Ashiya Rock Garden Adventure Hike

Date & Time (duration):
October 14, 2018 (Sunday) 9:30a.m.~15:30p.m. (6 hours)
Weather: Fair with occasional clouds.
Location: Ashiya Rock Garden and Arechi-yama　
Participants: Estella, Neil, Sarah and Tosh

Trip Report by Hitoshi “Tosh” Bandome:

Participants met at Hankyu Ashiyagawa station at 9:30 a.m.
Instead of following the popular “Central Ridge”, we followed “Jigokudani” carefully tracing the stream and scaling several waterfalls along the way.
Though aftermath of recent typhoon was visible in many segments of the trail, participants truly appreciated the lovely fall weather and a countless clusters of uniquely shaped granite rocks which make this place one of its kind.
After enjoying a spectacular view from “Banbutsusou”, we continued our hike to “Black Face”. We took a lunch break on a comfortable rock terrace overlooking “Kouza-Valley”. Enjoying the beautiful weather, participants spent almost an hour chit chatting before heading out to the next destination.
Passing through “Arechi-yama” summit was somewhat mundane and uneventful as it was densely surrounded by trees and visibility was quite limited. Without wasting any time, participants simply took the normal hiking trail and descended to Hankyu Okamoto Station.
Though cumulative elevation and total distance were not very intense, it was truly a fun hike with scrambling over boulders, rocky terrain and waterfalls. Technically quite a challenging route, participants displayed excellent balance and flawless maneuver.
Good job!!

Trip Leader: Hitoshi “Tosh” Bandome