PaulShinetsu Mountain Madness - Day 3The previous day of fastpacking had proven to be an unexpectedly eventful one, but little did we know that the adventure quotient on this...
PaulShinetsu Mountain Madness - Day 2Our run up and down Mt. Kurohime on Friday was just a warm-up for the bigger, bolder adventure we had lined up over the next two days. T...
PaulShinetsu Mountain Madness - Day 1Shinetsu (信越) refers to the region of central Japan comprised of Nagano and Niigata prefectures. The term is derived from a combination o...
PaulRaicho: Japan's Mountain BirdThe name raicho (雷鳥) literally translates to "thunder bird," and refers to members of the population of Japanese Rock Ptarmigan that mig...
PaulOur Go-To Fastpacking Gear: "Go Suit"②If you've been following along with our series on fastpacking gear, you'll know that so far we've gone through 10 pieces of kit and 7 ite...
PaulOur Go-To Fastpacking Gear: "Go Suit"① Over the last two posts we've introduced the 10 major pieces of our trusted fastpacking kit. This time we'll continue to showcase more it...
PaulOur Go-To Fastpacking Gear: Items 6 - 10In the first blog post of this series we introduced 5 major pieces of fastpacking kit; pack, shelter, bivvy, mat & poles. This time we'll...
PaulOur Go-To Fastpacking Gear: Items 1 - 5Maybe we need to start off by first answering the question, "What is fastpacking?" REI's excellent article on the subject calls it: "Dist...
PaulMt. Shirouma & the 'Daisekkei'Amongst the numerous climbing routes in the Hakuba Valley, one in particular has achieved almost legendary status - the 'Daisekkei.'
PaulSpring Snow / Edible Plant HikeSpring is an amazing time to explore the mountains in Japan, with fresh greenery, lingering snowfields, good weather and far less crowds.
PaulThe Salt Road: Jizo Pass & Mt. Ato-SugiIn a village blessed with nature, history and culture, there is no better way to experience them all than on a hike along the Salt Road.
PaulMt. Fuji Sea-to-Summit-to-Sea [Video]I believe it was 2013 when I first heard of the insane idea... to climb from the ocean to the top of Japan's iconic Mt. Fuji.
PaulOtari Green Season PR VideoHike and Bike Japan's base of operation, the small rural village of Otari, is a culturally-rich and naturally-blessed area that we take p...
PaulAttempt on Mt. Yakushi (Pt. 2)U.L. SLEEPING SETUP I dozed off shortly after dinner, sometime past 8 p.m. In general I'm a cold sleeper, so I went into the evening expe...
PaulAttempt on Mt. Yakushi (Part 1)PLAN A More than a month ago I was contacted by two-time Trans Japan Alps Race (TJAR) finisher Otokozawa-san, who I first became acquaint...
PaulMt. Karamatsu in Winter [Photo Album]This week I had the privilege of guiding a fellow American I met on the slopes of Tsugaike last month, up to the summit of 2,696m Mt. Kar...
PaulNinja Trail Running Race (Part 1)Trail running has really taken off in Japan in the last few years, and the number and variety of races on offer across the country, as we...
PaulYake-Dake (Mt. Yake)We recently came back from a day-hike up to the summit of one of central Japan's most active volcanoes, whose name literally and appropri...
PaulFastpacking in the Southern Alps (Part 2)We initially set out on an ambitious 3-day blitz of the Southern Alps, but midway through a tough day 1 doubts about the viability of our...
PaulFastpacking in the Southern Alps (Part 1)I recently came back from a brutally tough, but rewarding fastpacking trip with friends through some of the less-traveled trails at the ...