Tanzawa Range Winter Hike

I've been wanting to do this hike for a while and there is no time like now. Let's go for a good 7 hour hike from Yabitsutoge to all the way to Tonodake then back down to Okura.

Yes, it sounds long and we did Tonodake recently, but this trail is DIFFERENT and ONLY a 700m climb. A few weeks ago, we did at 1.3km climb to Tonodake. Trail info in Japanese: http://www.kankou-hadano.org/hadano_mountain/mountain_o2js.html

This will be a challenge, but also rewarding! Bring trekking poles if you have them. We did fine without crampons last time, but they can help in icy areas.

Rough schedule:
8:00 Meet outside Hadano station ticket gate. I plan to be on the train that arrives at 7:51.
8:18 Leave on bus to Yabitsutoge
9:06 Arrive at Yabitsutoge
14:00 Tonodake
16:30 Okura bus stop
17:00 Shibusawa station; arrival time depends on bus availability

Notes

• If you have to smoke, please do it away and downwind from the group.
• I have no survival or first aid skills.
• Going up, we're taking a trail that is new to me, so please be patient if I need time to figure it out.
• Bring at least 500mL of water/soft drink and a lunch. I usually bring about 1L.
• Weather can change unexpectedly, so dress in layers and bring extra socks/shirt in case you need to change.
• If you miss the 8:18 bus, the next bus is at 8:55. You can take the more frequent bus to Minoge and hike 1 hour to catch up, but I can't make the group wait, to be fair to them.
• Because of the infrequent bus and long line, we will leave promptly.