There are not many places in Japan that afford the luxury of a sea-to-summit hike, but we are lucky enough to have one right here in our backyard. The "Tsugami Shindo"is a legendary trail constructed over 10 years as a labor of love by a local mountaineering club, specifically in order to connect the Sea of Japan to the nearly 3,000 meter peaks at the northern end of the Alps. If you really want a challenge, you could start from the ocean and climb to the peaks, but to maximize the enjoyment we're going the other way. Even still, a typical downhill hike on this "expert" course that was officially completed in 1971, is done over the course of 3 days and 2 nights. We've decided to tack on some distance and shave a day off to add to the challenge and satisfaction. Though indeed tough, we'll ease into the expedition with a relatively 'easy' first day of climbing before opening up the pace and cruising on the day two descent (expect ups and downs). Because of the long, tiring second day of fastpacking, we'll have a relaxing overnight at a hotel at the finish and the tour will wrap-up on the morning of day three, after breakfast.

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We begin this two-day fastpacking adventure in the morning at an elevation of 1,230 meters above sea level, and quickly reach our high point for the entire trek around lunchtime - 2,932 meter Mt. Shirouma. The climb up to Shirouma is largely done on a permanent snowfield through a deep valley, bordered on either side by towering  peaks, and is one of the most popular and beautiful routes in the Alps. We'll crest above the snowfield and soon find ourselves surrounded by wildflowers before reaching the ridge and taking in incredible panoramic views of the Northern Alps, as well as an awe (and maybe fear) inspiring look at the long, extended ridge that lies before us and our final destination. From the summit of Shirouma we can enjoy a mostly runnable descent before another short climb to an intermediary peak. Next another runnable stretch awaits before the last, gentle climb to our campsite for the evening.

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​Day two will be a long one, so we'll be up before the sun to give ourselves plenty of time to reach our goal, and to do as much of the course in the cool morning weather as possible. Straight from the campsite we have a decent climb to knock the morning rust off the legs, before we settle into the downhill portion. While day one has us in a popular hiking and trekking area with several staffed mountain huts and escape routes, on day two we will be in a far more remote location, and will likely only cross paths with a handful of ambitious Japanese. There are a few water sources along the way, and two basic, unstaffed huts but don't expect much. We will spend the entire day on a glorious ridge with epic views in all directions. Expect things to get hot and humid as we lose elevation and approach the coast, but ultimately we'll get some relief once we descend below tree line.

Though we start out on snow, and will encounter rocky sections, overall the trail is not especially technical - just long, so it is important to come into the trip with an appropriate level of fitness and experience - especially with extended downhill travel. We can expect to be on the move for up to 10 hours the first day (18 km・+2,500 m / -1,600 m), and up to 12 hours on day two (26 km・+1,600 m / -3,705 m).