Down the mountain

I have made the re-entry into society, as I came down the mountain earlier today and made the drive to Tokyo.  After  four days at 2500 meters it is always a shock to re-enter the ground level world.  Anyway it was an amazing trip to Tateyama, as we had great weather for all four days.  The snow was also really good this year, nice spring corn snow.  A little sticky during the peak daylight hours, but smooth and fast in the morning and evening.  The sunrise, sunset and full moon rises were all amazing!

We pitched our tents at Kizakiko Lake near the starting point for our trip up the mountain.  Snapped off this picture before falling asleep.

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This photo is from Sunday looking down on the Tateyama hotel and bus terminal.  Check out all the people!  Most of the tourists are Chinese and Koreans.  Amazing how many Asian tour groups are still coming to Japan.

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Here is a shot of the famous snow walls of Tateyama.  This year the snow pack was less then normal, but check out the height of those walls!

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The North Face tour kicking off.

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Unknown group walking a ridge line as one of our crew rides down.

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The sunsets were spectacular every day, here is a mellow one.

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