Ascending Mount Fuji

Yesterday we tackled the tallest mountain in Japan -  mount Fuji.

There were lots of resources about the climb itself online.  But the physical logistics of getting to the route was sparse and we didn't do much research.  So with that in mind we used our pass to go to Fuji station and winged it. 

First problem.  To get to the route you must take a bus for 1 hour to get to the 5th station.  This bus only leaves at certain points in the day for Fuji station and we missed the last one.  So we quickly googled it and made a dash for Fujinomiya station.  We got there with 15 minutes to spare. 

Second problem.  We didn't buy enough provisions for the mountain - especially water and food.  We knew the mountain will have them but at a premium price.  So while we were waiting for the bus Roman and I made a quick search for the nearest convenience store and made a dash for it.  We grabbed whatever we could get our hands on and made it back to the bus stop just as the bus was arriving. 

We made conversation with an Australian couple on the bus and gathered facts about our climb.  So this trail is the steepest trail in all of Fuji climb.  We had planned to go to the easier longer trail but it would seem we got this instead. 

We arrived at the mountain around 8pm having ridden on the bus for well over 1 hour.  The road up was very windy and had no lights except the light from the bus.  It was moderately full with other climbers who were also trying to hike the 6 hour climb for the famous sunrise at the top. 

We immediately changed into warmer clothing and started our hike.  There are 5 more stations till the top and made fairly easy progress with the first 2 stations.  By the time we got to the 7th station we were starting to feel the effects of altitude sickness.  That was not the only factor affecting our slow progress: lack of sleep and pitch darkness also played a role. 

The wind and temperature difference from the base of the mountain was drastic.  The temperature dipped down to 5 degrees according to my thermometer.  I was wearing 5 layers of clothing but still wished I had more. 

Finally around 4am we arrived at the very top of Mount Fuji.  We settled in a good spot and Wrapped the blanket around all of us.  I still had more water and provisions in my backpack but it was physically too cold to even move.  My feet were starting to go numb -  I could still move them but it felt like pins and needles. 

The skyline we saw however was amazing and you could clearly see the horizon lined with stars. We were physically above the clouds and it was breathtaking literally because of the lack of oxygen.  It was quite common to see other climbers with oxygen tanks.  The sound of them taking quick puffs left me envious of their preparation.  We also saw two shooting stars at this altitude! 

By around 4:15 the physical horizon started to change in color noticeably.  The gradual fade of dark blue to orange and red signaled the rise of the sun.  Finally after an hours wait in the howling wind and coldness we saw the spectacle in the land of the rising Sun.  Cheers of "amazing! wonderful! and beautiful!"  arose around us in Japanese.  One of the tourist couples actually proposed there with the sun rise. 

Finally after taking the obligatory photos we started the slow descent down with the sun keeping us warm. The physical climb down was so much more tiring than the climb up.  The trail was quite steep. The small rocks that lined the road also made it quite slippery.  Being unprepared we had no hiking sticks and had to rely on the ropes on the sides and our own balance to keep us afoot. 

Finally we made it down to the bus station and finished our climb around 11 and headed off to Tokyo. 

Just got off the bus, changing into our colder gear.

I think this was the ninth station. Cant be sure but as you can see it was pitch dark except my flash

Some new friends we met on the mountain

The descent - quite steep and precarious without proper climbing gear/shoes

Top of the mountain.

The horizon just prior to the sunrise

Peace from Tokyo.