First Hike! Odawara to Lake Ashi

First Hike!

Now that you know who we all are, it's time for us to get started!

Our first hike will cover the first three checkpoints of the oxfam trail.

It should be a good starter hike to get everybody loosened up after the long winter.

Calendar!

Be sure to check out the Google calendar event, it's where we'll put all the latest info.

When, where & how?

This Sunday, March 1st, meeting at 7:45.

We'll be meeting at Shinjuku station by the Shonan-Shinjuku line.

We'll be riding car 1, so if you can't find us at the gates, wait on the Platform.

The train leaves at 8am so make sure you're there before!

Pirates?

As you can see from the photo, it appears there's a pirate problem on Lake Ashi.

We'll be sure to let you know more...

Roll Call - Amol Bansode

Amol Bansode / अमोल बनसोडे

Age: 29
Occupation: IT - Investment Banking
Employer: Bank of America
Sun Sign: Aries
Where am I from: Pune - India
Country of Residence: Tokyo - Japan
Favorite Quote: One life, live it..!!

Intro:
Thank you for reading our do-life blog. I'm extremely excited to be part of this amazing team (as guy calls it 'Oxfamtastic Four' :P)

I did Oxfam last year (in 2008). It was an incredible experience. When I finished my walk last year, I had already decided walk again. 100km walk for good cause, I am in..!!! I find myself lucky to be able to walk with close friends. I know its going to be a superb experience.

We need your support, encouragement and best wishes to succeed in our goal..

About me:
Born and brought up in India, I've been working outside my country for more than FIVE years now. One of the best decisions I made as part of career moves was to come to Japan. I immediately fell in love with this country, its culture and people. The rugged terrain of Japan helped me rejuvenate my hiking habits. I love the getaways to mountains, and enjoy beauty of nature; another reason to do Oxfam.

Interests:
Hiking, Biking, Books, Movies, Programming, Games, PS3 and of course beer & scotch.. ^_^

Greetings

Hi. Everyone, This is Takehiko Deguchi, a novice for Oxfam. It is my great honor to be one of the members of the Oxfam do-life team. I have to confess that I am also a novice to "blog" in general so my posting/response could be slightly clumsy - apology in advance.

Roll Call - Guy Delumeau

Guy DeLumeau
Age: 27
Astrological Sign: Leo
Zodiac Year: Rooster
Occupation: English Teacher/MMA Fighter
Location: 杉並 : United States
About Me
Hey Everybody! I'm incredibly psyched to be a part of this team and the great adventure that we will be involved in!

Interests
Surfing, Yoga, Hiking, Photography

Roll Call - Takehiko Deguchi

Takehiko Deguchi
Occupation: IT
Location: Meguro-ku : Tokyo : Japan
About Me
A Japanese by nature/nuture

The wicked backspin caught you off guard. How will you play it off without losing your footing?
I will not try to play it off as we are all in the "matrix" by the end of the day - it does not really matter -

Interests
Classical music, rock climbing, reading books
Favorite Movies
Back draft "Semi-shigure" ("cicada chorus" - samurai movie)
Favorite Music
Enya
Favorite Books
Sharlock Holmes

Roll Call - Evan Rubin

Hello there, this is Evan Rubin, leader of the Oxfam Do-Life team.

Leader?
It's easy to become the paper leader of an Oxfam Trailwalker team.
It takes about 10 minutes and a credit card, a lot like most things in life.

Becoming the leader of this Do-Life team, however, will require a lot more than that.

The guys I'm walking with are friends now, and by choosing to create this team, they're putting trust not just in our friendship, but also my ability to take 10 minutes and a credit card and turn it into something meaningful.

This blog is part of that experience, and I'm sure it will be one of the most valuable things I'll gain from the Oxfam experience.

What am I after?
I want to take many of the things floating around my life right now, and turn them into something concrete.

I want to take a group of friends, and through a journey that ends with a 100k hike, turn that group into a team.

I want to turn the word "leader" on an online registration page into the flesh and blood.

I want to turn a casual love of hiking and the outdoors into a lifetime experience and accomplishment.

What's my "everyday"?
Hiking 100k in 48 hours takes more than weekend training.
It takes an everyday commitment, even if it's simple.

So I'm taking the stairs to my 15th floor office every day after lunch.

How do I like it?
In addition to working the legs & lungs, I find it's the best way to work off a lunch and prevent the afternoon nap time :-)

Let's Get Started!

Glad to see you
Welcome to the Oxfam Do-Life team blog!

Here we'll share our adventures, challenges and accomplishments as we take on the 2009 Oxfam Charity Hike.

Who are we?
We're a group of four friends, all from different walks of life, brought together by our love of challenge, nature, and doing something a bit different.

What is the Oxfam Hike?
The Oxfam hike is a 48 hour 100k hike over a vast variety of terrain.
You can check out the map here.

We'll be hiking up steep rugged mountains, past beautiful lakes, through forests, and even down the side of forest highways as we make our way from Odawara city to the finish at Lake Yamanashi.

Like most things in Japan, the hike is something that can only really be appreciated on the ground, which is why we're committed to providing photos as we train and do the main event.

What's it for?
Oxfam is a major charity organization helping developing communities throughout the world.

The Trailwalker event provides not just a physical challenge for the participants, but literally gets thousands of people involved fundraising for the Oxfam efforts throughout the world.
For those interested, check it out on the official Trailwalker page: Where the money goes

Why are we doing it?
Here's where things can get more personal, and each of us on the Do-Life team can speak out...