Climbing Mt Fuji

Climbing Mt Fuji

I've been to Japan so many times but most years I miss out on climbing Mt Fuji due to timing or lack of people to go with.

This year I finally made it - Aug 18 2007.

The weather wasn't looking too good at the start.

The Crew - a mixture of cultures with the same end goal!

Preparation - headlamps, rainproof gear, warm clothing.

And just when the sun set, we were off!

(No pics during the climb - strenuous, wet, windy)

You know my quote at the top of this blog - I take it back. If I had an easier option to get to the summit, I would definitely have taken it.

We finally reached the summit at 2am - and thats 7 hours of climbing! We were all tired, grumpy and suffering from hypothermia. Luckily we managed to get there early so we found a seat in the huts.

And the moment we waited for.....SUNRISE (what a spectacular sight!)

When you're climbing in the dark, you actually forget how many people are doing this with you - a lot!

In the morning you can still see the ant-trail of people moving up the mountain. Ganbare!

And now for the descend - good shoes and strong knees are a must. 4 hours of pushing your toes against the front of your shoe and tensing your knees from slipping on the volcanic rubble can really do some harm to your legs. Oh, and sunscreen too!!



Here's someone else's account of the experience - pretty funny.

"Fool on the Hill"