Fuji-San

Several months ago, I had the opportunity to climb Mt. Fuji.  Kylee was in the States, so the three day weekend was wide open.  A friend from the squadron, Steve Aspholm, invited me to join him on our Monday off and climb Mt Fuji, as the season was just ending.  The season had actually technically ended on Sunday, but the trails remain open.  The climbing "season" of Mount Fuji only guarantees that the checkpoint huts along the way will be open.

We met at the squadron at 0530, bringing some egg burritos for breakfast on the car ride up.  The weather was clear and warm in Atsugi, but Fuji was ominously covered with clouds.  We crossed our fingers and drove up to the base camp.  There are several different trails that ascend Fuji-san, so climbing experiences can be quite different than someone else, or even on a different day.  They range from about 4-7 miles one way, with varying degrees of steepness, and the general consensus is that it will take 6-10 hours round trip.  Steve and I had chosen the shortest trail, clocking in at only about 4 miles up.  I was brimming with confidence - no matter how steep the trail, I could hike 4 miles in a couple hours. No problem.

Although it was still warm at the base camp, it was covered in fog and mist.  We expected the temperature to drop as we climbed, so we had backpacks with jackets, long pants, beanies, and gloves.  After topping off our water and a bathroom break, we headed up!  I was really excited to finally be climbing Fuji, and sang the song of the Lonely Mountain to Steve.  I don't think he appreciated it as much as I did.



The trail immediately started climbing, and didn't lessen the entire way.  We set a quick pace, and passed by several other hikers on the way up.  The trail was mostly volcanic rock, with some patches of dirt/scree, and was steep enough that I was basically scrambling up on all fours! As we got higher, the temperature dropped, and the fog/mist started collecting on our clothing - soon, we were as damp as if it was raining!  We passed several groups of people on their way down, and they asked if we were headed to the summit.  When we responded in the affirmative, they laughed and said that the weather got much worse.

They were right.  Soon, the wind was whipping around us, driving pellet-like rain into our faces.  Added to the ever present fog, the volcanic trail made it look like I was in Mordor, climbing Mt Doom!  I was underprepared for the rain with my hiking pants, and they were soon soaked through.  Luckily I had a waterproof jacket on, so my upper body was warm and dry.  Undaunted, we continued onwards and upwards.

We eventually reached the summit, cold, wet, and tired.  Victorious! Unfortunately, the clouds had not yet lifted, and we could barely see 100 yards.  We decided to finish the trail that goes around the circumference of the volcano summit.  The wind had gotten even stronger at the top, and several times we felt like it would blow us off the mountain!  Good thing we had our hiking staffs to stabilize ourselves.

We got a hot bowl of ramen at the one noodle shop still open on the peak, and then headed back down.  Going down was much quicker, though my legs were still shaking by the time we reached the parking lot.  We were still soaking wet, but that mattered less as the temperature rose.  I started warming up again, my cheerfulness returned, and I was annoying Steve with songs once more.

The total round trip took us about 4.5 hours.  Not bad for a first time!  I definitely want to do it again, but this time I'm packing waterproof pants, and praying for a clear day.  I'll post pictures soon!

More pictures here: