The trip to Mount Fuji began at around 7 AM on Tuesday when we were to catch the highway bus to Japan’s most famous mountain. After about 7 hours of traveling via bus, we arrived at Mt Fuji’s Yoshidaguchi 5th station on the Subaru Line (2,305m) at 3:40 PM. With our excitement high and our backpacks filled with snacks, water, and warm clothes, we began our ascent up the mountain at about 4:00 PM.
The reason for our late ascent was to catch the sunrise at the top of the mountain after hiking for most of the night and again in the early morning. Although the weather forecast called for clouds and possibly some rain in the evening, we began our hike in nearly pristine weather conditions. We were met with an immediate incline, one that persisted until the very top of the mountain. The terrain we hiked through was ever changing, and included gravel, volcanic rocks, volcanic ash, sand, and jagged rocks. Once we reached the 6th station (2,390m), we encountered a group of people who had climbed to the summit earlier in the day and were finishing up their descent. Although we only exchanged greetings, their faces told the story of their day’s experience. Some had looks of contentment, while others seemed defeated. All of the people however, shared the same exhaustion that creeps over the body when we push ourselves to our physical limit.
By the time we reached the 7th station (2,700m) at 6:30 PM, it was getting a little dark as the sun was going down and the temperatures also started to become cooler. The weather in all was very pleasant, but it seems the terrain was getting worse. We decided however, to climb for another two hours until we got to the 8th station. I’ve been on a few night hikes, but nothing could compare to this experience. Most of our two-hour hike involved pulling ourselves up a wall of jagged rocks, only to be met with another wall of jagged rocks.
We all arrived at the 8th station the Hakuun-so mountain hut (3,200m) a little after 10 PM. We were faced with the decision of either rest for a few hours or stay awake so we don’t miss the sunrise. Realizing that our exhausted bodies could not take much more punishment without sleep, we elected to bed down for a short nap.
Its one of the many rustic huts spread across the mountain trails where weary hikers can get a few hours of shut-eye. For $50 each, we had a bunk area that was shared with several other people also climbing to the top of Mt Fuji. Before our nap, we each had a delicious dish of Japanese curry with rice and a hamburger patty.
The staff at the hut woke us up at 12:30 AM after a surprisingly restful sleep. Having shared the sleeping area with about 20 other people crammed together like sardines, it was impossible to have a solid two hours of sleep. However, from the time I closed my eyes to the time we got up, my body went to that warm dreamland you never want to leave. It’s that place between dreams and wakefulness you go to after switching off your alarm, where all you wish for is a few more minutes. After dragging myself out of bed, I went to the outhouse around the side of the hut. I was met with the most chilling wind imaginable, and literally nearly froze my ass off!
We continued our ascent at 1:00 AM, moving much slowly this time due to the slight winds, crowds of people and our soon exhausted bodies with tight muscles. At about 4:30 AM, I saw the sunrise from station 9 (3,600m). I myself didn’t make it to the top and there was still a crowd of people backed up going to the top of the mountain. Although my spirit and will wanted more than nothing to get to the top, but the slow crowd of people wouldn’t let me go any more. All I could think of was how grateful I was for having the opportunity to see such a beautiful expression of nature from the top of Japan.
I relaxed at the 9th station (3,600m) till about 5 AM, and then I started to make my way back down the trail. I was pretty exhausted and continually taking short breaks to catch my breath. The descent was probably even more difficult than the ascent, especially because we were all very tired. We walked down pretty fast over a soft sandy (or volcanic ashes?) road, it felt a bit like walking on a beach. The ascent and descent routes are different and in some cases, I would have actually preferred to take the original route.
I didn’t really get altitude sickness, just was really hungry… to the point that I did not really want to walk anymore. But I had no choice of course, so I just continued. It took me about 6 hours to get back to the 5th station. My feet were killing me, most likely was from the forced pounding of my body weight going down the mountain (that normally happens if you descend several hundred meters). We went to an onsen after the climb to relax a bit and rest our muscles. I had a Red Bull and grabbed some Mc Donald’s and then took a nap on the 7 hour bus ride and suddenly I felt great again. Very weird, maybe it was just dehydration?
Climbing Mt Fuji was the icing on the cake to a wonderful Japanese experience!
