Mount Misen via Somon-no-Taki Route

This past weekend, I went on a backpacking trip with my friend Mike Barr. We climbed Mt Misen, in the Omine-san Range in Nara-ken. We climbed via the incredible Somon-no-Taki Route. This route is a hiking route, but it feels more like a rock climbing route at times - there are lots of ladders, chains and other climbing aids. We stayed in a hut one night and climbed the mountain the next morning. Here are some pics..

This is a beautiful pool at the bottom of the route:


Here's a shot of me climbing a ladder on the buttress:


Here's Mike making his way up the buttress:


Here's another shot of the buttress section. You actually have to climb over this section with major drops on either side:


Here are the eponymous Somon-no-Taki falls:


Mike carried an incredible amount up the mountain. He even packed along a hardcover version of one of the books of Eric Shipton. Here's Mike reading a favorite passage:


Here's Mike making his way up one of the ladders:


Here's another shot of Mike on the trail:


Here's a pic of the water on the Misen-gawa River: