数年後には八ッ場ダムの底に沈むであろう吾妻渓谷の紅葉を今のうち見納めに訪ねておこうとまたとないくらいの晴天の日に出かけた。吾妻線の川原湯温泉駅に降りてみるとすべてが様変わりして工事の真っ直中、ここから渓谷にアクセスはできないとのことで、一駅前の岩島に引き返す。無人駅を出るとR145を右にずっと進み、途中巨大な新しい鉄道橋をくぐる。歩くこと約30分でようやく道の駅に着いた。
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| Iwashima Station |
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| "Michino Eki" is the access point to the Valley |
僕は取り敢えず道の駅がある渓谷の南側を歩いてみることにした。20分くらいが経過して、十二沢橋を越えると遊歩道が現れた。ここから実際にハイキング気分で歩けるのは鹿飛橋まで谷を降りて反対側に回るだけのわずかなエリアで、10数年昔に吾妻渓谷を時間をかけてたっぷり歩いた記憶と比べると何とも寂しい限りだ。紅葉も見頃の最盛期と天気情報では伝えていたが、息をのむような風景はここにはない。草津方面の山は概して茶色が主体の紅葉なのだ。それでも赤く染まった木を狙っては写真を撮っておく。こうして秋の色を眺めるのはやはり楽しい。
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| Entrance guidepost for walkers |
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| Bridge down on the Valley |
Agatsuma Valley will be few years before going under water of Yamba dam which is being built now, and I thought this might be the last chance for me to see the autumn colors of the Valley, and I took the train on an exceptional sunny day. I got off at Kawarayu Onsen Station, but everything in this area had been completely changed and the Valley looked messy with construction machines. I learned that there was no access way to the Valley there, and I had to go a station back to Iwashima. Out of Iwashima Station, you take R145 to the right and you go under the newly built, huge railway bridge and beyond until you reach "Michino Eki" in about 30 minutes.
You can go both ways but I took the southern side of the Valley, and it took about 20 minutes or so for me to see the guide post of hiking way after I passed Junisawa Bridge. From this point, the whole area for the walk was only going down the Valley to Shikatobi Bridge and go up to the other side, which is rather short in contrast to more than a decade ago when I walked the whole promenade along the Valley. (And it will be gone for ever!) The season was right but nothing was breathtaking here. The mountains in this neighborhood around Kusatsu are generally brownish rather than red or yellow, so when I see red trees among them occasionally, I took pictures focusing on them. Such autumn colors are still pleasing!
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