Completing the Central Divide Trail (Mt Mitsumine to Mt Chausu)
- alastairbourne
- Aug 30
- 2 min read
Hike date: August 30, 2026
Yesterday's poor weather continued overnight and I abandoned plans to head for the Alps. Instead I decided to hike the one part of the Central Divide Trail that I hadn't walked before. The trail links the two table mountains of Kirigamine in the east and Utsukushigahara in the west. North of here the water flows to the Sea of Japan, while to the south it flows into the Pacific Ocean. I parked my car at Tobira pass in the middle of this unknown section, which led across the grasslands from Mt Mitsumine to Mt Chausu on the corner of Utsukushigahara. I had climbed both peaks before but it had bothered me for ages that I hadn't been along the well marked trails in between. It's lucky they were well marked because the mist was in and there was not much to see of the fabulous views that I know are all around. First stop was Mt Chausu, which I climbed by following a long, steep spine from the pass. This part was punctuated by occasional light rain as I negotiated the trail among the thick bamboo grass. Once I summited I descended immediately, had lunch in my car, and headed east to Mt Mitsumine. This path was more forested and had way more ups and downs, including some steep muddy sections, but I made it easily to the top with some glimpses of views in the distance as the mist started to lift. I didn't meet any other hikers all day. As so often happens, the sun started to shine as I was in my car heading back home and I was finally able to see some of the views I had been unable to see from the mountains.
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