WhiteGiant
Maximum Pace
- Nov 4, 2006
- 1,233
- 395
This is not so much the putting forth of a new idea, as it is a rekindling of an old one.
It all started about 3 years ago with the "Tour de Fuji Tozan" ride we did, from Tokyo to the fifth-station (halfway up) Mt. Fuji – And back again. There was talk back then of doing a complete "seaside to summit" combination ride/hike, that would include riding from a nearby seaside town to the fifth-station, and then changing shoes before hiking up the main trail, right to the very top of Mt. Fuji.
Also, now with the "double-century-overnight-rides" gaining popularity – See Trad's "Sea to Sea Stupidity": https://tokyocycle.com/bbs/showthread.php?t=1813 (By the way, congratulations on that one, Todor. Well done on a great ride and report!) – The possibility of riding all the way out from Tokyo is not out of the question, even though Tokyo is not exactly the "nearest" seaside town.
Having done a little research, in order for us to be at the summit for sunrise, we would need to be at the fifth-station by about 10pm – This is apparently quite a common time for hikers to set out, so we wouldn't be alone after this point. For more details, see here:
http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e6901.html
There's also a 24-hour family restaurant near Kawaguchi-ko/Fujiyoshida, where we can sit down and have a BIG meal before we even start the main climb to the fifth-station, we should leave there before 6:30pm, and in order to get there by 5pm, we'd have to leave Tokyo by 10am at the latest (Sorry! I'm just "reverse-engineering" the ride as I type).
Also, we would need to be carrying a fair amount of luggage; hopefully, no-one's a stranger to backpacks. We'll need:
Boots, or sturdy sneakers.
Windbreaker, or rain-cape.
Flashlight/head-light.
Long-sleeve jersey.
Rain-pants, or other leg coverings.
A couple of hours' worth of gels and snacks (for the hike).
O.K! This time in the correct order, here's a tentative schedule for a possible ride:
10:00 - Set out from Tokyo station.
11:00 - Cross Tamagawa on Rte.246
12:30 - Arrive at the Hashimoto 7-11 for a break [55km].
13:00 - Leave Hashimoto, and set out for Doshi-Michi (50km climb to the tunnel).
16:00 - Regroup at the Yamanaka-ko 7-11 (Same 7-11 as after Mikuni [110km]). Roll around the lake to the Johnathon's Family restaurant.
17:00 - Dinner at the restaurant [130km] – Relax and/or even take a 30-minute power nap.
18:30 - Leave restaurant, and stock up on gels & snacks for the hike. Begin the climb up the "Subaru-Line" to the fifth-station. In race conditions, it's an 80-120 minute ride. With backpacks, conservatively, I'd like to give it at least 3 hours.
21:30-22:00 - Put on some warm clothes, change shoes, lock up the bikes, and start hiking.
04:30-05:00 - Watch the sunrise. Get the hell off the mountain!
This is just one option, though. Another way we could do it is to, one evening, catch the train out to a seaside town, Numazu or Yoshiwara, for example, and start riding straight from there. We ride through the night, and arrive at the same family restaurant in the early hours of the morning. We wouldn't see the sunrise from the top, but as long as we're back down from the summit during daylight, it wouldn't really matter.
Any suggestions are most welcome! Also, let us know your willingness to join in.
Oh yeah, last time we did the "Tour de Fuji Tozan" ride, it was the 7th of July, 2007. But it was STILL very cold – Right, Philip!? This time, I propose that we wait until at least August.
Can't wait! Travis
It all started about 3 years ago with the "Tour de Fuji Tozan" ride we did, from Tokyo to the fifth-station (halfway up) Mt. Fuji – And back again. There was talk back then of doing a complete "seaside to summit" combination ride/hike, that would include riding from a nearby seaside town to the fifth-station, and then changing shoes before hiking up the main trail, right to the very top of Mt. Fuji.
Also, now with the "double-century-overnight-rides" gaining popularity – See Trad's "Sea to Sea Stupidity": https://tokyocycle.com/bbs/showthread.php?t=1813 (By the way, congratulations on that one, Todor. Well done on a great ride and report!) – The possibility of riding all the way out from Tokyo is not out of the question, even though Tokyo is not exactly the "nearest" seaside town.
Having done a little research, in order for us to be at the summit for sunrise, we would need to be at the fifth-station by about 10pm – This is apparently quite a common time for hikers to set out, so we wouldn't be alone after this point. For more details, see here:
http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e6901.html
There's also a 24-hour family restaurant near Kawaguchi-ko/Fujiyoshida, where we can sit down and have a BIG meal before we even start the main climb to the fifth-station, we should leave there before 6:30pm, and in order to get there by 5pm, we'd have to leave Tokyo by 10am at the latest (Sorry! I'm just "reverse-engineering" the ride as I type).
Also, we would need to be carrying a fair amount of luggage; hopefully, no-one's a stranger to backpacks. We'll need:
Boots, or sturdy sneakers.
Windbreaker, or rain-cape.
Flashlight/head-light.
Long-sleeve jersey.
Rain-pants, or other leg coverings.
A couple of hours' worth of gels and snacks (for the hike).
O.K! This time in the correct order, here's a tentative schedule for a possible ride:
10:00 - Set out from Tokyo station.
11:00 - Cross Tamagawa on Rte.246
12:30 - Arrive at the Hashimoto 7-11 for a break [55km].
13:00 - Leave Hashimoto, and set out for Doshi-Michi (50km climb to the tunnel).
16:00 - Regroup at the Yamanaka-ko 7-11 (Same 7-11 as after Mikuni [110km]). Roll around the lake to the Johnathon's Family restaurant.
17:00 - Dinner at the restaurant [130km] – Relax and/or even take a 30-minute power nap.
18:30 - Leave restaurant, and stock up on gels & snacks for the hike. Begin the climb up the "Subaru-Line" to the fifth-station. In race conditions, it's an 80-120 minute ride. With backpacks, conservatively, I'd like to give it at least 3 hours.
21:30-22:00 - Put on some warm clothes, change shoes, lock up the bikes, and start hiking.
04:30-05:00 - Watch the sunrise. Get the hell off the mountain!
This is just one option, though. Another way we could do it is to, one evening, catch the train out to a seaside town, Numazu or Yoshiwara, for example, and start riding straight from there. We ride through the night, and arrive at the same family restaurant in the early hours of the morning. We wouldn't see the sunrise from the top, but as long as we're back down from the summit during daylight, it wouldn't really matter.
Any suggestions are most welcome! Also, let us know your willingness to join in.
Oh yeah, last time we did the "Tour de Fuji Tozan" ride, it was the 7th of July, 2007. But it was STILL very cold – Right, Philip!? This time, I propose that we wait until at least August.
Can't wait! Travis