life. I climbed to the top of Mount Fuji. It's the tallest mountain
in Japan and is an old volcano that has not been active since 1707.
It is 3,776 metres (12,388 feet) high and goes well above the clouds.
Crazy, I know!
I hadn't planned to make the trip until the Obon summer break, in the middle of August. I had nobody else to go with and was gonna do it then on my own. Last week a friend here in Nagano asked if i wanted to go with him and some other English teachers from around Japan. I jumped at the opportunity and we went to Tokyo early in the day to meet with the others. Had mexcian food for dinner and chatted over some drinks, thegroup seemed to be a real cool bunch. We walked to Shinjuku St. where we were to catch a bus that would drive us up to station #5 (of 10), which was approx. at 2,300 m (of 3,776 m).
The Amity Climbing Team: (R-L)
David (Arizona), Scott (San Diego), Kim (Chicago), Tara (Toronto),
Kevin (Toronto), Daniel (Minnesota), Matt (New York)
We started the climb around 10pm at night and it was still fairly warm. I was actually hiking bareback at one point, merely as a way of conserving my lack of clothing. As we hit the trails, I began to realize that I was embarking on a long journey. The climb was steep and trecherous, with lots of very rocky points. The head-light that I bought earlier was definitely a good last minute purchace. It was very dangerous because one slip could have u falling down the mountain or even just stumbling onto a sharp edge. You had to take exreme care and not rush it, but at the same time, there was a time constraint as we had to make it by sunrise.
The trail of lights from thousands of climbers in the middle of a summer night
There were many foreigners among the thousands of climbers. We talked to people from all over the world. It was such a moment, that we all sort of bonded in the fact that we were climbing this mountain together. I talked to one boy as young as 11yrs old who was as excited as ever to get to the top and saw many in the older age bracket doing an admirable job getting to the summit. It was a night were people of all ages and from all countries, sucked it up and rose to the top (as the saying goes).
Me, Kim, David & Daniel 376 metres to go.
Many climbers were hunched on the side, trying to get a breather or eat a quick snack for energy. There were stations and checkpoints along the way, that had drinks and restrooms, also sleeping quarters for climbers who wanted to split the trek into 2 days. I was determined to get to the top, despite suffering from serious stomach pains after having a bad case of the stomach flu or food poisoning the day before. My stomach was probably telling me not to do this, but being the stubborn fool that I am, I decided to do this and I wasn't stopping now.
Me, Kim & Daniel
Nearing 4am, we were almost at the top and many of the people sleeping
at the stations had joined the climb. The trails were jam packed and
moving slowly, but our group took the initiative to jump ahead anyone
that was lagging. We were not going to watch the sunrise from the side, it had to be from the top. The altitude made it really cold and the wind was strong, but at last we made it to the top. It was near the top that I really wished I had prepared myself more. It was freezing up there, I don't have an exact temperature for you, but it was coooold.
Entrance to the top of Mt.Fuji....the excitement kicks in.
We made it! We approached the entrance way to the summit of Mt. Fuji and made certain to snap a few quick photos of ourselves. Then we raced to the top. I was almost confused, "was there no more mountain to climb...that's it!" Here we could relax, as the sun was not due to rise for another 20 minutes or so.
Almost sunrise at the Mt. Fuji summit (archway)
Me, Kim & Scott before sunrise
Me & David at the top, just before sunrise
Look at everyone scrambling to make it to the top before sunrise...shouldn't have taken so many breaks guys!
Sunrise at Mount Fuji.....Gorgeous!
Me and David standing at the crater. Fuji is a volcano, last active in 1707 (Wikipedia works!)
I wish you were all there with me. It was amazing. I think this is something that everyone should see, however the climb is an arduous task. You'd have to have a pretty decent level of fitness to make it to the top. But such an amazing feeling of accomplishment and peaceful serenity once reach the top. This is one of those things that you really have to work for and when you do it, you feel really great. Just take a look at the photos and you'll realize the beauty that was at the top of that mountain.
Standing above the clouds....I did it, I really did it!
Having a great time in Japan, miss you all!
