Because it was a car based trip and 3 drivers signed up for the hike we
could able to accommodate only 13 participants. We are really sorry that
some of the interested people were not able to join this hike.
We started from the usual 7/11 at 6:02 am and could reach Seinenoi
at 9:30. am. The beginning of the hike was relaxed ; we started
climbing up Bandai from Urbandai ski slope. Because the mountain was
officially closed to public, trails were bit wild and
thrilling.
After about an hour's climb, we reached the marshland covered with snow.
It
was nice to walk through unstable layers of the snow paths. The weather
was
extremely perfect and the views from the trails were splendid. View of
the
Bandai-summit in the mirror pond and the Aonuma from the trails are some
examples. We had lunch at the Bandai-summit and descended through the
steep
sulphur trails, some time it was surprising to see the flat landscape
surrounded with red and yellow volcanic rocks like we have reached in
some
other planet. After the hike we soaked ourselves in Kawakami onsen
for a
while and headed to the youth hostel where we stayed. After dinner
we
enjoyed the guitar performance and Russian music by Victoria and
friends.
Second day we visited the visitor center, where we learned about the
geography of Bandai-san and after that we walked around the five color
ponds. At 1.30 pm we enjoyed the BBQ near the lakeside. Our BBQ host was
so
kind to us that we were able to taste all the leaves and plants in
that
region (Ooieshi!! Ne!!). We thank all the participants for their kind
cooperation in the hike.
:)Ryoko and Ajay
