Sefuriyama 脊振山 to Hamaguritake 蛤岳 summer hiking and camping 2019/8/10 & 11

Sefuriyama 脊振山 to Hamaguritake 蛤岳 summer hiking and camping 

2019/8/10 & 11

We kicked off Obon this year with a camping and hiking trip to Sefuriyama and then hiked to Hamaguritake on the second day. The route has become more overgrown and the trail to Hamaguritake has been been badly damaged by landslides and rain.

Access: To get to Sefuriyama take the No. 3 bus from Hakata bus centre to Wakiyama Elementary school and from there change to a another No.3 bus which continues on to Shiiba. Head up past the bus stop and follow the signs on the right to get to the Shiiba mountain pass. 

Gear: Standard hiking gear. Hiking boots are recommended as there are a number of streams to cross and slopes. On the other side a hiking pole may be useful to help clear the trail. It is important to have your legs completely covered during summer to protect from Horse flies, mosquitos and snakes.

Day 1: To Sefuriyama 脊振山

Despite having been to Sefuriyama a number of times the beauty of the streams and mountain rivers still really impresses.  The trail was a lot more overgrown this time and the sound of insects and cicada singing filled the air.

After reaching the road on the mountain ridge we started getting attacked by horse flies. There were a lot of them and they followed us all the way to the camping ground.

The camping ground was a lot busier than on the previous camping hike. More people kept coming as the light started to fade. Families were enjoying BBQ's and groups of friends were relaxing together.  The night view was good and the evening was nice and peaceful.

A man had set up tent nets with lighting to catch many species of bugs and insects.

The night sky was filled with starts. Unfortunately it was impossible with our simple smartphone cameras to catch pictures that did it justice.

Day 2: To Hamaguritake and the Sazanka onsen 

I woke up before sunrise which came at 5:38am and climbed back to the summit to get a great view of the sun coming up over the horizon.

Look carefully. I found a large rabbit on the path up to the mountain.

We headed off after a quick breakfast and packing up the tents. The the first part of the trail has many wooden bridges which go over and through the vegetation. There were holes and missing boards so we needed to watch our step.

The trail has collapsed. We shimmied along the trees and used an exposed root to lower ourselves down to the ground below.

Finally we came to Hamaguritake and climbed the large boulder at the top to take in the view.  The boulder itself has a large crack which was possibly caused by water freezing and expanded.

We continued onwards into Saga and stopped off at the roadside services area. They have locally produced food and even a nice bakery. The view point from behind the main building is well worth a visit.

Finally we made it to the Onsen. We enjoyed the soft waters and chilled out in the restaurant before heading to Nakabaru station.