Mt. Fuji

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After my first two days of school, I thought....why not climb a mountain!?!

At 7p.m. on Saturday, a group of Hiroshima ALTs eagerly started the night climb up Mt. Fuji. This was after a bus ride to the mountain that started at 8a.m......so we were not the freshest bunch of hikers!

We climbed through the night, from station to station, always looking for a rest. The paths were not at all what I expected. I figured since thousands of people make this climb every year, that there would be some sort of groomed path to follow....man, was I wrong! We were trudging up bolders! We had to pay attention where were walking! Thank goodness for the walking stick....it really saved me....and it turned out to be a really cool souvenir. You can get them stamped with a hot iron, to prove that you made it that far.


Our goal was to be at the top for 5a.m. to see the sunrise....and we made it! We started at station 5, and had to climb to station 9, plus another 90 minutes to the summit. Between each station, the climb got increasingly harder. As we got closer to the top, we were stopping for breaks every couple of minutes. It was always a welcomed break to catch your breath, get some water and look at the stars! At about 12:30a.m. most of us reached Station 8. We were ahead of schedule, so we decided to try to get some sleep. At all the stations, they have "sleeping areas" that you can pay for, to get some rest. It was the worst idea ever to pay for this! It ended up being a long row of damp, mouldy futons. Everyone was shivering so much that no one could lie down any longer, so we quickly gave that up, and continued to climb. By this time, there were tons of people on the paths...all trying to get to the top before sunrise. We had to merged into the single-file line to keep climbing. It was a really slow pace....but that didn't bother me at all!

We got to the top at 5a.m. and the sun was up at 5:15a.m. It was incredible to see the sunrise above the cloud line. As nice as it was, no one lingered at the top. The wind was freezing cold and really strong.....I had to hide behind a rock in order not to fall over! I didn't have nearly enough warm clothes for the weather at the top...I had no idea it was going to be so cold! (but thanks for the long-johns Mom and Dad!)

The climb down took about 3 and a half hours. Even though it was going down, and a shorter hike, it really seemed like it was worse than going up!! Everyone was tired and weak, and the constant tilt of your body going down a steep hill is hard on the muscles! The sun was really strong....above the cloud line there's nothing to protect you....so it was HOT!

So that's my Mt. Fuji adventure. A 10 hour climb took me to the highest point in Japan, to see a beautiful sunrise. There is a saying in Japan, "it is wise to climb Mt. Fuji once, but a fool does it twice." I don't think I'm going to be a fool!

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Photos

Mt. Fuji
This is the view of the mountain from Station 5, where we started our climb to the top!

Preparing for the climb
grabbing some food

Fuji-san
Stacey, me, Lisa, Casey and Fuji-san

The group
This is the group of eager ALTs from Hiroshima, ready for a 10 hour climb!

Dancing on the clouds
At Station 5, where we started, we were already above the cloud line

...with hiking sticks ready to climb
Lisa, Dana, Stacey and Alexis

the mouldy sleeper cabin
me, Casey, Lisa, Jennifer and Nikki

Casey and Jeff
still smiling at 2:30am

Why are am I here??
...I was asking myself this question when it was 2:30am and I was freeeeezing cold!

getting my walking stick stamped
Station 7

where's the sun?
We had to hide behind a rock to break the freezing wind....waiting for the sun to rise

Here comes the sun
5:15am from the summit of Mt. Fuji

The view at the top
At the top there are a few stone huts (for rest and coffee) and tons of people!

the climb down
You'd think this would be the easy part, but it was seriously hard on the legs!

Comments

[Roothie]

Wow!
The picture of the sunrise is spectacular! I'm sure that scene is forever etched in your mind and made the climb worth all the cold, fatigue and muscle pain! Beauty!