Cloud, Sun, Moon, and Feet

Last night, I have never slept so well.

Starting on Saturday, July 17th at around 6:00pm, I began the long climb to the peak of Mt. Fuji, returning around 11:00am the following morning. It was an 17 hour adventure I am not likely to forget for a long time. Futhermore, just before I got on the bus to the 5th station (a point up on the foothills of the mountain that most people begin from) I got my period. Fantastic, I know, but before I go into that, I should mention that I did not go alone. It just so happened that my friend from childhood, Dan Riley, has been studying at Nagoya University for almost a year now. Since I haven't seen him for quite some years now, and we were both coincidentally in Japan, I asked him if he would climb Mt. Fuji with me. After a little bit of pre-planning and sorting of time and place of meeting, Dan and a few of his friends and I, would be climbing the mountain. Their bus was a few hours late (which probably helped the period beginning factor with the stress) and instead of the 2:30pm bus they arrived at around 5:00pm. After we finally met up and got tickets to the 5th station (where I hastily purchased a small pack of pads and geared up), we began the climb.

How to describe such a hike? Well, Mt. Fuji being a volcano, there was an ample supply of volcanic rubble, which was both light and slightly crumbly so that it was almost like walking through sand, if you had the wrong shoes. (my hiking boots proved their worth well.) This combined with the stretches of rock climbing, sections of steep man-made steps, and winter-like temperatures at night, made the journey a test of endurance and gear. I used about everything I had packed, which included a polar-fleece blanket that was useful for an hour or so's fitful and cold sleep around 11:00pm at the 8th station. But what was my most useful and important item that I packed was: Arnica montana homeopathic medicine. I popped five or so about every 3 or 4 hours because of two worrying factors: pain in my left knee and lungs from the climbing strain, and of getting immobilizing cramps (which luckily, did not occur, probably because of the exercise as well). I was also afraid of altitude sickness for a bit, and I only got nauseous about once, which soon passed after we had rested for 15 minutes or so, and it did not return.
I must elaborate on some point of hiking at night on Mt. Fuji, and that is the sheer numbers of people climbing the mountain! I mean, there were whole tour groups! I wish I had taken pictures, but I wouldn't have been able to get very many clear shots anyways and I was far to tired to even contemplate such a thing besides. The trail was one, huge, long collection of zig zags going left, then right, then left, then right again all the way up the mountain. At night, when I looked back from where I'd climbed, I could see this fairy like procession of head-lamp lights swaying and shuffling away in the darkness below. This was partially my motivation to keep going. That and looking up at the stars when the lines would halt in their rhythmic procession ever upwards.

Yes, I did take pictures. Enough to fill my 2gig memory card and make me wish I had brought a spare. I couldn't possibly pick and choose only a few pictures to post here, but I will put up an album on Flickr which you can access in the sidebar (or dooblydoo, as I will refer to it henceforth). The posting size allowance here also doesn't quite do them justice. Here's a sneak peak though, since I think a blog entry itself is incomplete without a picture at least.

This is the sunset from the 6th station when we had only just begun to climb. Man was I tired when we reached the summit, but reaching the top filled me with new energy and relief that we had made it I was running to the bathroom and back to watch the sun rise. Oh! I almost forgot! The bathrooms! Never, in my life have I had to pay money to pee, but lo and behold, 200yen was the price for the station bathrooms, and 300yen at the peak! I think I spent a total of 5000yen (about $55) during the trip, probably over 1000 of it on bathrooms! Sheesh. Oh well. It's for the maintenance of the facilities as well, since thousands upon thousands use them on the way up the mountain and their contents probably have to be removed by air or something to preserve the environment. It was still a bit cold in the morning, so I renewed my strength with some 600yen miso soup, which was perhaps the most delicious miso soup I have ever tasted yet. Still, small bottles of water at the top are 500yen ($5), and I see now why the old Japanese saying goes: If you never climb Mt Fuji you are a fool, and if you climb it more than once you are a fool.

Perhaps I will yet become a fool, if I am not already. I took a 4 hour nap once I got back. The descent was much much faster, but almost as rigorous since you are still going down zig zag style, but now you are sliding on the volcanic gravel and occasionally people fall since it is so unstable. I had to put on my knee brace before because my left knee was starting to hurt from the climb, but I had been favoring my right knee since then and on the way down it recieved such a pummeling that I had to switch my brace half-way down. I even have cuts on the backs of my knees from the brace rubbing as I walked. I suppose that's well enough though. My left to go up and my right to go down, and my feet the whole way felt like they had been shattered by the time we reached the 5th station bus again.

But it was worth it. Every single step.

Take care,
~Kira