As we were boarding the bus to leave Nagoya at 10:30 p.m. on Friday night, it was pouring rain and lightening. Not the best conditions for our first climb. Weather for the mountain was forecasted as 6C and winds gusting up to 65 km/hr, light rain early Saturday morning with clearing and clouds by later Sat morning and into the afternoon. But we had our rain gear, hats and gloves packed, so we were (foolishly) undaunted.
We roll out of Hongo at 10:40 p.m. Almost 5 hours on the bus with one bathroom stop (at an amazingly high tech and fancy rest stop, I might add) and little sleep puts us at the 5th Station of the Yoshida Trail just after 3:30 a.m.
We layered up, as the wind is already stiffly blowing and while not raining at present, it for sure will at some point during the climb. Here I am fresh-faced and ready to go!
Our climb will follow the Yoshida Route from the 5th Station at elevation 2,305m up a 6 km trail to the summit at elevation 3,776m.
We started hiking just before sunrise and caught some amazing views along the trail, suddenly realizing how high up the mountain we already were. Station 1 of the trail was 13 km below us.
Starting the climb.
The trail between stations 5 and 6 was improved and relatively easy to walk. At this point I was thinking, "Yeah, I can do this!" We could definitely feel the effects of the altitude though and we got out of breath quickly. We decided to just take it slow and steady, rest often and enjoy the views and the whole experience. A song was running through my head:
"Ain't about how fast I get there,
Ain't about what's waiting on the other side,
It's the climb!"
Trail between 5th & 6th Stations
After reaching the 6th Station and paying 200 yen each to use the toilet, we realized the "real" climb was about to begin. No more grated gravel path, no more level sections, we were suddenly trekking up ragged volcanic rock. But the the incline was doable, and heck, there were kids (and dogs) on the trail, so how bad could it get?
Trail between the 6th and & 7th Stations
If this little guy can do it, so can I. Right?
The view from the 7th Station was a great reward and it encouraged us to continue on, even though at this point my knees and Gary's hip were whispering voices of reason to us.
Panarama from 7th Station
It started to rain on us as we climbed another 2 or 3 sections of the trail and as we were approaching the 8th Station Safety Hut, Gary and I both looked at each other and "just knew", we could not continue on. It was 8:30 a.m. and it had taken us 4.5 hours go 3.5 kms to get to this point. We still had almost 2.5 km to reach the submit and the trail was growing increasingly steeper and more treacherous. I feared if I pushed it to the top, I would not have the "legs" (balance & coordination) to descend in time to catch the return bus at 3:00 p.m. With disappointment, we turned around. : (
Gary hiking between 7th and 8th.
Resting on the trail after two different falls (one a rocky mis-step the other slipping on loose gravel) Even after wiping out, I am still smiling!
Gary never fell, (of course). I later learned that another climber on the bus fell 6 times, so then I didn't feel quite so clumsy.
View from descent before getting back to 5th Station.
Back at the start of the trail. Now in daylight, so we snapped a picture.
Unique cloud formations.
Gary-san and Fuji-san.
Had to get the T-shirt!
I am so glad I had was able to experience Fuji-san.
This first attempt at mountain climbing goes down as a success for me. I pushed as hard as I could and I came back without injury and with lots of great memories of the mountain.
It was breathtaking, grueling, invigorating, exhausting,
empowering and humbling all at the same time!
We hope to visit again and reach the summit. Rather than 'bullet' climb it, (all in one day) we would like to hike to 7 or 8, overnight in a hut, then summit early in the morning and descend slowly. Probably the best 'age-appropriate' approach for non-veteran climbers like us!
