Fuji-san Part II

Here's a pic I took from the top (post-toilet run around 7am) of the trail... you can see the line of people ascending - looks pretty cool with all the bright colored gear!

In keeping with the Japanese way, the Japanese were all uber-prepared with brand new, top of the line (mostly North Face) equipment. Truly a sight to behold. I admit I stole envious glances as I blew on my near-frostbitten fingers.

Crappy, overcast view from the top (it looks more impressive on my computer, I promise):

And here's a pic of Harry on the way down with 1 of the 5 lakes that surround Fuji in the background...

Oh, and in case you hadn't realized, we didn't make it to the top for sunrise. And there was no sunrise, only a bleak view & more clouds.

The way up seemed pretty rough, but the way down was almost worse. The path was covered in loose gravel, making it extremely unsafe, ankle sprain worthy, & hard to navigate. Harry & I figured out that half-running & half-skiing on the gravel was the easiest & quickest way down, albiet bad on your knees.

We decended in record time. What took most people 3-4 hours took us 2. I don't mean that to sound as if I'm bragging - I meant that to show you how desperate we were to get off that damn mountain. I liken my climb up Mt. Fuji to Frodo's final climb up Mt. Doom.

My advice for future "fools":
1) Don't climb Fuji during the "official" climbing season (beginning of July - end of August) unless you secretly love stop-and-go traffic (don't tell your climbing partners). Or if you must, do it on a weekday.
2) Waterproof isn't really waterproof no matter what Gore-tex, North Face or REI tells you. Honestly.

In retrospect I'm glad I conquered that SOB of a mountain. One of those character-building feats I suppose. But most importantly I can now use the memory of that experience to make any situation seem astoundingly comfortable & satisfying in comparison.

Witness: I have no job, no money, nothing to eat, no friends, no life, I'm going to die in 3 weeks, but hey, at least I'm not on Mt. Fuji!

Ok, slight exaggeration, but you get the point...

There's a famous saying in Japan: "A wise man climbs Mt. Fuji once, a fool climbs it twice." I disagree. I feel particularly foolish for having climbed it once. I'd have to be severely brain-damaged to climb it again.