wj lost in translation: DAISETSUZAN PARK

"You made a wise decision" the parkguide responded when i told him i didn't finish the trail yesterday due to the snow parts on the track. "Yersterday we had to save a man by helicopter. Due to the snow the track isn't vissible anymore and he got lost in the mountains. We had to pick him up with a helicopter."

Getting lost here in the park is easy, Daisetsazan park is the biggest parks of Hokkaido (2309km2) so if you get lost, you really get lost! And don't forget, you must hope that a helicopter finds you before one of the many bears that still roams here, does. I ask the guide if he has seen a bear before.
"Probably you wont find them at the borders of the park", the guide replies. " the bears usely are shy and won't go to the areas where people live. But i have seen them deeper into the park".
I am for several days in the park to hike up some trails. A small bell that makes a lot of noise should keep the bears away. While walking i am thinking, should't the bell rather attrack the bears? An easy way to find a nice piece of white meat?

The first hike i make is to the top of Asahi-dake. With 2230m the highest point of Hokkaido. The mountain is in fact a volcano, one part has collapesed in time, but due to the shape of the rim you still can see that the magnificent volcanoshape. The mountain is still active, at the begining of the hike there are still geisers fuming hot and smelly air. On the way to the top you smell the air of rotten eggs. The track is a rocky climb, while the colors shift from red to grey to dark black. It looks amazing. At the other side of the summit there was still a lot of snow on the track. I could see footprints of former hikers and try to ascent in the snow. But while my feet are getting cold, i decide to return and not to finish the rest of the 5-6 hours hike. Smart according to the ranger of the park, because there were more snow parts on the track. Although you see som footprints, they melt away after a few hours.

But two days later i found myself walking in snow, up to the summit of Furano Dake. This time the road is visible because of a muddy trail in the snow up the mountain. This part is on the west side of the park, It is a green hike through pinetrees and small bushes to a rocky summit. Small birds flies around your head and sing a cheerfull tune to support you. Which is necessary because the track i took to 3 summits was 6,5hours long. That was the time for me, 9 hours according to the hiking map. The hiking map was given to me by a friendly japanese hiker that was waiting for the same bus to Tokachidake Onsen. Friendly and helpfull as the japanese are, he gave me the map and explained in broken english the possible trails to take. Very helpfull but after 1,5 hour climbing a very steep part of the hike , i stare from the the summit into a deep gorge, there where the track suppose to be. I return to the begining and take another part to the top of Furano and Kami Furano dake. I walk uptempo because i got a long way to go and there is an early last bus to catch. Luckily i meet two girls on the summit of Furana dake, who apperently have seen me hiking up the Asahi-dake two days ago. They promise me a lift by car back to the trainstation, so i wont depend on that bus. Awesome nice of them, because now i can take a warm onsen bath when i return to the starting point of hike 6,5 hours later. While my muscles are relaxing in a brown-red, full of iron, spa-bath outsidede, i stare to the tip of my toes with as backdrop the scenery of the summits i have climbed today, i have to admit that this makes Japan fantastic: Helpfull people and beautifull nature.