Fuji-san

First some statistics:

Mount Fuji is the tallest mountain in Japan- at a height of 12,388 ft (3,776 meters).
Its a strato-volcano with its last erruption in 1708
It is sacredly the gateway between heaven and Earth.
It is the most climbed mountain in the world with over 100,000 people every year.
It is definitely one of the most symmetrical and beautiful mountains and is an icon of Japan. Commonly photographed in all seasons.
The official climbing season is only between the months of July and August- other times of the year there is too much snow, and it would be too dangerous to climb.
Most climbers prefer to climb at night in order to be at the summit to watch the sunrise.
The temperatures at the summit even in the summer can be as cold as 7 degrees C.


The hike we did from 5th station to the top- the most popular route, is on 6 km (3.7 miles), but with an elevation gain of nearly 1,500 meters (4,900 feet).

 The first thing everyone told me about hiking Fuji-san, was that it would probably be very crowded because it had recently been recognized as a World Heritage Site. As it turned out, the popular time to hike is at night- stay at the summit, and watch the sunrise. I was not interested in doing this, so we had the trail basically to ourselves most of the way up and down!

They were right! The crowds of hikers (primarily Japanese, although I hiked all day with a whole bunch of foreigners), made this natural wonder seem like an amusement park.

Our pre-climb lunch the day before. Delicious broth with thick noodles, tofu, and a plethora of veggies.

From our youth hostel, it was a 10 minute walk to the bus station, and an hour long bus ride to 5th station. At 5th station there were shops, parking lots, restaurants, hotels and a village of people.

Ready to start the ascent! It was a lot colder here than at lower elevations. (I even put on my wool leggings, and down coat at the summit).

So there are several 'rest stations' along the way to the top. As you continue to climb, the trees thin and eventually disappear and at points you are on all fours as you scramble up rock outcroppings and haul yourself over boulders.
 

Resting at one of the stations on the way up!



Finally you pass through the last two torii gates and you have reached the summit.



A plethora of people, buildings, and resting areas greet you- including an over-priced vending machine! The clouds rolled quickly over the summit in thin wisps blocking out the sun and plummeting the temperature. Then the sun would return and everything was crystal clear.


I had time to do the extra 3km perimeter walk of the crater at top. My excessive amounts of energy surprised me! I felt like I was above the world! Cumulous clouds sat in a blanket below me and the wispy cirrus clouds continued to blow over.

By the time I was ready to descend, it was already 5pm! Not wanting to hike in the dark, I half skated half sprinted down the steep switch-back descending trail. Across the way I saw the beginnings of a long parade of people gruelingly marching towards the summit.

Enjoying the sunset from 5th station as we wait for the bus to take us back down to town.