October 2026 The New Yoshida Times "As long as there is a mountain"

Hello everyone, this is Yoshida from milestone.

With the mountain stream fishing season finally closed, I’ve reached the phase where I need to shift my focus toward autumn trail running races! (I know, I’m late, haha.) This spring and summer, however, were seasons where I truly immersed myself in mountain stream fishing. It was a fruitful time that reaffirmed my love for the mountains, while also making me realize—once again—that there is still a mountain of knowledge and experience (pun intended...) that I need to acquire.

With that in mind, this time I’d like to write about mountaineering, the origin of my outdoor activities.

As I’ve mentioned before, I started climbing in around 2015, and I began by steadily ticking off the "100 Famous Japanese Mountains."
(As of 2026, I counted them up and I have climbed 40 of these peaks.)

Once I enter the mountains, I stop worrying about work, family, or the bustle of daily life. I find myself in an "overwhelmingly extraordinary" environment—similar to what you might feel at a theme park—where scenery that looks like it belongs in an overseas travel brochure keeps popping into view. It’s an old cliché, but it’s strange how it’s still true every time I head out into the mountains.

Back then, I never went into the mountains alone; I always planned trips with friends from work or elsewhere. We would climb together, sometimes staying in mountain huts or tents before returning home. I feel that by sharing those meals and nights with them, I was able to build a deeper spiritual connection than I could with typical friends or coworkers.
(Looking back, realizing how many of those people I’m still close with over a decade later really made this feeling hit home for me.)

As for my style back then, when I started 10 years ago, I had no knowledge of UL (Ultralight) gear. I was climbing in a Karrimor tactical backpack and an incredibly heavy Arc'teryx hard shell that I had bought at BEAMS as a fashion item. My shoes were, of course, vintage Danner Lights (with the black tag). Haha. Once, at the summit, the Vibram sole of my Danner Lights peeled off due to age-related deterioration, and I had to wrap them in duct tape to get back down. I also had a scary experience where I didn’t have a light, ended up staying on the summit too long, and had to hike down in the dark using only my phone’s flashlight. (Though that was entirely my own fault, haha.)

In this photo, I’m still wearing the heavy Arc'teryx shell and Danner Lights, but the cap already shows the influence of trail running—I’m wearing an Ultra Lunch × Hunger Knock cap. Haha.

About two years into climbing, like everyone else, I learned about UL. I became completely obsessed with the philosophy and the light, stylish gear, acquiring quite a collection. When I eventually started trail running, I used my UL hiking gear and apparel for a while.

By around 2019, my shoes had become Altra, and my apparel and pack were looking much like they do today. I bought every new model of Altra, starting from the LONE PEAK 2.0 all the way to about the 4.0. They were shoes that really helped me out during my early trail running and mountaineering days.

By 2020, you can see that both my style and the group I was climbing with had evolved into the same crew I run trails with today. From the left: Ema-chan, Zunko-san, Tate-chan, and Moto-san.
I started using items like my BROWN by 2-tacs merino T-shirt, which I still use today, for climbing.

In 2021, Nishioka-san finally joined the hiking group! This was when we traversed the Omine Okugake-michi trail over three days and two nights. From the left: Norio, Nishioka-san, Moto-san, Tate-chan, and Muramura. The pack is an OMM Phantom 25L. The DUO mat I had in the back of it worked incredibly well; the pack itself is broken now, but that mat is still a regular starter in my rotation for other packs.

After experiencing a 200km solo hike from the Shin-etsu Trail to Mt. Amakazari, my pack changed to a Gossamer Gear KUMO, and my current long-distance style slowly began to take shape from around that time. Looking back at these photos, memories of who I spoke with, what we talked about, and the scenery that moved me all come flooding back.

We engage in various mountain activities—mountaineering, trail running, fly fishing in headwaters—but there is always a "moment that moves the soul."
Since I started climbing over 10 years ago, that moment has visited me without fail every time I go to the mountains.
In search of those moments, I think my friends and I will continue to head to the mountains today, as long as the mountains are there.

Well, at the end of this month, it’s finally time for the LAKE BIWA 100, which will be my first and last 100-mile race of the year.
In next month’s "The New Yoshida Times," I’d like to share my training for it and how the event went, if you’ll have me.

I would be very grateful to hear your thoughts, opinions, or any topics you’d like me to cover.
See you next month—goodbye, goodbye, goodbye.