I climbed Mt. Fuji on Thursday/Friday. I did an overnight climb so that I could see the sunrise from the top. It was a very worthwhile experience and I highly recommend that anyone who can try do so. The climb was a very strenuous one, probably one of the most I have done. The trail itself wasn’t that bad, but climbing in the dark makes it a lot more difficult since you cannot see where you are going, just trust it is in the correct direction. Often times I would glance over with my light and see that I was climbing in the harder section and that a few feet over it was a lot easier. I made it to the top at midnight, it took me just around four and a half hours to make it to the summit. The usual time to ascend is 6 hours, so I guess I haven’t lost the athleticism and ability to climb mountains I once had. It has been two years since I last climbed a mountain. I was one of the first 10 or so people to the summit. It was a lot colder on the top than it has been in Yokohama this trip. I was shivering and it was a long 4 hours until the sunrise. I found a bench and waited out the time in boredom. Around 4 the shopping stalls and things opened up on the top, a lot of the people who run the stalls climb up each night to sell their stuff on the summit. I waited around for the sunrise (you can see many pictures of the sunrise in the album) and got to experience a truly beautiful piece of nature. I have never seen a trail so packed and the entire mountainside of the top was covered in people witnessing the spectacle. There are a number of shots showing the sheer crowd on the top at 4 in the morning. I would think there was around a thousand or so people there to witness it. The trail was packed going up the entire time I was on the summit. I have heard about human traffic jams on the climb and got to see what they meant. It was something to see.
I decided to buy a beer at the summit and enjoy a toast to the highest point in Japan. I don’t think there are many mountains where you can climb all night and buy a cold beer at the top. I saved the can just for that unique souvenir. Around 6 I decided to try and descend, I was freezing on the top as I didn’t bring the right stuff to stay warm sitting around. My gear was for warmth while climbing, this is a first where I climb a mountain and sit around in the dead of night for four hours. Another new experience. I descended in an hour and forty-five minutes, the usual descent time is four. I still have the fast descending legs I used to have as well. It was interesting being able to look over and see the ascent trail in light for once. I got to witness what it was I did the previous night. I arrived at the bottom and got to wait around for 4 hours until my bus arrived. I did some shopping and ate something since I did not have the appetite to eat much while I was climbing. I wanted to try and get a shot of the mountain while we were driving back, but like the drive there, the mountain was encased in a thick fog that didn’t give much to see beyond a vague shadow that didn’t show up on my camera. I got back to the apartment with Kim around 4, showered and got a 2 hour nap before I went with Kim and her family to have dinner with her brother’s girlfriend’s family. It was an interesting dinner, but I didn’t get to enjoy it to the fullest since I was incredibly tired. I was excused early with Kim so that I could go home and sleep. I uploaded my pictures first because I was sure people wanted to see them.
I hope you enjoy them, if you have any questions about them, I will be glad to tell you about them either when I see anyone or when I get around to adding captions.