So I'm sure some of you have seen my few pics I've posted from my Mt. Fuji climb, but I'd really like to tell about the whole trip, here on my blog--complete with pictures ;-). So it's a pretty lengthy blog, but it will give a better idea and more detail on what an amazing experience it really was.
From where I live in Osaka, it takes about 6 hours to get to Mt. Fuji by train and bus. When I was leaving my apartment at 5:30 am, I was super excited to climb Mt. Fuji:
We took one train to another train, got on the shinkansen, switched shinkansens, watched rain pooouuuurr down outside, cried inside a little, and took the bus to the 2000m Subarishi start point station. Lucky for us, the rain had stopped by the time the 6h had passed and we made it to the mountain. We ate lunch --which for me, consisted of a plain bagel because at 5am I forgot I was supposed to put PB on it (they sell Skippy's here--oy). I bought a Hiking stick for the climb, and so that I'd have it as a souvenier since every couple hundred meters you can stop at stations where they stamp it.
what it looked like on our way to the mountain...
It was about 1PM when we started the climb, and lucky for us the sun had actually come out. There were very few people on the trail, and from about 1-4:00 or so the weather was cooperating. Every now and then we would stop and turn around just to look out off the mountain at such an amazing view. At one point we could see the sea, and another we could see Sky Tree Tower in Tokyo. There was also some special Japanese army training that was going on down off the side of the mountain, and occasionally we would hear what sounded like thunder, but wasnt, and see some lights of some sort from where that training was. Here's a few pics of the first couple hours of our climb.
To give an idea of what some parts of the trail were like...
Pretty early on in our climb...
In between the clouds, and not even half way there!
We stopped at each station and were sure to have our hiking sticks stamped by sweet dudes like this:
So the sun was shining but before we knew it, within about 20 minutes, a cloud started rolling down the mountain, and our hike went from looking like those pictures above to a windy down pour. I didn't take pics during the rainy part of the climb, but here's the cloud on its way:
rolling down the mountain...
after the rain had stopped
The temperature on Mt. Fuji drops by about 0.6C (1.1F) for every 100meters increase in altitude. So when the rain was coming down and winds were strong, it was rather uncomfortable. This continued for about an hour or so, and once the rain finally stopped, it was just really really cold (mostly just my hands and toes). I can definitely say that from about 4PM to 7PM when we reached the 7th station were the hardest hours for me, of the whole trip. Although I was snacking the whole time, using my oxygen bomb (which I'm not convinced was working correctly as it seemed to do nothing for me), it couldn't take away from the fatigue of the long train rides and pounding headache which got increasingly worse as the air got thinner as altitude was going up. It was rough, but I wouldn't change the weather, because without those clouds I might not have had the chance to see things like this:
That shiny part in the distance is a city...
It was certainly a relief to had reached the 7th station--where we slept. A small, (somewhat) warm hut and wooden bed awaited us, along with many many other hikers. We took off our rain gear and changed our clothes, and had a delicious dinner of Japanese curry.
The sign for making it to our sleeping station at 3200m. Notice the angle of the mountain behind...oy.
Curry n salad.
We layed down at about 9PM, but because of the noise of people coming and going, and the discomfort of the bed, it definitely took a good while to fall asleep. But when I finally did, it was the most fabulous sleep.
Mika, me, and Tamaki gettin' comfy in our bunk
At 1:30am we woke up, put on our winter wear and headlamps (was gonna be sub-40 at the summit), and started our hike at about 2am. The sleep must have been exactly what my body needed--some rest, and some time to adjust to the altitude. When we got rolling again I felt like I just slept for a whole day straight. I had energy, no headache, and was stoked to be climbing Mt. Fuji. Because of two trails meeting up as one, and maaaany people were trying to get to the summit for sunrise, the climb at this point was a bit more slow and definitely more crowded.
I didn't mind the slower pace though; it made the climbing more casual and less exhausting. When 5am came around, I knew we weren't going to make it quite to the top by sunrise; however, I think our location on the mountain was even better than being all the way at the top. We were probably about 50meters or so from the summit, and since the path was a bit more narrow, it was impossible not to have a good view (unlike at the top where there is alot more space and alot more people). I started to get real excited when the sun started to come up. With all the pictures I took leading up to the sunrise, I could probably make one of those old-school flip books that as you flip it fast, you see a moving image.
And at 5:15am, there it was. Seriously breathtaking. Clouds above and clouds below. I thought I'd seen good sunrises at the beach in America, little did I know the other ways you could see the sun coming up. Wow. About 20minutes after sunrise, we finally reached the summit. WE DID IT! WE MADE IT!! WE WERE ON THE TOP OF MT.FUJI!!!!! What an exciting time. When a cloud would come through, I wouldn't notice it until I took a photo and realized I was in the middle of a cloud. Here's some pics from 3776meters =).
We did it!!
Morning had come, and the time to start our journey down had come as well. To be honest, as amazing of a feeling it was to had reached the top of the mountain, I think the most fun I had was coming down. Not because I fiiiiinally was going down the mountain instead of up, but because of being able to look out off the mountain at all of Japan, and look down at the beast you just conquered. Most of the trek down was sandy, so it was legitimately actually FUN coming down. Seriously, I had a blast. It was like downhill skiing without the skiis or snow. It was like running down hill waiting for the ground to level-off, but it never happened (this eventually becomes real exhausting, and you have to push the breaks to make sure you dont crash).
Coming down like running off a cliff...
Our own trail
a memorial for those who have died on Mt.Fuji
My gators were a key player the whole way down. We were moving fast, all while having a phenomenal view. I felt on top of the world, and pretty much invinsible. We also decided at one point to go off-trail a bit, on a trail that one of the people I was with said used to be the climbing trail a couple years back. He later realized he was wrong about that, but I was happy he didnt realize it sooner =)--it was a good thrill to know I was climbing down the mountain in an area that wasn't meant to be climbed. Although it took almost 9hours to climb up, it only took us about 3 to get down. That's how fast you can ski down the sandy subarishi trail!
Climbing Mt.Fuji and experiencing a variety of elements from Mother Nature was alot like running a long distance race. So excited, pumped and ready to go, wondering WTF you decided to do this, thinking this was the best thing you've ever done, and all ending with the most rewarding feeling. I've heard some people talk about Mt. Fuji and say "you should climb it at least once in your life if you get the opportunity," but I honestly think if I lived and Japan longer, it would be a multiple times experience. There's just so much peace and reflection and beauty and amazement and reward in the whole experience, I can't imagine only wanting to do it one time.
I think it's safe to say after all this, I've found a new favorite hobby. I can't wait to climb and hike again!!!! Time to get researching what is waiting to be tackled.....
