Climbing Mt Fuji
After a good rest in the hotel, we headed back to Kawaguchiko station and bought our bus tickets to 5th station and the highway bus back to Shinjuku tomorrow.
Here we are joined by other fellow climbers, a mix of locals and western travellers. The bus to 5th station arrived about 10 minutes late
Mt Fuji in all its glory is visible behind the bus station though its peak remains shrouded in clouds with trails of last winter’s snow. According to the local climbing guide I picked up from the station, there are three recommended journey timings to consider
1. Start at 1pm, reach 8th station at 5pm, set out again after sun rise at 5am, reach summit by 10am and descend back to 5th station by 2pm. This avoids trekking at night.
2. Start at 1pm, reach 8th station at 5pm, set out again by 1am to reach summit to see sunrise and descend back to 5th station by 9am. This entails night trekking but rewarded with seeing the sun breaking out of the horizon and least time on the trip.
3. Start at sunrise, reach summit around noon and back to 8th station to rest around 2pm, set out again at the next sunrise to descend to 5th station by 8am. Also no night trekking required and gives you the opportunity to maximise sunlight while on the higher reaches and get both sun rise and sun set views. But this would mean spending at least half day more on the trip.
Our planned timing would be closest to #2 though whether we managed to ascend or descend within the recommended duration is to be seen.
5th station serves as some sort of pitstop for the climber but is otherwise a tourist attraction for those who want a really up close and personal shot of Mt Fuji. I managed to get a clean shot but alas without the snowy cap that it is well known for.
We spent some timing suiting up and left another bag at 5th station. I also bought the customary hiking stick which came with its first charcoal brand for checking in at 5th station. We had some breakfast, said our goodbyes to civilisation then began our trek at 11.11am after paying the conservation fee of ¥1000 per person.
11:53am: Checked in at 6th station. Zigzag sandy volcanic gradient climb. Two steps forward, one back. Test on endurance.
1:12pm: Checked in Hana Goya, 7th station, 2700m. Water cost ¥400 per 500ml bottle. Stamping services available. From here, more vertical climb through rocky landscape
2:24pm: Checked in Fujiichi kan at 2800m for cup noodles lunch for ¥1000!! Chilled out with a group of American youths who looked like they could be part of US Army. Was kind of comical witnessing them goading each other on.
4:11pm: Checked in 8th station, Taishi kan at 3100m. Gruelling climb on hands and legs.
6:45pm: Checked in Tomoe-kan mountain hut. Finally!! Dinner is served. Curry rice with a chicken patty. The climb to 8.5th station took us more than 7 hours! That is almost two times longer than the recommended duration. Guess we are certainly lacking in fitness. We made acquaintances with a group of locals who were also climbing Mt Fuji for their first time. They looked genuinely happy to make friends with people from other countries and we exchanged email addresses. I love this about adventure, everyone becomes fast friends.
8:00pm: Nightey night. Rooming wasn’t as crowded as expected but it was still an uncomfortable rest. Sunburned, running nose and headache probably from altitude sickness. While it wasn’t cold, it was pretty stuffy.
1:30am: Roll call. Cleaned up and had breakfast. Local guide for another group advised against ascending to summit due to strong winds. We decided to brave it after much thought but to take it slow without having to rush for summit before sun rise. Took a paracetamol each to clear our heads. Worked surprisingly well in 30 minutes.
3:00am: Headed out of Tomoe-kan for summit in darkness.
4:05am: Reached 9th station, just a small pit stop with no provisions.
4:34am: Sun breaks through the clouds to a glorious new morning. Rested along trail to enjoy nature unfolding before our eyes before it was shrouded by swirling clouds brought on by the winds. This always brings to mind the story about who is the strongest of them all – the rat, the mountain, the sun or the wind.
5:15am: Finally reached the summit after sun rise. Super strong winds and clouds obscuring vision as we made our descent through a different path. Unlike the ascent route which is carved out with a myriad of trails and mountain huts to cut the monotony, the descent path is like a sandy desert of volcanic ash.
10:30am: Finally reached near 6th station after overcoming 13 slopey zigzag rocky trails while being buffeted by winds. Gradient of each trail was at least 25 degrees. Many climbers passed me by with ease and I wonder why it was so easy for them to just let the momentum take them forward while I was desperately fighting against wind and gravity to maintain my balance. Ended up bruising 4 of my toes probably due to my boots being too loose.
12:40pm: Crossed the finishing line back at the 5th station. Legs giving way as I couldn’t take on the downward sloping paths and there were many times I contemplated just giving up when the next bend heralded more slopes!
I’d like to say with pride that I have conquered Mt Fuji. But the truth is, the mountain took a huge toil on my legs which are aching and swelling due to the strain and some bruised toes from hitting against my boots as I make my descent. It is not a pretty sight. So was it worth it?
Mt Fuji is neither pretty nor enjoyable to climb, it is a freaking tall mountain and I don’t think I can look at it with the same romanticism ever again. However having said that, the climb has taught me that we can conquer our own fears and inhibitions and when the going gets real tough, take one next step at a time and ignore everyone else speeding ahead of you. I think when I next see Mt Fuji, I will look at it with respect and then stay far far away.
