Everyday life with a Patagonia backpack. vol.2 Model Sho Masuda

Cycling isn't the only outdoor activity Mr. Masuda enjoys. He also enjoys mountain climbing and long-distance hiking, and I hear he recently attempted to hike the mountain trails from Kamakura to the Miura Peninsula.

"It wasn't just about hiking in the mountains—I'd head down to town along the way to stop at a café or play around on some famous climbing rocks. Since I had my fishing rod with me, I'd try my hand at fishing in the ocean or pop into a vintage clothing store. It was supposed to be a two-day, one-night trip where I’d walk about 40 km a day, but since I spent so much time having fun along the way, I didn’t make it all the way to the Miura Peninsula. Still, I think it’s best to just go with the flow and enjoy yourself without pushing yourself too hard.”

In 2023, he also took on the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT), a long-distance trail that runs north to south along the U.S. West Coast. He reportedly spent four months hiking the 4,260-kilometer route from the Mexican border to the Canadian border. There are two ways to tackle a long-distance trail: “through-hiking,” where you complete the entire route in a single season, and “section hiking,” where you hike the trail in segments. Masuda chose to attempt a through-hike.

“I had planned to hike the entire trail in one go, but there was heavy snow on a high-altitude mountain along the way. So I skipped that section for the time being, then came back later and finished the whole hike. It was an amazing time. For four months, I didn’t have to think about work and could just be out in the nature I love. Since there was nothing to do but walk, walking became my job. It wasn’t a cultural experience—I felt a primal joy.”

I’ve hiked the entire Pacific Crest Trail and have traversed mountain ranges in Japan, such as the Yatsugatake and the Northern Alps. While the distances aren’t as long as in the U.S., these experiences taught me that terrain can significantly affect your pace.

"When I was hiking the PCT, I was surprised at how quickly I could reach the horizon—or rather, the shadows of the mountains in the distance. I kept walking as long as the sun was out and managed to cover about 50 km a day. But in rocky ridgelines like the Northern Alps in Japan, the elevation changes are steep and the footing is often unstable, so even when I think I’m walking briskly, I can only cover about 20 km a day.”

He also says he’d like to try a grand-scale journey that combines long-distance hiking with cycling.

"There's a long-distance trail in the U.S. called the Arizona Trail that's open to cyclists. I've heard there's a cool group of bike packers there, so I'd really like to check it out."