ー英会話講師の英語日記ー　札幌英会話スクールSTEP UP（札幌駅、大通駅徒歩５分）

Hiking Mt. Ashibetsu

2017年7月17日 (月)

I had three days off earlier in the week and took advantage of the good weather by going to Furano for some hiking and camping. I’d never hiked Ashibetsu-dake, but knew it was one of Japan’s 100 famous mountains. With an elevation of about 1,750 meters, it isn’t a small mountain. But compared to other mountains I’ve climbed, it wasn’t particularly hard either. The trail is well-maintained and is never very steep in any place. Mountain azaleas and viburnum were blooming and the sasa had yet to become obstructive. My friends and I reached the summit in about 4 hours, and enjoyed lunch and a beer before heading back down. There were a few large patches of snow and we slid on our backs down these. Due to our late start up, we reached the bottom of the mountain just as the sun was setting. Fortunately for us, my friend’s wife had already set up the BBQ and we ate and drank into the night.

It was one of those special Hokkaido moments when the right weather and the right people came together to make for a memorable experience. It’s my desire to hike all of Japan’s 100 famous mountains someday. I hope they’re all as beautiful as Ashibetsu-dake.