My next destination on the tour was Mt. Tarumae, located in Southern Hokkaido. I took another plane ride to Shin-Chitose airport, picked up my second rental car, then drove to my hotel at Noboribetsu Onsen. Although the onsen is an hour or more from Mt. Tarumae, both are located in the Shikotsu-Toya National Park.
Getting ready for dinner
I stayed at the Manseikaku Noboribetsu, and was able to enjoy the baths and delicious food famous in this area. I also had the chance to see a little of Noboribetsu, including "jigokudani" or Hell Valley.
No one around at night
Fearing more bad weather, I woke up pretty early to make the drive to Mt. Tarumae, grabbing some water on the way for the hike. Even though I arrived before 8am, the parking lot was quite full. I was lucky to get a spot! From the parking lot to the top is about 40 minutes, but I took so many pictures it took me almost an hour.
Don't forget to sign in and out for safety! Paper and pen are in the small cabinet.
Going up!
Although there were some clouds, the sun was bright and the view beautiful! The darker storm clouds started rolling in about half way to the top.
Lake Shikotsu in the distance
After the stairs came a rocky path up to the crater. You could also see the ocean. The view was really spectacular!
Almost there...
The vegetation seemed sparse until you looked closer. What seemed like small white flowers were actually little berries!
And then I hit the crater itself. Up until that point, the path was relatively sheltered by the mountain. From the crossroads, the wind picked up significantly. Just like in Shiretoko, the weather changed suddenly from sunny to cloudy and back because the wind was so strong.
Navigation
From here you can see the lava dome in the middle of the crater, and the path that goes up and down around it. My original plan was to walk the entire way around the crater, but with the wind so strong I was a bit worried if I could make it around the entire way or not.
The lava dome on the right and West Peak on the left
The wind defeated me! I made it to a small shrine and shelter area, about half way to the West Peak, and just couldn't go any further. I decided to head back to the crossroads for a break out of the wind and to get some feeling back into my hands!
I went down this path then back
However I still hadn't actually made it to the true peak of Mt. Tarumae, so after my break, I went the opposite direction up to the very top.
I made it!
Getting to the peak was a bit rough, but I was so happy to make it! The views from the highest point of course were beautiful! I also noticed some more storm clouds heading in, so I took my pictures, then decided I had run out of good weather luck and started to head back down. I made it to the parking lot just as it started raining! And since I had cut my hike a little short, I then headed to Marukoma Onsen to warm up, and after that to Lake Shikotsu for some lunch. The visitor center on the lake was interesting, with lots of information about local fauna and flora.
I especially liked the exhibit where you could choose a bird and listen to its song
And when I headed back to Noboribetsu, I also found some pretty fall colors!
A little fall color in Noboribetsu to finish the day!
Although I was a little defeated by the weather again today, it was still a really great experience to climb Mt. Tarumae! The views from the top were truly spectacular, and despite the strong wind I had a great time. I also really liked the Lake Shikotsu area, and even got to explore a bit of Noboribetsu in my free time. Next up, Nibutani!
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