spasm on both calves because I was already stiff at the beginning of the hike.

9:30 – We took the route via Futamata Branch / 二股分岐 / フタマタブンキ.

You will also see yellow signs like the one below so you can check if you’re going the right direction.

One of the things I learned on this hike is to mentally prepare for the hike. Plan your route, check how steep it is, what is the distance and compare it to your previous hikes so you wouldn’t be surprised at the jump in difficulty level like me. I didn’t do all that and I paid the price.

11:00– I started to get cramps on one leg so I had to take a break and made a mistake of setting my bag down. After my break I saw a baby leech on my right hand and started screaming bloody murder. After that the path got really steep that both my calves started cramping, my friend even carried my backpack for me for a while so I can rest but I still had a hard time walking.

15:30 – We finally arrived at Nabewari Sanso. Unfortunately it’s already closed because last order is at 13:00. We actually ran into the owner who was on his way down and talked to him a little bit. He said we should come earlier next time because he has limited supplies. He was carrying 4-5 polystyrene boxes and a big knife and I felt ashamed that I was having a hard time carrying my bag while this man in his 70’s doesn’t even look tired.

There were benches at the summit where you can rest. I told my friend he can go ahead and leave me because I cannot go on anymore. Honestly, I would rather stay at the bathroom than go further to Tonodake, or go back down alone that time. That’s how desperate I was. But my friend was a true gentleman and didn’t leave me. So I decided to suck it up and get moving.

I tried to eat the onigiri I have but I couldn’t swallow anything so I just drank the energy jelly and it gave me a little bit of boost.

16:05– We made our way to Tonodake. The path was getting foggy and I was getting worried that we might encounter wildlife like bear in that area. My friend told me that there’s no bear there because they have no food in that area because there’s no deer and other wildlife in that part of the mountains just to calm me down. I desperately wanted to believe him even though I know it’s not true , just so I can relax a bit because I was so tense.

So imagine my horror when an hour and a half later we saw Bambi and his mom near the trail. There were fences all over too and I started thinking what if it’s to keep bears out etc. I started panicking.

I think that is when I felt my friend getting scared too because if there’s deers, there’s a possibility that there’s also bears or other animals around too. Ever heard of the 4 F’s (Fight, Flight, Freeze, and Fawn) response of our body during life-threatening situations? Well I think my body chose to freeze that day. Great.

There was a lot of wooden boardwalk from Nabewari to Tonodake but I don’t know what happened to me that day, I just had a hard time going uphill even after taking out most the stuff from my bag. We were almost out of water too and it was getting dark. I want to start running but I just don’t have the energy so whenever we get a flat trail we would “try” to walk faster.

18:00– my friend took out his headlamp because we can’t see much anymore due to the fog and sundown. The last hour was the worst for me, I almost cried. I kinda wish my friend would just leave me and something eats me quickly and end my misery so I don’t have to walk any more step because my whole body hurts so bad. What did I get myself into?

18:39– I finally saw the light from the lodge and felt my body relaxed finally. I cried when I entered the lodge and saw our friend. It was an overwhelming experience and I learned a lot from that day.

The lodge staff Fukamatsu-san was super nice, I thought he was gonna get mad at us because we were too late. But he just said he is glad that we were safe. He let us rest and we bought hot water for ¥200 and ate our cup ramen. I was so hungry but I feel so sick I couldn’t eat my share of ramen.

19:15 – We started getting ready for bed so we cleaned up and changed.

20:00 – Lights out. I had a hard time sleeping that night even though I was so tired because my body is still so tense but eventually fell asleep around midnight.

SEP 08, 2024 / 04:30 – We woke up and got ready for sunrise. Rico made coffee for us while we watched the sunrise.

Sunrise was so beautiful but I was still reeling from the events the previous day and as much as I want to go to the next summit, Mt. Hiru, I opted to stay and rest some more at the lodge. Rico and Pauline went to Mt. Hiru summit around 7:30 and they were back around 10:00.

While waiting for them I enjoyed talking to the lodge’s owner Hanatate-san. He was so nice and gave me some tips for hiking next time. I told him I would go back for revenge hike and want to actually get there at 3pm, not 18:40 like last night. He wished me good luck. I bought a t-shirt from them to remind me of this day.

I even met Mami and Souta. Mami gave me her energy jelly because I can’t eat anything. She was so nice! She’s more experienced hiker but she said Souta has more stamina.

Mt. Fuji even decided to show up that morning as if trying to cheering me up. But I never really cheered up that day. I felt devastated and a failure even though I still managed to reach Tonodake. I stayed that way for a few days despite everyone telling me that I should be proud of myself for not giving up.

10:00– We started our descend. It’s about 7km to reach Okura bus stop. The path was mostly wooden boardwalk and rocky path. I would probably choose this route next time. Go to Tonodake first, then Tanzawa, stay the night there and the next day, go to Mt. Hiru and then back to Tonodake then Nabewariyama then descend. As long as we get to Nabewari-Sanso at 12:00pm before they run out of udon, we’re good.

10:45– We passed by Hanadate Sanso and had brunch there. We got udon and melon flavored kakigori.

What I packed in my bag:

• 4L water + 1L of Aquarius.
• Sleeping bag (650g) – I brought it because I was told they don’t wash the blankets at the huts so I thought it’s better if I bring one.
• Rainwear (Top and bottom)
• Medicine (For headache, stomach ache, motion sickness,
• Change of clothes for the night + another set for the next day hike (Set of undies, socks, towel, t-shirt and top)
• Extra T-shirt (I thought I wouldn’t need this but I did and I’m glad I brought one)
• Wipes (powder sheets) and wipes for female
• Alcohol spray
• Leech repellent spray
• Gopro, anker charger and cables
• Snacks
• 1 trekking pole

Things I should’ve packed:

• Headlamp
• Bear spray (I know they say there’s no bear there but for my peace of mind, I think I would bring one next time. It got really scary especially with the fog and when it was getting dark.)
• Slippers- I left my slippers to change into after the hike in my friend’s compartment at the parking lot because I want to lessen the weight of my bag, but I got really bad cramps two hours into the hike and I wondered if I should’ve brought it and change into it for a bit so my feet can rest. My hiking boots were new and maybe it wasn’t a good fit or maybe I just need more time to get used to it, but I definitely wished I brought my slippers with me.
• Mosquito repellent spray.

Things I learned from this hike:

• Do not underestimate a mountain and do not to overestimate yourself as a hiker. I have much more respect now to mother nature after this experience because nature has a way of humbling you.
• Plan your hike before hand. I read about this before but I didn’t plan thoroughly and to be honest, I really don’t know what I was looking at when I was looking at the route we were taking. All I know is we had to start from Okura station, to Nabewari, then to Tonodake, stay there for the night and head to Mt. Hiru summit before going back. I didn’t check the elevation and the distance. I didn’t compare it with my previous hikes.
  
  Also, I got too confident because I didn’t have a hard time hiking Mt Mitake (929m) for two days, that I thought I can do Nabewari (1,272m), Tonodake (1,490.9m) all the way to Mt. Hiru (1,675m) with total distance of 28.8km too. I did not consider how steep the uphill was and forgot that I took the cable car in Mitake so really my elevation gain was only about 235m and total distance for Day 1 was 4.2km and 11.6km on Day 2. I should’ve picked a lower mountain and shorter distance before going here so I can gradually increase difficulty.
  
  I also did not have a backpack weighing 10kg that time and it looks like I have a hard time breathing when the altitude is over 1000m because I felt the same thing in Mt. Fuji when I hiked a few years back. So next time, I know not to do something like this for my level. I also learned how to navigate YAMAP app more so I can utilize it when planning a hike. You can also check the map without internet and if you add your friends, you can see each other even without internet so if one gets lost, it’s easier to see where they’re at. You can also make your hiking route on the app and submit it from the app directly for emergencies in case you are not able to go down.

The first few days I was really devastated and disappointed with myself. I don’t wanna go hiking anymore that I even canceled on a hiking retreat with another group. Just thinking of putting on my hiking boots and stepping in the forest was making me nervous.

It took me a week to really get over what happened this day and because I do not want to be completely traumatized with hiking, I decided to ask my friends if they wanna go on an easy hike the next weekend. I already went hiking with them so I feel comfortable enough. I want to go somewhere that, in case I need to go down, there are actual routes that can take me out of the trails.

We ended up going to Takao-Kobotoke-Kagenobu-Jimba a total of 30km in distance. Definitely not an easy hike, but enough for me to un-hate the mountains since I went with my friends. But I’ll save that story for another blog.

Thanks for reading!
#MarieJournals