Setogaro falls

While temperatures are still raging, let's get away to cool down under waterfalls! I have decided to hold the Iwaki waterfalls (Setogaro) hike on August 11 (Saturday). August 11 is also Day of the Mountains. We went there last year, after a gap of many years.

Iwaki waterfalls is a easy-moderate level hike (it is really!) which involves walking upstream along a beautiful river valley. There are many waterfalls along the way, with the tallest close to ten meters high. There will be opportunities to swim in some of the pools as we go (so come prepared). In some places there are chains bolted into the rock for balance and also one or two ladders for climbing. The total walking time is about 4.5 hours, plus leisure time of about 2 hours.

Transport: I have decided to go by cars, at leaving at 6:00 AM (to arrive there at about 9 AM). [Taking trains is also a possibility, in which case we have to leave at ~5:30AM and be strictly in time]. A share of gas expenses and highway tolls ( ~3,000 yen per person)
Club fee 300 yen per person.

Time: 6:00 am departure (from Tsukuba Center) to get to Eda by 9:00am.
Walking 9:30 am - 3:30 pm. Return: arriving at Tsuchiura 7:30 pm. We might stop on the way to visit a beach or onsen (optional)

What to bring;
Good walking shoes (with a good grip), hat / sunscreen, lunch, water bottle, Optional: swimming gear and towel

Option: There is also a picnic option for a small group at the second waterfall (at about 1 h walk along the stream) where we will have lunch, if you do not want to walk further.

Let me know if you a are interested, and if you can drive.

If it cannot be organized on 11th for some reason, I might postpone it to the next day, the 12th, if the conditions are right.

Let me hear from you! And let me know if you have any questions.

Alok

We had an exciting and adventurous hike to Iwaki waterfalls (Setogaro) on Saturday August 11.

We 16 people (including one child) set out at 6:15 in 4 cars from the parking of Tsukuba station. Being the first day of the Obon week, the highway was crowded, but the traffic kept moving without a serious jam. After a break at Nakago service area, we reached the parking of Setogaro by 9:45 (considerably delayed). We started walking by 10.

Quite in the beginning of the walk, two participants lost the trail and went up another, potentially risky trail. After recovering, one of them gave up trying to catch up. Very sorry for that.

There had been a typhoon two days earlier, so there was considerable flow of water and many bridges across the stream blown off. When we were nearing the second waterfall, our spot for a break, we met a young couple returning. They said a bridge has blown off and it’s impossible to continue further. When we reached it we saw that one side of the bridge was sunk in waters, with considerable water flowing over it. At first we tried to sink in stones to cross over them, but it made the forceful stream flow even higher. Then I thought up an engineering solution to pull the bridge up. I saw that it was made up of aluminum sheets strapped up on iron pipes.. Then our heavy engineering corps got to work and pulled up the bridge within minutes. And pulled up many more bridges on the trail as a routine.

We swam or bathed and had lunch at the second waterfall, as planned.

The youngest one, 8 years old, led the hike throughout! We allowed her to continue beyond the second waterfall (a point of no return). Meanwhile, another participant was advised to return from here, for safety reasons (good boots and some experience are necessary beyond this). Thank you Kotaro for helping out with this.

Some enthusiastic members had a swim and diving at the last waterfall too. After this we walked back to the parking by the ‘yukkuri’ (easier) trail (over 1 h) to arrive at the parking by 5pm.

There was still day, so we went to see the waterfall in the river nearby in our cars, and then proceeded to Yotsukura beach for some quiet and relaxed time at the sunset. Thereafter, we hit the road again, from Yotsukura interchange. We stopped at Yotsukura parking area, which has a nice fish restaurant. Had leisurely dinner, did accounting of the transportation, took a group picture, and proceeded again at about 9pm, to arrive in Tsukuba by 11pm.

I thank everyone for participating and a fun time. I thank all the drivers- Kotaro, Valeria and Totsuya, besides myself; and Petko, Ivan and others for ‘building bridges.’