mt fuji climb report

i had fun reading the trail posts while climbing mt fuji. some messages were serious and some were just funny for my taste like the one that says "just do it!" my personal favorite is that one that says "自分との戦い". indeed, climbing mt fuji is really a battle with oneself, of pushing oneself to the limits!


going up was hard, but if you'll do it with your best buddies, it would be fun and yes, mother nature doesn't disappoint. one of the reasons why people climb is to see things that only nature can provide. here are some snapshots that i took while resting.


sunrise in mt fuji was amazing. one of the things i'm going to remember of japan. witnessing how the sun rises from an elevation of more than 3500 meters is an experience of a lifetime.

when we reached the summit, one of my friends cried. he really thought he'll gonna die climbing. there, that was a moment since we had a rough time going up with the heavy rains that lasted around 30 minutes at the 6 and a half station. we were even told in a very discouraging manner by one of the hut owners there to just go home. we were wet, cold, confidence deflated, and the oxygen in the air was becoming thinner and thinner. but we managed, as we walked through the steepy route, we knew we can still do it.


the stars and the sky were especially bright up there. you can see falling stars, the translucent part of milky way, the moon closer to you than ever. everything in the sky it seems is within reach. climbers looked like aliens with there headlights on. some people collapsed, and some were grasping for air while resting in the sides of the route. the line of people was really long and at times, not moving. looking up, it seems that mt fuji is like a wedding cake with the people lining up to their way to the top.


i was disappointed to see that mt fuji has become very commercialized. everthing there is overpriced. even using the toilet will cost you 200 yen. that's 2 dollars for a pee?! and the toilet, as one american climber said, was disgusting for that price. and there were so many climbers that you have to line up going to the summit.


going up was hard, but going down was harder. we took the subashiri trail and it was really tough going down. my trekking pants are now damaged, and my pair of shoes unrecoverable. our fault was maybe not knowing that half of the subashiri descend involves sand trekking which is fun if only you are fully geared for it.

well, after everything that we went through, at least, we, the group, all made it to the top and are now safely back to our friend's house in this megapolis that is Tokyo!