GW立山室堂から新穂高へ(日本オートルート)撤退

This year's (2026) Golden Week mountain trip The weather was unstable during the first half of the week, with bad weather every day, so a traverse seemed impossible. Therefore, I decided to use May 4th as a travel day, and hike the Japan Haute Route (trail) from Murodo to Shinhotaka from May 5th to May 8th (with a reserve day of May 9th). First, on May 4th, the day before, I left my car at the Shinhotaka trailhead. I traveled by bus from Takayama to Toyama. I stayed overnight near Toyama Station. The next morning, I took the Toyama Chihō Railway to Tateyama Station. It seems there had been snowfall between Murodo and Tateyama the day before, and the Alpine Route was closed until snow removal was completed, so I was delayed. It was a frustrating start, but I was finally able to start from Murodo at 11:00 AM. Even so, I had mixed feelings: "It's only up to Goshikigahara on the first day, so it should be okay," but also, "Is it really okay? Can I do it?" ・From Murodo to Goshikigahara The clear blue sky at Murodo right from the start boosted my spirits. Although we started at 11am, I was determined to do my best. Should I climb directly to Jōdoyama or go via Ichinokoshi? I hesitated, but decided on the safer option of going via Ichinokoshi. There were many hikers up to Ryūōdake, but beyond that, the number of hikers decreased dramatically. However, there were BC tracks and tracks from several people (I thought there were 4), so I knew there were other hikers, which reassured me. The climb and descent to the east face of Onidake, and the section from Shishidake to Zara Pass were quite challenging. At Zara Pass, I caught up with the hikers ahead of me (4 people from Goshikigahara Mountain Hut and 2 groups of hikers). And somehow, I managed to arrive at the tent site near Goshikigahara around 4:30pm. ・From Goshikigahara to Yakushidake On the second day, my plan was to reach around Tarōdaira, so I decided to start walking early (4am). The most difficult part of this route was the stretch from Etchuzawa-dake to Sugonokoshi. Beyond Goshikigahara, there were no tracks from regular hikers, only two sets of ski tracks from backcountry climbers. The sun rose before 5 AM, and I really felt how much longer the days are getting. We arrived at Etchuzawa-dake around 7 AM. From here, it was quite challenging with rocky sections, traversing steep slopes, and pushing through dwarf pines. We arrived at Sugonokoshi Hut at 10:30 AM. Unable to reach Yakushi-dake The weather gradually worsened from around the point where we were heading from Sugonokoshi towards Yakushi-dake, and the wind became colder. We continued towards Mamiyama and Kita-Yakushi-dake, but the ups and downs of rocky sections and sinking into snow cornices on the ridges were really draining our energy, making it difficult to continue walking... We decided to camp at 2860m, ​​just before Yakushi-dake. If the weather had been good and visibility clear, I might have been able to maintain the energy to reach the summit of Mt. Yakushi, but the thick white fog and cold wind broke my spirit. I found a slope that offered some shelter from the wind, so I dug into the snow with a shovel and set up camp. I always bring a snow saw when climbing snow-covered mountains, but I accidentally forgot it this time, so I couldn't make snow blocks, which meant I was especially careful in choosing my campsite. While setting up the tent and making water, the fog cleared, and I was able to see a beautiful sunset over Toyama Bay along with a sea of ​​clouds. ・From Mt. Yakushi to Mt. Kitano-mata I ended up camping on the ridge before Mt. Yakushi, and luckily I had cell phone reception, so I was able to check the weather forecast. The next day (day 3) looks like it will be fine, but the day after (day 4) is expected to be rainy (snowy) all day... Should I stay put at Mt. Kurobe-goro (winter hut)? The wind also looks strong after that (day 5). Although we had enough food for one extra day, if any trouble occurred near Kurobe Goro Hut, it would be impossible to descend to civilization in a single day. After much deliberation, we decided to escape via the Hida-etsu Shindo trail. We witnessed the sunrise near the summit of Yakushidake, and near Yakushi Pass, we encountered the first climbers of the day. After explaining our situation, they offered to drive us from the Hida-etsu Shindo trailhead to civilization... we were truly grateful (it's a shame we didn't get their names). On our way from Yakushi Pass towards Kitano-mata-dake, we were able to talk to the two people who were camping at Tarohei Hut, the owners of the BC climber tracks we had seen for the past three days. (They also decided to retreat after this.) Hida-etsu Shindo Escape We decided to descend via the Hida-etsu Shindo trail that extends from Kitano-mata-dake. Even just getting from Yakushidake to Kitano-mata-dake was difficult, and we arrived after a long journey. We can imagine that even if we hadn't retreated, re...