As previously mentioned, I got back from a 3-day hiking journey on Friday night, threw my clothes into the washer and got to bed. In the morning I repacked my bags and took the 11:46 train on the way to Tokyo. That night we went to a fireworks festival and came back late (more on that in the next blog). Sunday morning was the beginning of epicness. Takae and I went to nearby Machida on reconnaissance. We went to two hiking stores picking up a spare pare of wool socks and waterproof hiking gloves. We went to a famous teashop where I bought omiyage for some special friends back home, and then to the library to return some books. Stopping in the CD section I spotted something. It was very alluring. I knew I would listen to it every day for the rest of my life until I’d memorized the whole thing.
What was it?
The 2 CD set of popular Disney songs. Bilingual version in English and Japanese. Oh yeah.
But I didn’t have time to put them on my mp3 player because we spent the rest of the afternoon packing.
Everyone met up in the bedroom.
“Okay everyone, put all your things next to your pack.” Said Otosan. He read down his master list: “Raincoat!”
We all put our raincoats in our bag.
“Rain pants!”
Check.
“Camp mug!”
Check.
“Cup of noodles!”
Check.
“Earplugs!”
Um, no.
He handed out everyone a tube of earplugs labeled with their initials. They’re for sleeping in the lodge with a hundred other hikers, of course. This guy thinks of everything.
“Mask!”
Um, no.
He handed everyone a plastic bag with two masks and a folded bandana of a different color. Mine was purple. J They’re for the trek down the dusty mountain side, of course!
“Snacks!”
Oh, that’s a big check for me. I brought a huge baggie of almonds, raisins, and craisins.
“Glucose!”
Huh?
For “energy” we were issued a large bag of pure sugar chunks…basically broken sugar cubes for those of you who remember pinching them from the refreshments table at church. Ahem.
I was pretty sure we weren’t running a marathon or doing any kind of activity that required immediate high doses of energy but whatever. We were also issued amino acid supplements or something like that in gel form. Tasted like plastic apples. I’m saving mine for the next 1 hour run I do.
After we packed everything up I returned to my room to repack everything in proper order of use.
I know you’re all wondering what I brought so I’ll tell you what you need to get for a successful trip on Mt. Fuji.
1. Patagonia Torrentshell rain pants
2. Mountain Hardware Stretch Cohesion rain shell jacket.
3. Ex-officio breathable underwear. Awesome.
4. Mountain Hardware Ascent Stretch Air Permeable Gaiters. Awesome. If you hike and don't have gaiters I suggest you buy some and change your life.
5. 2 Hiking poles
6. Waterproof mesh-lined gloves
7. Keen Gore-Tex-lined low-profile hiking boots.
8. Smartwool mid-weight long sleeve shirt and pants (under layer)
9. Nike super breathable/wicking short sleeve shirt.
10. Cheap pair of shorts, long sleeve tech shirt, cheap target fleece jacket, ball cap, warm winter hat, bandana, and sunglasses.
11. Personal items like sunscreen, Chap Stick, hand sanitizer, emergency blanket, masks, and deodorant. I forgot my toothbrush. Otoosan brought body wipes, first aid kit, tea, oxygen, and our legal papers/insurance info.
12. Backpack with Platypus 3 liter bladder and rain tarp.
13. Snacks: my almond/raisin mix, a few soyjoy bars, beef jerky, and chocolate. We ate two meals on the mountain provided by the hut where we stayed.
14. Camera. My little Sony Cybershot 3.1mp has been doing well for many years but it might be time to upgrade soon. Maybe I’ve dropped it too many times.
15. Change purse with 100-yen coins. Bathrooms cost 200 yen each time and 300 at the top.
16. Towel and safety pins to use over the issued sleeping bags. Tens of thousands of people climb this mountain every year. Guess how often they do the laundry…
17. Money for souvenirs! They’re so expensive I don’t even want to tell you how much I paid for a keychain and postcard.
Okay, I think that’s about it. I used everything I brought except for the long sleeve shirt and mask.
Everyone tried to be in bed by ten and we were mostly successful. I was to tired from the past few days of traveling and hiking that I slept very well until the 4:30 wake-up call. We got the last few things together and packed up the car, grabbing breakfast at the 7-11 store along the way. I chose a few rice balls, yogurt, and vegetable juice knowing it would be awhile before I got dairy and vitamin C. Yuko, Takae’s sister, got dehydrated wonton soup and filled it with near boiling water at the store. Getting in the car she handed it to Takae who was sitting between us while she…I don’t know…got something or was doing something. 2 minutes later the hot soup spilled all over Takae’s thigh! It turned bright red and puffy. A little bit spilled on my leg too but not very badly. We pulled over and got out. Everyone was cleaning up the backseat of the car but I was looking at the leg. She needs ice! Yuko ran back to the 7-11 and came back with two frozen bottles of Calpice soda to put on the wound. Hahaha. We wrapped them in a towel and put them on the burn. After the car was cleaned up we headed back to the 7-11 so Yuko could buy another breakfast…not soup…and we finished eating in the car.
What was it?
The 2 CD set of popular Disney songs. Bilingual version in English and Japanese. Oh yeah.
But I didn’t have time to put them on my mp3 player because we spent the rest of the afternoon packing.
Everyone met up in the bedroom.
“Okay everyone, put all your things next to your pack.” Said Otosan. He read down his master list: “Raincoat!”
We all put our raincoats in our bag.
“Rain pants!”
Check.
“Camp mug!”
Check.
“Cup of noodles!”
Check.
“Earplugs!”
Um, no.
He handed out everyone a tube of earplugs labeled with their initials. They’re for sleeping in the lodge with a hundred other hikers, of course. This guy thinks of everything.
“Mask!”
Um, no.
He handed everyone a plastic bag with two masks and a folded bandana of a different color. Mine was purple. J They’re for the trek down the dusty mountain side, of course!
“Snacks!”
Oh, that’s a big check for me. I brought a huge baggie of almonds, raisins, and craisins.
“Glucose!”
Huh?
For “energy” we were issued a large bag of pure sugar chunks…basically broken sugar cubes for those of you who remember pinching them from the refreshments table at church. Ahem.
I was pretty sure we weren’t running a marathon or doing any kind of activity that required immediate high doses of energy but whatever. We were also issued amino acid supplements or something like that in gel form. Tasted like plastic apples. I’m saving mine for the next 1 hour run I do.
After we packed everything up I returned to my room to repack everything in proper order of use.
I know you’re all wondering what I brought so I’ll tell you what you need to get for a successful trip on Mt. Fuji.
1. Patagonia Torrentshell rain pants
2. Mountain Hardware Stretch Cohesion rain shell jacket.
3. Ex-officio breathable underwear. Awesome.
4. Mountain Hardware Ascent Stretch Air Permeable Gaiters. Awesome. If you hike and don't have gaiters I suggest you buy some and change your life.
5. 2 Hiking poles
6. Waterproof mesh-lined gloves
7. Keen Gore-Tex-lined low-profile hiking boots.
8. Smartwool mid-weight long sleeve shirt and pants (under layer)
9. Nike super breathable/wicking short sleeve shirt.
10. Cheap pair of shorts, long sleeve tech shirt, cheap target fleece jacket, ball cap, warm winter hat, bandana, and sunglasses.
11. Personal items like sunscreen, Chap Stick, hand sanitizer, emergency blanket, masks, and deodorant. I forgot my toothbrush. Otoosan brought body wipes, first aid kit, tea, oxygen, and our legal papers/insurance info.
12. Backpack with Platypus 3 liter bladder and rain tarp.
13. Snacks: my almond/raisin mix, a few soyjoy bars, beef jerky, and chocolate. We ate two meals on the mountain provided by the hut where we stayed.
14. Camera. My little Sony Cybershot 3.1mp has been doing well for many years but it might be time to upgrade soon. Maybe I’ve dropped it too many times.
15. Change purse with 100-yen coins. Bathrooms cost 200 yen each time and 300 at the top.
16. Towel and safety pins to use over the issued sleeping bags. Tens of thousands of people climb this mountain every year. Guess how often they do the laundry…
17. Money for souvenirs! They’re so expensive I don’t even want to tell you how much I paid for a keychain and postcard.
Okay, I think that’s about it. I used everything I brought except for the long sleeve shirt and mask.
Everyone tried to be in bed by ten and we were mostly successful. I was to tired from the past few days of traveling and hiking that I slept very well until the 4:30 wake-up call. We got the last few things together and packed up the car, grabbing breakfast at the 7-11 store along the way. I chose a few rice balls, yogurt, and vegetable juice knowing it would be awhile before I got dairy and vitamin C. Yuko, Takae’s sister, got dehydrated wonton soup and filled it with near boiling water at the store. Getting in the car she handed it to Takae who was sitting between us while she…I don’t know…got something or was doing something. 2 minutes later the hot soup spilled all over Takae’s thigh! It turned bright red and puffy. A little bit spilled on my leg too but not very badly. We pulled over and got out. Everyone was cleaning up the backseat of the car but I was looking at the leg. She needs ice! Yuko ran back to the 7-11 and came back with two frozen bottles of Calpice soda to put on the wound. Hahaha. We wrapped them in a towel and put them on the burn. After the car was cleaned up we headed back to the 7-11 so Yuko could buy another breakfast…not soup…and we finished eating in the car.
In less than 2 hours we arrived at the base of the mountain, leaving our non-essentials in the car, lacing up our boots and hopping on the bus to station 5. As soon as we arrived in the parking lot it started to rain…like, torrential cats and dogs rain. We sheltered inside the building which was a weird fusion between gift shop and café. Ordering some soup and dessert we followed the rigid plan concocted by Otoosan to wait for 2 hours for our bodies to adjust to the new altitude of 2000 meters (about 6500ft.). Donning our raingear we stepped boldly onto the trail and began the 4 hr. walk up to station 7.
After about 45 minutes Yuko asked us to walk faster. She had to pee and needed to reach station 6 a.s.a.p. Otoosan wasn’t about to break the “slow and steady wins the race/doesn’t get altitude sickness” pace and told her to go ahead and meet us there. So she trekked up ahead while we enjoyed the flora and fauna coming straight out of an old English novel. In the rain.
Approaching station 6 the rain subsided and the clouds parted to reveal the top of the mountain. Everyone turned around and started snapping photos of the summit so far away. Continuing up the trail and now reunited with Yuko we were suddenly taking more breaks and walking very slowly. I turned around to find Yuko with a bottle of oxygen against her mouth. Uh oh. Her sudden ascent to station 6 was a little too much for her body to handle and she never really recovered from it, nursing from the oxygen bottle all the way to the summit.
Approaching station 6 the rain subsided and the clouds parted to reveal the top of the mountain. Everyone turned around and started snapping photos of the summit so far away. Continuing up the trail and now reunited with Yuko we were suddenly taking more breaks and walking very slowly. I turned around to find Yuko with a bottle of oxygen against her mouth. Uh oh. Her sudden ascent to station 6 was a little too much for her body to handle and she never really recovered from it, nursing from the oxygen bottle all the way to the summit.
The mountain is out! We still have a long ways to go.
 Mini Fuji sticks, in case you only get this far I guess. |  Saito family ready for action! |
Around p.m. we made it to station 7, an hour or so more than planned but it didn’t matter. Shoving our packs in our sleeping bunks we were summoned to a nice warm dinner of soup, rice, meat patty, pickled vegetables, and other things I don’t remember. Everything was delicious!
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Outside we watched the colors of the clouds change as the sun set on the opposite side of the mountain. Everything was clear and we could see the lights of the valley towns far below us. The temperature had dropped since our first step on the trail and now sat at what I call “fleece temperature” though the slight wind chill made it profitable to wear my windproof rain shell for ideal protection.
The first and second tiers. The ladder behind the post is going up to the attic tier.
Back in the lodge we faced a dilemma. 3 tiers of futon were set up the entire length of the room with a path down the center. The topmost tier was basically the attic where the roof made a triangle and the rafters separated sleeping hikers. Our rafter space was designated for 3 people so us three girls put our packs up there and hung our wet things up to dry. The parents’ space was right below us on the second tier but the people next to them took up more than their fair share, making it large enough for 1.25 people. Okaasan ended up bunking with us girls and we looked like a can of sleeping bagged sardines. Sleeping tightly didn’t bother me, but the used futons were so thin that even though they were stacked 3 on top of each other, they were so hard my hips hurt the entire night. I tried sleeping on my back and achieved about 20 minutes of sleep. The rest of the night I just lay their with my eyes closed and imagined I would drift off any second….one time I got bored and took out my ear plugs. Big mistake. All of a sudden my serene but uncomfortable sleeping quarters turned into a pig farm where all the pigs were scrambling to get out of the way of the bacon blade. Japanese people may be small but there’s no comparison to the snoring that comes out of them. It was so loud. I quickly reinserted my earplugs and resigned myself to just resting.
Up again at am or some ridiculous hour we all assembled outside to watch the sunrise from the East-facing station 7 on Subarishi trail. Beautiful and clear, it didn’t seem to matter whether or not we were on the summit. Most people stay the night at a low station and then climb up during the early hours to see the sunrise on the summit. This makes the trail at night very crowded and I imagine super crowded on the rim as well. I’m glad we were not up there.
Up again at am or some ridiculous hour we all assembled outside to watch the sunrise from the East-facing station 7 on Subarishi trail. Beautiful and clear, it didn’t seem to matter whether or not we were on the summit. Most people stay the night at a low station and then climb up during the early hours to see the sunrise on the summit. This makes the trail at night very crowded and I imagine super crowded on the rim as well. I’m glad we were not up there.
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Now that our bodies had slept (or in my case rested) at 2400 meters we packed up again and took off to the top. The, uh, ladies in our group are a tough group to get going in the morning and we left later than the group leader anticipated. Yuko was still feeling terrible and we made what we called “manatee speed.” It was slow. We reached the 8th station and the trail merged with another popular trail.
We reached the 8 ½ station.
We reached the 9th station and saw tori gates leading up to the top. I could see the Japan flag waving on the distant summit.
Hours later we finally passed the lions and through the final tori gate arriving with a hundred other people at the summit. Actually it wasn’t the true summit but who cares. There were lots of foreigners milling about, people of all ages, children and grandpas, even a guy who’s climbed it over 20 times! We set up near a building to block the wind chill and boiled some water for our cup of noodles and tea.
We reached the 8 ½ station.
We reached the 9th station and saw tori gates leading up to the top. I could see the Japan flag waving on the distant summit.
Hours later we finally passed the lions and through the final tori gate arriving with a hundred other people at the summit. Actually it wasn’t the true summit but who cares. There were lots of foreigners milling about, people of all ages, children and grandpas, even a guy who’s climbed it over 20 times! We set up near a building to block the wind chill and boiled some water for our cup of noodles and tea.
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Japan is infamous for its plethora of vending machines. It is rumored you can buy just about anything from these machines and I have definitely seen some weird things. Electronics, sanitary items like deodorant and toothbrushes, beer, cigaretts, and all kinds of soda/coffee/juice/water/sports drinks that aren’t available in the US. At the summit, should your heart desire, you can buy a 12oz bottle of cold CocaCola for a mere 500 yen (about $5.50). Supply and demand. We bought some postcards and souvenirs, stamping them with the famous Fuji altitude stamps. We walked around the perimeter of the crater, stopping at the post office to mail them from the top of Japan. Ever gotten a postcard marked at 12,000 ft.? I didn’t think so. I’m also sorry I didn’t think that far ahead or I would have pre-addressed postcards to mail to all of you from the top. Sorry.
The coolest thing I saw, apart from the sunrise, is a part in the crater that looks like Darth Vader. See for yourself.
Walking around to the opposite side of the crater we approached the true summit at 3776 meters, 12,388ft. Yata! From here it was just down, down, down, down, down, down…..
There was a bit of strong wind around the rim but nothing to fret over. It was mostly cloudy with the occasional break in clouds to make you take out your camera. We put our bandanas over our faces to protect against the dust coming down the mountain but ended up not needing them. The rain from the day before made the mountain soil texture quite nice for a dust-free hike. I walked backwards down the mountain to save my knees and muscles from hurting the next day. A very soft section of the trail made it fun to run and bounce in the sandy terrain, protected by my trusty gaiters of course.
Walking around to the opposite side of the crater we approached the true summit at 3776 meters, 12,388ft. Yata! From here it was just down, down, down, down, down, down…..
There was a bit of strong wind around the rim but nothing to fret over. It was mostly cloudy with the occasional break in clouds to make you take out your camera. We put our bandanas over our faces to protect against the dust coming down the mountain but ended up not needing them. The rain from the day before made the mountain soil texture quite nice for a dust-free hike. I walked backwards down the mountain to save my knees and muscles from hurting the next day. A very soft section of the trail made it fun to run and bounce in the sandy terrain, protected by my trusty gaiters of course.
 The wide, long trail down in the center. The short, narrow, steep trail up on the far left.  Sliding down the fun part of the trail |   The famous Fuji shadow |
Me, fooling around at the top of the crater. I missed my calling as an Olympic ski jumper.
The sun started to set. Oh, it’s so pretty!
Wait. We were supposed to be off of the mountain by 3pm. What time is it?
Well, we busted out the flashlights because it was after six and we weren’t even past station 6 yet. Oh crap.
Getting into the tree line again the trail became narrower and there were roots everywhere. We went slowly but still overtook a family of 5 inching their way along. Only 2 flashlights between them, the 4 yr. old was clinging to mom’s hand with dad lighting the way, and the 8 yr. old and 6 yr. old shared a flashlight. I gave one of the kids my spare flashlight and we made them walk between us for safety. Two other guys came up behind us and opted to stay with the large group, making our party 12 people coming down the mountain in the dark. I stopped looking at my watch after that but we spent a near 36 hours on the mountain. We got home at 11:30pm and crashed. Poor Otoosan had to work the next day. The rest of us spent Wednesday unpacking and cleaning our gear. The only ones able to walk up and down the stairs with no negative effects were me and Okaasan, who had also walked down the mountain backwards because of her hurting knees. Oh yeah.
So, I climbed Mt. Fuji, walked around the top, and didn’t get altitude sickness. I fulfilled my dream of many years and feel great.
I need a new dream.
Oh look, there are 192 countries I haven’t been to yet…
Wait. We were supposed to be off of the mountain by 3pm. What time is it?
Well, we busted out the flashlights because it was after six and we weren’t even past station 6 yet. Oh crap.
Getting into the tree line again the trail became narrower and there were roots everywhere. We went slowly but still overtook a family of 5 inching their way along. Only 2 flashlights between them, the 4 yr. old was clinging to mom’s hand with dad lighting the way, and the 8 yr. old and 6 yr. old shared a flashlight. I gave one of the kids my spare flashlight and we made them walk between us for safety. Two other guys came up behind us and opted to stay with the large group, making our party 12 people coming down the mountain in the dark. I stopped looking at my watch after that but we spent a near 36 hours on the mountain. We got home at 11:30pm and crashed. Poor Otoosan had to work the next day. The rest of us spent Wednesday unpacking and cleaning our gear. The only ones able to walk up and down the stairs with no negative effects were me and Okaasan, who had also walked down the mountain backwards because of her hurting knees. Oh yeah.
So, I climbed Mt. Fuji, walked around the top, and didn’t get altitude sickness. I fulfilled my dream of many years and feel great.
I need a new dream.
Oh look, there are 192 countries I haven’t been to yet…
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