Mt. Fuji... the Volcano that Kicked My Ass.

We all thought it would be a good idea.
We all thought spending our 3rd weekend in Japan climbing Mt. Fuji would be great.
We were so confident about it, that we thought... HEY! Let's do it in THE DARK!

The idea was to get to the top to see the sunrise. We quickly found out that this was a popular idea amongst tourists. There were hundreds of people on the mountain with their cute miner headlamps. Climbing in the dark was good for two reasons:
1. It was cooler than doing it in the day.
2. You couldn't see how far you really were from the top. This forced you to take it one step at a time, and just marvel at how high up you were.

So we left Toyohashi Station around 1:30. I had successfully executed my first train ride from Kozakai to Toyohashi... a 6 min ride. We went to eat (had some amazing traditional Japanese pancakes... which are like omelets but ten times better), and leisurely got ourselves on the highway around 4pm after running errands. Japan has toll highways, so seeing as I was riding shotgun (of course!), it was my responsibility to 1) Hold on to toll tickets 2) Collect money for the toll 3) Not let the other cars we were following out of my sight. Matt, a fellow Canadian, was driving... and yes he did get into a series of car accidents when he was a teen, but he insists that he is now a "Roadstar" which means he's been crash free for more than 5 years...

We questioned this several times during the trip to Fuji. Matt is notorious for getting lost, AND veering just slightly off the road when reaching for something in the car. I also became the food wrangler (Cramer... McDonalds in the car on the way to Niagara Falls).

After some dechauchery on the highway such as... passing the other cars and making immature faces at them, honking, and missing exits - we made it to Fuji.

It is popular to start the climb from Station 5. It's about halfway up the mountain... and believe me, you wouldn't want to start at the bottom. Stn. 5 is where it's at. It is also the last point of genuine civilization. There are small stations along the way, but they are closed at night. Some of them offer lodging, but it is a little sketchy, and you share a bed with 2 other people. Quarters are tight!

The hike up was very daunting. A lot of panting and wheezing as the air became thin. At times I felt dizzy, which meant I was feeling the effects of "Mountain Sickness," but for the most part I was okay. The important thing to remember in the night is to keep moving... otherwise the sweat you've worked up will freeze you to death standing still in the cold wind.

It got increasingly colder as we went up. I had no mittens, so Noah, a nice guy from L.A. let me borrow a pair of his socks to wear on my hands. The older Japanese women climbing the mountain thought this was funny.

There were all sorts of age groups on the mountain. I saw old men with their canes puttering along, next to very young children, and even a pregnant mother! There was also a guy who thought it'd be a good idea to bring his mountain bike along... we couldn't believe what we were seeing... there was NO way he was plunging down Fuji on a bike. NO way.

The sun started to come up *just* before we got to the top. It made no difference though, the top was covered in clouds. Boo. It was also FREEZING. Some of the group were huddled in the noodle shop napping because we had pulled the **all nighter of all nighters.** We were all pretty exhausted.

The climb down was very tough. Fuji is just red sand, prickly lava rock, and lots of loose little stones. You have to be careful of every step you make. We all fell at some point. Luckily there was a rope to hold onto.

I slept for 12 hrs the night I got home. I woke up the next day and I could barely move my legs, and my shoulders still felt like they were carrying a heavy pack. I hurt, but I made it to the top!

The Japanese saying goes, "You are a fool if you never climb Mt. Fuji. You are also a fool if you climb it more than once."

Enjoy the pics!