海外はやっぱり景色がちがうね。
Vol.2 パシフィック・クレスト・トレイル（アメリカ）

The scenery was already amazing, all of it. So I can't pinpoint which one was good. If I had to say, I like the road to Mount Whitney. It's also the last section of the John Muir Trail, but due to snow, I skipped it once and came back later in the journey. So I was surprised that such a view was still waiting for me after seeing such amazing scenery for about three months. There was an incredibly clear lake, and behind it was a steep pass, and directly behind were 4000-meter mountains. Until then, I had been walking at a pretty fast pace, but in that area I took many breaks and lost track of time.

Another thing that made a strong impression on me was the people I met. Due to visa issues, I started a little later than the other thru-hikers. So I hardly met anyone at first, but along the way, I made all kinds of connections. I even ran into a hiker I'd been hiking with for about a week in a completely different place. I had so many chance reunions like that, and I still remember those interactions vividly even now that the trip is over. It was a trip where I was touched by a lot of kindness, not only from hikers, but also from people who gave me a ride when I hitchhiked. I think the addictiveness of long trails comes from those kinds of encounters.

When the trip came to an end, the first thing I felt was a sense of sadness, "I have to go home now," rather than a sense of accomplishment. If possible, I would have liked to keep walking, and I'm still itching to go back. By the way, next year I plan to challenge the CDT, which runs through the center of the United States.

People sometimes ask me, "Do you have any worries about your daily life or work if you travel so much?" Of course, I'm not without worries, but my desire to go is by far stronger.

There are many outdoor activities that I started doing because of mountain climbing, such as climbing, trail running, snowboarding, and MTB, but I feel that the special charm of long trails is that there are no rules that you have to do. There is a start point and a finish point, but you don't have to stick to them, and the duration can be as long as time allows, and you can walk in sections. Even if you walk the same trail, each person's encounters and experiences are different. You can experience your own original journey. Since all you do is walk, there is no good or bad. I think that kind of freedom and looseness suits my personality.