So here are my pictures of Kaimondake here in my prefecture of Kagoshima. Famous mountain for a ton of reasons, called "Satsuma's Fuji (Satsuma is the old name of Kagoshima, also random fact, Satsuma oranges/fruits are from this region hence the name, but no one in Japan calls them that lol only in America)
This bastard... HOLY CRAP. We all knew it would be difficult but it's definitely harder than it looks. I will say the camp ground at the base is beautiful though. At the start of our hike we had an incident where you write your name to say your going up and get a certificate when you come back down. While writing our names a bird went full speed into the frankly pretty dirty window and broke it's neck. The office guy was like wtf was that and just picked it up and placed in the bushes where I assume it slowly died....
Omen to be sure.
ANYWAY.
It's broke up into 9 checkpoints each take about 15-30 minutes each to get through. The first 5 are a simple but kinda difficult uphill hike, easy for boots but our group being stupid kids wore normal running/athletic shoes which is completely not ok for this.
This is one of the areas in check point 1. Easy but because this is a volcano the ground is mostly tiny rocks and pebbles. Making nothing really stable. Can't see much until point 5 the half way point because the forest is so thick.
Thankfully the weather cleared up early on and at the point 5 you get a view of the prefecture's huge bay.
Super pretty, nice place to take pictures and a break. We had lunch here... my friend at a whole roasted chicken much to the shock of everyone including the passing hikers lol. Usually people eat at the top but it was taking our group longer and we did not eat breakfast so spent about 30 minutes here.
Then the fun begins... point 5~the finish is some of the most unsafe shit I've seen in a "ok for beginners and children" trail.
This is right after the pretty view. Then imagine more of them... then the entire trail is this. Some areas with ropes to climb up ect. Even worse is the very top before the peak is all boulders with a straight down drop, + the fact that it was super windy. One friend almost wen't tumbling down near the peak which was scary to see some one lose their footing out the corner of your eye. Thankfully an older lady behind her caught her a bit where she could get her footing again. No pictures of the top without friends in it I don't think, will look more after work but dang everyone says the same thing after doing it.
"I'm never doing that shit again, the top is so unsafe haha"
But none the less it was an experience, especially for me who has a slight fear/feels really unbalanced on heights as an uncoordinated tall person. Good leg exercise but man, definitely one of those "don't under estimate" climbs. Baffles me that they allow small children and elderly people on it but supposedly there are few accidents a year on it -shrug-
That was my ranty experience. No thanks, gonna stick to small hikes in the woods. Mountains are for suckers haha.
