slippery when wet, originally uploaded by julesberry2001.

Up above 2700-2800m it should become all ropes, rocks, ladders and chains. More so in the Kita Alps than the Minami Alps, but last week's Kaikomagatake has some on its north side. Luckily, all the mountain hardware is designed to be passable by even the tiny legs of the older generation of Japanese, which is reassuring, although I have to admit to being nervous of the abunai (dangerous) marks on the map and having been terrified, mostly by the penalty for failure (ie let go of that chain and its a sheer drop to nowhere fast), on several occasions over the past 8 years.