Mitake – Susan Spann, Adventure, Mystery, and Mountains

Almost-Halfway 100 Summits Update!

Susan Spann 1000 Summits, Blog November 16, 2018#100Summits, 100 Summits, Corinne O'Flynn, hiking, Mitake, Mount Mitake, mountains

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.

Hiking in the Forest of the Gods

Susan Spann Blog August 14, 2017November 8, 2017Forest of the Gods, hiking, Japan, Mitake, travel

(Click here to start the Mount Mitake series from the beginning.) The portion of Mount Mitake’s upper slopes just below the summit is called the Forest of the Gods. With only half a day on the mountain, and half of that dedicated to the hike to the summit and a visit to Musashi-Mitake Shrine, I opted to spend the remaining hour on the path that winds around Mitake’s upper slopes and through the sacred forest. The path begins near the Tengu’s Seat–a giant cedar whose branches grow in unique curves that would, indeed, make perfect perches for the infamous mountain demons of Japanese lore. Just beyond the wooden torii, a

Hiking Mount Mitake, Part 1 – Adventures on the Cable Car

Susan Spann Blog July 31, 2017November 8, 2017hiking, Japan, Mitake, Mount Mitake, mountains, Tokyo, travel

Mount Mitake lies about an hour by train from downtown Tokyo, in Chichibu Tama Kai National Park.