100 Summits – Susan Spann, Mystery Author

Almost-Halfway 100 Summits Update!

Susan Spann 100 Summits, Blog November 16, 2018#100Summits, 100 Summits, Corinne O'Flynn, hiking, Mitake, Mount Mitake, mountains 0 Comment

I’ve been climbing my way through the autumn, and simultaneously working on the next Hiro Hattori mystery (tentatively titled Ghost of the Bamboo Grove), and it occurred to me that I’ve been a bit remiss in my blogging updates. Whoops . . . The summit count currently stands at 43 – a respectable almost-halfway total, though the coming snow will present some challenges moving forward.

Torikabuto and Takanosu

Susan Spann 100 Summits, Blog October 23, 2018October 23, 2018100 Summits, aconite, Hakone, hiking, Japan, summits, Takanosu

Yesterday saw the addition of three more peaks to my #100Summits list, thanks to a traverse of two peaks and a gondola-assisted climb of a third in the Hakone area. While I’ll give more details about the later two climbs in the weeks to come, today I’m sharing a little about the first, which also involved research for my next Hiro Hattori mystery (the first one to involve a ghost).

Fujisan Decides

Susan Spann 100 Summits, Blog October 21, 2018October 21, 2018100 Summits, climbing, Fuji, Japan, mountains, Mt. Fuji

Anyone who climbs mountains regularly knows that the climber gets to plan, and to attempt, but the mountain has a say–if not a deciding voice–in whether or not you stand upon its peak. In some cases, that also goes for whether or not you even see the summit.

Mt. Tomuraushi – and Pikachu!

Susan Spann 100 Summits, Blog October 1, 2018September 30, 2018100 Summits, hiking, hyakumeizan, Japan, mountains, pika, pikachu, Tomuraushi

My third and longest climb in Hokkaido was the first on my 100 Summits quest that I almost failed to complete. But it wasn’t pain or exhaustion that almost cost me the summit. On Tomuraushi, as always, time proved my worst enemy. My guide Takuto and I began our hike at 7:40 am at the trailhead near Tomuraushi Onsen, where we’d spent the night. If you read the sign, you’ll notice the peak lies 9.2km from the trailhead – and they’re not an easy nine kilometers, either. The hike begins with a lovely walk through pristine forest. It has some

On the Road – and at the Races!

Susan Spann 100 Summits, Blog September 17, 2018September 17, 2018100 Summits, hiking, Hokkaido, horse, horse racing, Japan

I’m sorry the blog has been more silent than usual lately – that’s changing, starting now. I’ve been quiet mostly because I’ve been climbing, and I have a ton of exciting moments to share! The #100Summits journey has taken me halfway across Japan, 1,100 kilometers north of Tokyo, to the northernmost major island, Hokkaido.

To Hokkaido . . . In The Wake of the Quake

Susan Spann 100 Summits, Blog September 9, 2018#100Summits, 100 Summits, climbing, Hokkaido, Japan, mountains, Yotei

I started planning the 100 Summits Project a year ago, and even then I knew the most difficult region of Japan in which to climb would be Hokkaido, Japan’s northernmost major island. Most of Hokkaido lies beyond the northernmost terminus of the Shinkansen (bullet train) which ends its run at Shin-Hakodate-Hokuto terminal, 1,099 kilometers from Tokyo but only at the southernmost end of Hokkaido itself. From there, it’s almost a full day’s ride by express train to the northern end of the island – and the hyakumeizan peaks are scattered across Hokkaido like a handful of dice flung down by an angry

Hiking Kōbōyama (Part 2)

Susan Spann Uncategorized August 22, 2018August 19, 2018#100Summits, 100 Summits, Buddhism, hiking, Japan, Kobo Daishi, koboyama, Shingon

Last week’s high-temperature, high-humidity hike in Kanagawa Prefecture took me to the summits of three more peaks: Sangenyama, Gongenyama, and Kōbōyama. (For the story and photos from the first two peaks, click here.) The trail from Gongenyama’s summit down the ridge toward Kōbōyama starts off a highly civilized set of stairs with trees on either side. At the foot of the stairs, a short section of trail leads to a parking lot where people who prefer to drive to the summit, rather than hiking, can leave their vehicles for the 15-minute stair-walk to Gongenyama.

Hiking Sangenyama, Gongenyama and Kōbōyama (Part 1)

Susan Spann 100 Summits, Blog August 20, 2018August 19, 2018#100Summits, 100 Summits, climbing, gongenyama, hiking, Japan, koboyama, mountains, sangenyama

Last week I braved the 90-degree temperatures in Kanagawa Prefecture (south of Tokyo) to continue my 100 Summits journey with a “station to station” hike that included a traverse of three different mountains: Sangenyama, Gongenyama, and Kōbōyama. Since these three peaks are separate mountains, rather than a single “compound peak,” they count as three toward my 100 Summits Project goal and bring the current total to 22. (The August heat has slowed me down, largely for safety reasons but also because I’m working on finding a long-term rental apartment, which is challenging in Japan when you have a cat! But I

Climbing Shiroyama

Susan Spann 100 Summits, Blog August 7, 2018#100Summits, 100 Summits, cicadas, hiking, Japan, mountains, Shiroyama

Yesterday I climbed Shiroyama, 562-meter peak in Yugawara, Kanagawa Prefecture–the 19th mountain of my #100Summits Project here in Japan. The mountain takes its name from the castle that once sat atop its peak. (“Shiroyama” means “Castle Mountain” in Japanese.) Although only scattered ruins and a monument on the summit remain to mark the spot today, during the 12th century Yugawara (then called Doi-go) and its castle were home to the Doi samurai clan.

Climbing Mt. Fuji (#15/#18)

Susan Spann 100 Summits, Blog July 25, 2018100 Summits, climbing, climbing Mount Fuji, Fuji, hiking, Japan, Mount Fuji

On July 19-20, 2018, I fulfilled a lifelong dream and stood atop the summit of Fujiyama, the highest mountain in Japan (3,776 meters). And this time, I did not climb alone.

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