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Published: September 17th 2007
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Putting my feeling into words will not do my experience of climbing Mt Fuji any justice.....
It was the most amazing yet exhuasting thing I have ever done in my life. I have never felt so many emotions one after the other, hour after hour. Every step I took brought a new feeling, my mind was overflowing with them.
I went through stages of feeling inspired, exhilerated, delpeted, harmonious, invigorated and like my body was ready to shut down.
Up the Mountain We Went
After a delay in traffic and a few wrong turns Kate and I arrived at Kamaguchi 5th station about half 3. We did a little strip in the car park and headed very excitedly to purchase our walking stick, everyone said to get one as it would help you up the mountain and they were right, it was a saviour. Our stick was purchased, photos taken, a little Tasio done (Japanese exercise, we joined a group of Japanese doing it just for a laugh) and off we went leaving at 4:35. Kate and I were pumped and a little eager to start with and after the first half an hour we were already exhausted, so we
decided to just take it slow and steady (we were the tortise not the hare). My first intake of the Mountain was pure beauty and a surreal feeling that this Mountain I have been admiring at every opportunity I was actually climbing it. The Mountain was green and lovely to look at in parts and then barren and brown and horrible, not inspiring at all.
So up we went slowly climbing higher and higher watching the huts get closer and the people up high looking like small dots. We arrived at the first of the 7th station in about an hour and a half and got our first of many stamps, this one was the stamp of the rising sun, a must have on your stick.
We continued on our journey up and stopped many times to inhale the experience and tranquil sights we were seeing. It was a blissful feeling being up so high, the clouds were right there looking soft and inviting. We stopped to watch the Sunset, it was easy on the eyes. The colours were almost pastel of blues and pinks...soft and picture like.
At the last of the 7th station we stopped for a little
snack and a few older Japanese people insisted Cate and I put on our Jackets, beanie and scarfs. It was very sweet of them I felt like my Grannie was telling me to rug up. Im glad we did, not that they gave us a choice, because in the next half an hour the temperature dropped dramatically and it was very cold all of the sudden. We only felt cold when we stopped. We were working to hard when we were climbing to feel the cold.
The sky was black and amzing, it was the first time since I have been in Japan that I could really see the stars. It was beautiful just standing still and looking up at the sky. We made it to the first of the 8th stations, we were very joyful to be there. We kept putting on foot in front of the other and made our way further up the Mountain that just never seemed to end. The crowds of climbers was reducing and between the last of the 8th station and the 8.5 station where we were sleeping (I use that word very loosely) it felt like just Cate and I on
that Mountain.
All my emotions came crashing together when I saw the sign for the 8.5 station. It was 9:20 I was beyond tired my body just wanted to shut down. We eat our curry and rice and squashed ourselves on to our very narrow bed. I couldnt move but I didnt care I was laying down and off my feet after 5 hour of climbing. It was to hard to sleep I think maybe I slept for all of 30 minutes. Cate and I were wide awake so at 1am we got up, put on many layers and made our way out into the 1000s of people. I felt like an ant for the last leg of the climb. We were just following everyone up and it was slow moving, not that I was complaining, slow and steady that was my climbing moto.
I found this the hardest bit of the climb, a combination of my tired body and slippery gravel and steep rocks. I have never had to convince my mind to keep moving like I did right then. I literally had to keep repeating to myself, to move my feet and just keep moving. Im not
sure how I made it to the top I think I was delirious by the time I got to the top........but Yatta, I made it. 2:30am and we were standing on top of Mt Fuji. 3776m up, what an sureal feeling. Words will never express what I felt at that moment in time and I will never feel that same way again. It was unique and only those who have conqured the Mountain will know what I am talking about.
Let me tell you it was freezing on top of that Mountain, we had a long wait to the sunrise and we huddled together for warmth. I looked on enviously at people with little camp burners boiling water for their hot chocolate, I so wanted something warm in my body. Cate and I saw people waiting outside a building and were extatic to see that we could sit inside and have hot coffee and food. It was bizare, I was on top of Fuji drinking coffee and eating Ramen. It was just what we both needed, Oishi, our bodies replenished.
It was nearly time for the big moment, the reason why we had climbed up 3376m, put our bodies
through the torment and pain, SUNRISE!!!!!
...........what a sunrise it was. I can say with complete honestly that I have never seen anything more beautiful in my life. It was a picture of perfection. The colours were intense and striking, it was tranquil. The people I know who have climbed had said that I would sit there and watch this beautiful experience unfold before my eyes and that I would begin to think of things in my life, deeply think and start to question things, It was true sitting there the mind does move over past events and all I know is that the things that have sadened me in the last few years were washing away, time to move on from the past and move foward. You may be laughing right now but that was what I was feeling. This experience shifted something inside of me. ........thats my deep feeling for this blog, back to the climb or should I say descend.
The track down was horrible, barren, dusty, red dirt, slippery and not pleasent. I just wanted to get down so I was going pretty fast, it was easier to almost run down. I didnt take in
much on the way down my mind was set on one thing and that was to be at the bottom. We made it down in 2 and half hours. I was to tired to be excited about being back at the 5th station. It was by far the harest thing I have ever down and the most rewarding.
If you are in Japan in July/August and dont climb My Fuji them shame on you.
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i am proud of you becky for climbing all the way to the top. You looked fab with the ausie flag xoxo