Amanda's Mt. Fuji Trek

If you know me well, you know that I am a spectator above all. It takes a lot to get me off the bench. I'm just happier there. Well, this summer there was a huge thing that motivated me to get off my duff. The anniversary of Jason's murder was something I could not overlook. I decided I would climb Mt. Fuji, the highest point in all of Japan (12,395 ft.), and watch the sun rise in his honor.

Ian climbed last September. I knew that it was difficult for him and he's in much better shape than I am. But, I was determined. I hoped to go as close to the 10th of July as possible. I made plans with a group of Utsunomiya Honda folks to go on the 14th. Mother Nature had other ideas though and sent a typhoon on the whole country. We rescheduled for the 22nd.

On the 22nd I took a bus out of Tokyo to the 5th station (the half-way point) of Mt. Fuji's Yoshida-guchi trail. Incidentally, very few people climb from the very bottom of the mountain. It's grueling enough going half-way. Kim, Beth, and Kevin met me there around 1 or 1:30. We had a quick lunch and then set off on our adventure about 2 p.m. Between the 5th and 6th stations we managed fairly easily. Between the 6th and 7th stations the path was fairly smooth, but it was more difficult to breath and we were taking more frequent breaks to catch our breath. Starting at the 7th station the trail becomes populated with small buildings, referred to as huts. Some of the huts offer snacks and beverages. Others offer a night's rest and meals. Most all of them offered a wood-burned stamp to mark our walking sticks. It was a wet walk as we were literally walking up through the clouds.

Here we've reached the first hut of the 7th station around 3:30. Not much to see if you look up, too many clouds.

Then a few seconds later, the clouds parted and we could see where we were going. But, the clouds moved back in place another second later and we continued in the misty clouds.
Past the 7th station, it becomes a more rocky and less like a trail. It's more about careful foot placement and sometimes using your hands to pull yourself up.

Beth takes a pause, while a tour group moves on ahead of us.

Kevin takes a breather.
Kevin's Japanese language teacher, Shinobou, had arranged lodging for us for the evening. We were SO thankful to her! Our hut was at the 8th station, but not the very first hut of the 8th station. We had moved out of the clouds by this point and could see where we were heading. But, the hut never seemed to get any closer! We were all pretty happy to finally arrive just before 7 p.m.

Beth, Kim, and Kevin upon arriving at our hut.
The daylight was going quickly. We all used the restrooms and had a bit to eat before crawling under the warm blankets of our tiny little "rooms". I wish I would've snapped a few pictures of our lodgings. It was the only part of the trip I didn't capture with my camera. But, that's neither here nor there. We lay down for a few hours. I'm not sure if I slept much even with my eye mask and ear plugs. Kim got a few winks in because she didn't notice me climb over her at 9 p.m. to go use the restroom again. At 12:30 a.m. Beth's alarm went off and we groggily redressed and grabbed our headlamps.

Around 1:45 a.m. we arrived at the original 8th station. Our map said we had approximately 80 more minutes to the summit. HA! That little map didn't account for the hundreds of people queuing up to climb this mountain! Everyone wants to be at the top for the sunrise. It was a very, very slow process. We'd take a few steps and then be stopped for a minute or two. Then the process would repeat. I was starting to get nervous that I wouldn't be at the top to see the sunrise. There were plenty of Mt. Fuji Guides on the trail and at least one of them began to yell "GANBARIYO!!", which is an encouraging way to say persevere or do your best. Beth and I even took a few turns calling ganbariyo to our fellow climbers.

The packed, slow trail to the summit.
Sometime during our final push to the top, I became separated from the rest of my group. But, there was no way to turn back or even wait. The crowds continued pushing and moving forward. Consequently, I ended up at the top first at about 4:30 a.m., giving me about 10 minutes to spare before the sun crested the horizon. Kevin was just a few minutes behind me, having become separated from Kim and Beth. They too reached the top before the sunrise. One of gals helped me get Jason's picture out of my backpack and we stood there and faced the sunrise together. Hot tears flowed down my face in the cold, windy morning air. Kim and Beth gave me hugs. I had made it. I did it.

Now honestly, you really don't want to hear much about the trip down because my momentum was gone. It was very physically painful for me to come down the mountain. There is a trail going down, no rocks to climb over, but the ground is loose and it tore my joints to pieces. Would I climb again? Yes and no. It was a great adventure. I really enjoyed going up, but unless there is someone offering me 5 million dollars or at least a piggyback ride down, I'm done.

WE MADE IT!!
Just a few other places you can check out if you want to learn more about our trip.
Jason's blog
My Mt. Fuji pics
Kim's blog
Kevin's blog
Kevin's pictures
Beth's pictures