We Love (and Hate) Mt. Fuji

So yes, I climbed Mt. Fuji. Did you expect anything less? It truly is a right of passage for many JETs, but seriously, it was no walk in the park, no flowery path was enjoyed whilst sipping delectable honey tea. There were no crumpets involved. It was a battle involving volcanic rock, lactic acid in my quads, people curling up into balls half way up and thanks to my predecessor, chocolate power bars to fuel my hunger. I never thought Power bar could taste that good. Just wait till you are starving at 3000 meters in the air with high wind and in the dark. Chocolate Power bar suddenly becomes prime rib with a glass of red wine.

Where do I begin? I suppose station 5 would be appropriate, the launching point. About 40 of us started up the mountain a little before 7:30pm. There were so many because a couple prefectures started together. Shortly from the start we had to choose a path; the longer, easier way, or the shorter, harder way. You know me folks, you know how I roll. Hard and fast it was kids.

Here is what they don't tell you about the hard path. Or more appropriately, they should have a sign that says, "Don't try to race to the top." About an hour into the climb, it was apparent that a group of about 6 of us were at a fast pace. The one spearheading the charge was a girl by the name of Natalie. She was an animal. She was like the energizer bunny sans drums. With us also was "Tex" the alpha male Alex, Justin, Ivan and Sheris.

Every so often on the mountain there was another "station" where you could acquire food, water and a seat on a bench. Food and water were bought, but Natalie would permit little bench time. We were ahead of all of the other JETs, ad it was going to stay that way. A little bit of my competitive side was stoked by this, so I agreed. We tended to stay at each station for a handful of minutes to pound some fluids and eat something. Then it was right back up the mountain.

Most of our group made it up the mountain in about 9 or 10 hours. The average falls around there at 7 to 8 hours. Our team made the top of the mountain at 12:30am. You do the math kids, that’s about 5 hours for us. "Great," you may think, "you did it fast!" That speed was not without sacrifice though. Ivan ended up curling up into a ball at some point, unable to move. Natalie literally picked him up and dragged him to where we were at one point. We huddled together under the Tengu shrine to keep warm at the higher levels. My legs were working off will alone. My shins and calves enjoyed being scratched up by volcanic rock.

We finally made the top at 12:30, but once again we were faced with another backlash of our speed; the sun did not rise until 5:30 in the morning. That was a solid 5 hours in arctic temperatures. It was summer and there were icicles people. Our elite team of over competitive climbers ended up sleeping on the floor of a lavatory to avoid the cold and pass the time. Let me give you a tip about sleeping on the floor of a bathroom; don’t do it, it sucks. It also smells. I will not regal you with the finer details, let us leave it that I now have great sympathy for hobos.

So finally the sun begins its accent. My body is freezing and my legs are near unmovable. I was also suffering from a little bit of Altitude sickness. Basically I was in no shape to be excited about seeing the sun. On its arrival I snapped a quick shot of the fiery star with my camera phone while behind another group of eager tourists. I did not care. All I wanted to do was get down the damn mountain.

I have to admit though, for as crappy as I felt, it was one of the more beautiful things I have seen. You were literally above the clouds, so your view was that of the sun above the clouds, with cities dotting throughout. Pretty cool. I still wanted to get down though.

I ran into many fellow JETs once the sun came up. Many had just arrived; others had been there for an hour or two. Rumor of my team's incredible pace was abound, but I seriously did not care. I deviated from the speedy pack when they decided they would hike to an even higher part of the mountain. I was content with assuming the fetal position and barreling down the mountain.

Before I did my best Sonic the Hedgehog imitation, a girl named Nicole offered to walk down with me. I took her up on this suggestion. We actually ran down a good 1/3 of the mountain just so we could get some air that wasn't thinned out by lack of atmosphere. The downward decent was no cakewalk either.

After a few hours, I found myself back at station 5. I consumed a large bowl of udon and some ice-cream. I then proceeded to fall asleep in the center of the square. Once again I felt a deep connection with hobos. A few hours later brought the rest of the JETs and a bus ride home.

In the end Fuji was one crazy workout, and I am glad I did it. In hind-sight, I can barely remember the pain; the only things that remain are the good conversations and the amazing view. If you are ever in Japan and looking for some pain with a cool reward, check out Fuji. I suggest bringing warmer clothes than I did and a happier demeanor at the summit.

Enjoy the videos of the process.




Top of the Mountain




Coming Down

-R