Ain't no mountain high enough, ain't no valley low enough ain't no river wide enough to keep me from getting to you…Yes, we were somehow demented to ever think about climbing Japan's finest Mount Fuji or Fuji-san to the locals. We've been forewarned. There were others before us and they have been quite encouraging, perhaps because they want to share the same torment.
Unfortunately for them, I actually enjoyed the experience. I have discovered that I was actually pretty good at climbing. I didn't have any problem with the altitude, while most of my companions felt giddy and took a lot of time to climb up the top. It was a winning moment for me!
We were fortunate to have a Japanese companion, Sam, to aid us in the where-to and what-to-dos of the trip. He has actually climbed Fuji-san once before, so he already knows all the basic necessities. He even gave us a detailed time-table including the bus schedules and the temperature estimate for each stop over.
We left home early, about 6 in the morning, but we actually missed the first train, we had to have Sam wait for us in the "eki" - train station. Fortunately, we caught up with the schedule despite being late. The rest of the journey was just one train transfer to another. And the final bus ride brought us towards the 5th station. There are already other hikers there, don't really have any idea what they were doing. Some were just sitting, perhaps preparing for the long hike; some were eating, buying food, and other necessities which they might have forgotten. We bought our walking sticks here, and we settled in one corner and ate our lunch. For first time hikers, it is advised to settle for at least 3 hours in this level in order for the body to adjust to the altitude. I think we just stayed for about an hour or so.
Then, we're off! We chose the non-conventional route to avoid the crowd; this same route was also taken by the crowned-prince of Japan just a week before. At first it was a bit weird because we were descending; we were thinking the same thing. "Shouldn't we be climbing up instead of down?" After 20 minutes, we finally figured out why, we will soon be climbing what looked like a very steep path through the Houie crater. It was a treat actually, because we've actually went through two volcanoes in a day! The Houei crater is another dormant volcano at the side of Fuji-san. Lucky for us!
After this grueling hike, we continued our way up. Eventually, our route merged with the Gotemba route. At this time, the weather was actually turning eccentric. One minute it was sunny, then it would be cloudy, then you'd lose your companions in the mist, then it would rain, and then it would be sunny once again. It was actually hilarious. We'd stop over to wear our rain coats, but just after buttoning up, the skies would clear up. So after that I didn't bother anymore.
I was the second one to reach the seventh station merely because I needed to pee! I've been drinking too much water on the way up, I didn't consider the toilets - or lack thereof! I was glad I arrived early though; I was able to relieve myself after more than an hour of waiting. Happiness...
After two hours, we were finally complete, we managed to eat dinner and finally settle down for the night. It was actually 8:00. We needed to wake up by 2:00 am in order to start hiking to the crater to view the sunrise. We slept in one of the huts at level 7.5, together with the other hikers. It was pretty cold already, and since there was no electricity, our heater was actually just the hot coal burning at the center of our room.
We woke up at 2:30 am and after a few minutes we were already up and about. We were able to leave our backpacks behind, so there was actually less load for us to carry. And I was pretty pessimistic; I really thought we'd all make it to the top however grueling the climb was. However, everyone seemed to have a problem with the altitude coupled with lack of sleep. People had to take many rest stops just to survive, while others found it necessary to sleep on the way.
Turns out, I was the only one to be at the top by sunrise, well not exactly, the sun has already risen by the time I was at the top, I only saw the sun rise at the side of the mountain. Unfortunately I didn't have a camera with me. It was actually pretty sad, I was on the top, and nobody was there with me. And it was cold! I had to go back down to wait for my companions! Finally they all started to arrive one by one. After having our photos taken on the infamous "crater", we managed to eat our breakfast – instant ramen noodles, buy souvenirs and have our walking sticks stamped.
And then it was time to for us to go down. The road to the base was actually more enjoyable, mostly you just slide down. Then the sand will just bring you down. Of course you'd have to cover your mouths and other orifices because of the sand. It's like you are in the desert and sandstorms are all over. After only three hours, we have finally finished our descent! And that was the end of our Fuji trek!
