I’ve been wanting to combine cycling with hiking for a while now and decided that this weekend was going to be the time to actually try it out.

This is the hike up to Sanpukutoge (三伏峠) on the Nagano/Shizuoka border in the Minami Alps. On a clear day Mt.Fuji is clearly visible so it would be a great place to spend the night under the stars and do some early morning photography. In fact that was what most of the hikers I met seemed to be doing. I went as far as Sampukutoge (2615m) but others were heading on to Shiomidake (塩見岳) another 5kms or so away and a further 400m higher.

It was a hard hike but if you stick to your own pace it is easily walkable in a day. If you go there by car you’ll need to hike 3kms to the trail entrance or wait for the twice daily bus.