Mt.Fuji -A once-in-lifetime Experience!

In August this year, Deepika, Shibu and I climbed to Mt.Fuji's summit!

Mt.Fuji, the iconic symbol of Japan, remained elusive to me for years. ln 2006, our Kalyan's team (Kalyan, Sudhir, Rajkumar & Nick) traveled to Mt.Fuji in a package tour with Nick making it to the top while others reaching 'almost the top' -the 8th station. A year later, a package tour booked by 15-20 of IITians got canceled due to storm forecast. There was no serious attempt for a Mt.Fuji expedition thereafter.

Mt.Fuji is officially open to public only for 2 months a year –July & August. (Due to extreme windy/snowy/freezing conditions at the summit, it is closed for the rest of the year, i.e, ‘officially’ -meaning, you could still go there throughout the year; but you are unlikely to return, as they say!). Deepika, Shibu and I decided to Just Do It it this summer. It turned out to be an amazing trip and proved to be an acid-test for our physical and psychological caliber. Here is our Mt.Fuji story (July 31-Aug 1).......

‘Roadside’ sleep: We chose to drive (one way 520 km) instead of going on a bus tour, to have extra thrill, fun & flexibility. And it just worked great. We left around 7 pm on Friday (July-30) from Takasago, drove along Sanyo, Chugoku, Meishin, Shin-Meishin, Higashi Meihan, and Ise Wangan expressways and were soon in Tomei expressway where we stopped at around 10:30 for late-night dinner. Being one of the oldest and widely-used highways leading to Tokyo, many Parking areas in Tomei expressway have convenience stores (like Lawson) and chain restaurants like Yoshnoya, Starbucks and McDonalds. At 1 am we stopped in a Parking area, and got ready to sleep (we had carried with us bed, bedspreads and pillows). As the restaurants were all closed except one or two, we made the tables they had left outside into twin beds, and comfortably slept under a shamiana! Almost equivalent to 'roadside sleeping', it turned out to be another unique experience we could do only in Japan! (We saw some others sleeping like us).

When we woke up at 6 in the morning, it was bright though the weather was chill, and the Parking lot was just getting busier. The place was surrounded by mountain in all the sides, and people were simply strolling or sitting at the viewpoints enjoying the mountains sipping hot coffee. We took local driving directions from the Information center (no GPS in my car!), had some hot Udon noodles for breakfast and left at 8 am to reach Kawaguchiko.

Kawaguchiko Trail: Mt.Fuji (3,776 m) is divided into 10 levels (known as '10 stations') and buses/cars could reach up to 5th station. There are four 5th stations at different points in the conical circumference Mt.Fuji namely Kawaguchiko, Fujinomiya, Gotemba and SubaShri (what a name! :-). We chose to climb from Kawaguchiko 5th station (2,300 m) as it is the most popular and supposedly least difficult of the 4 routes. The ascent to the top is 7km and could take 6 hrs, and the descent -in a different path- 4km and 3 hrs. (That's what internet said). Kawaguchiko's Visitor Center had all the information for tourists and the girl was helpful in Kanto style (which was different from the Kansai style in that the typical Kansai style politeness and friendly smile was missing). We had the first glimpses of Mt.Fuji from the 2nd floor terrace of the Visitor Center; wondering that soon we would be climbing to the top!

Preparation: At the car parking lot in Kawaguchiko 5th station we changed into our climbing attire and ensured that our backpack is equipped with the essentials -1 liter water flask, headlamp, gloves, face mask, sunglass, sweater, knitted hat, towel, plain hat, thermal in-pant, spat (?)*, rainwear, a cover to protect the backpack against rain, aspirin tablets, oxygen can, energy biscuits, dry fruits, chocolates, a number of Y100 coins, cash, cell phone & camera. We also carried a hiking pole -a 1 meter length stick sold for Y700 in any convenience store in that area. The list may sound redundant -but each & every item became absolutely essential at some point or the other when we were climbing up for day & night in areas where there was nothing but molten rock! 5th station is visited by not only climbers, but also those who just go there to see the Starting point. There were a number of foreigners (we met about 6-8 Indians along the route). Statistics says more than one-third of Mt.Fuji climbers are foreigners. Had lunch at one of the restaurants in 5th station.

The Start: It was 2:10 pm when we left the start point. The entrance to the climbing route had two stone pillars, and a small wooden board showing "Route to Mt.Fuji summit (320 min)". Deepika happily posed for a picture with a smiling face near the board. She realized little then that this 320-min was going to be 600-min for us and that too the toughest 600-min we have ever had!Apart from a number of enthusiastic climbers, there were also many families that were not in the climbing attire -they went for a 30-min hike along the route to get a feel of what climbing Mt.Fuji was. The initial path was not steep, the mountain was green, the trail was 2-m wide, and with the mild temperature in a cloudy atmosphere, the 30-min hike made a wonderful one-day-picnic for families & children. Horse-ride was also there. The first 30-min trail was the same for ascending & descending, and we saw those returning -all of them had only weary look. The trail was nice to walk, and Shibu was commenting if the entire route would be like that there would be no difficulty at all. He was naive.

The scene changed: The scenes of day-picnic changed after 30-min where we saw only climbers all set for a tough track. I found the climbing way different from the hiking we've done -that there was absolutely no greenery and the trail was very steep and continuous. At many places, Mt.Fuji’s exceptionally symmetrical conical shape made me feel like climbing up a conical surface with 60 degree base angle. And the trail was full of rocks, rocks & rocks. Without proper hiking shoes and the hiking pole, one would risk injuring his ankle. There were many groups led by tour guides that passed by. We decided to go on our own pace.

 

The 7th station (2,700 m level): As we reached the 7th station at 2,700 m level, both Deepika and Shibu were active; -they wouldn't let me go ahead; and they stayed ahead even as I was following them. Saw a 'mountain hut' (yama-goya) -a resting 'box' - where you can take rest in a 6 ft Length x 1 ft Width x 2 ft Height space in a 'wooden container' for Y7,000. We had only climbed 400m and reached 2,700m and I was wondering why one should rest at that level. The peak is at 3,776 m level, and we have to climb up another 1,076 m!. The hut had a small bench (just one bench) for us to sit & relax, and space for smoking. They sold 500ml water bottles for Y500, one banana for Y200. (I buy them for one-tenth of that price in Takasago Seiyu!). Despite a 'clear' weather forecast, it started raining, and we had to use our rainwear. It stopped in 10-15 minutes. It was still bright.

7th station (3,000 m level): It took nearly 4 hrs to reach the 3,000m level, and we were all tired having climbed 700m. People were seen taking rest at the side of the trail, mostly on rocks. Saw many people using their oxygen cans at this level. On seeing them, Deepika wanted to use hers as she said it would 'clear her lungs'. I had read that the air will get 'thin' as we climb up where the oxygen cans would come as handy, but I didn't feel anything strange in breathing at this level. Sensing that Deepika's need for 'clearing lungs' was more of psychological than actual, I promised her that we would use oxygen when we reach the 8th station, where I had reserved for 3 spaces in a mountain hut. She was a bit upset that I didn't buy her theory of 'clearing lungs' but she didn't have (her usual) energy to fight back either! I wanted to save oxygen for 'real' breathing difficulty one might face at much higher elevations. We were eagerly looking for 8th station to take rest.

 

The 8th station: At 7 we reached “Horai kan” the mountain hut in 8th station at 3,150m. Being well-mannered or being dead-tired, the in-mates were silent and the 'container' didn't look like the one where some 200 people were sleeping! They provided curry rice & salad -which were luxury at that level. The 3ft wide bed was spared by 3 persons, and a slight movement would disturb the other guy. Yet, there was absolutely no disturbance, and there was ‘pin drop’ silence. Shibu & I had mild headache and we took aspirin. Deepika used oxygen cans, and 'looked' fresh. We went to bed at 8:30. The sunrise on the next day was to be at 4:41 am, and we had to climb another 600m. We had a good sleep till 12:30, and woke up to see no guys around us -they all had woken up early and proceeded to climb up (without making any noise!).

We changed to winter clothing and left the hut at 1:30 am. Just outside the hut we saw a chain of people climbing up- with weary looks and heavy breathing- they all had started from the 5th station at night of the previous day. (A majority of the climbers start at 7-8 pm, and climb throughout the night without resting in the hut) I don't think I could do that- as the 4 hr rest in the hut came as a psychological boost.

The 9th station: Even within few minutes of climbing we were tired -apparently the rest wasn’t that refreshing as we thought. We all had headlamps. Our climbing pace had come down greatly. As it was 3 am there were a number of climbers lying on the rocks -and sleeping in whatever position they could --sitting, leaning on the rocks, or simply lying on the sideways. Tents are not allowed in Mt.Fuji. At times, I felt like walking through a battlefield where there were hundred victims lying dead. Some were seen vomiting -as they suffered nausea at higher elevations. I made sure that there was no breathing difficulty. Shibu was lagging behind. And Deepika was walking like a 'sadhu' --taking every step very slowly as if in 'slow-motion', holding her hiking pole like 'Auvaiyar', having her head lowered and mostly closing her eyes. Even when I asked if she was alright, she said '...mm' without raising her head or opening her eyes; I never knew she could speak in such a low voice! I commented if only she was this quiet at home, how peaceful my life would have been... She wasn't in a mood to smile (or ‘give back’). When she & Shibu were sitting on a rock to rest, I saw her eyes closed, and heard her mouth chanting "Muruga....Muruga...." !! (I doubted Lord Murugan in Mt.Palani (TN) could hear her thin voice from Mt.Fuji).

It was 4:40 and all the climbers got ready to look at sunrise, though everyone was dead-tired. A number of them continued to sleep on the rocks –apparently the sunrise failed to impress them to wake up and see. They've been climbing all through the night.

The summit: Since 5 am we could see the summit close-by, and the ‘tori’ they had built as the point of entrance. Yet it took another one-and-half hours to reach the spot... and at 6:30, we finally landed at the highest peak of Japan. Even before we could take pictures, Shibu slept on a small bench. There were a couple of petty shops, a cafeteria, and a post office (where you can buy cards and send anywhere in the world). Even as Shibu was sleeping, we went near the crater and walked around. It was a fulfilling feeling -wherever & whenever we see Mt.Fuji's picture, we can now point our finger at the summit and say "We have climbed up to this point..."

 

The Descent:Spent a couple of hours at the summit and started descending. I found the descent equally hard -if not harder than the ascent. We didn't get tired as we didn't strain the heart, but the legs ached as they took the load. The descent was in a different route, and though there were no rocks, the trail was steep, and full of small stones that would keep getting inside your shoes if you weren't wearing the so-called 'spat'. It got quiet hot at 9 am and without sunglass, sunscreen and mask it would have been really tough. And there was no hut -meaning there was no place to buy water. Mt.Fuji changed from black to red and finally to green in color at the 6th level. As we approached the start point we saw hundreds of enthusiastic climbers just beginning with a lot of vigor and energy their expedition –their long struggle to reach the summit.

It was 2 pm Sunday when we arrived at the Start point –it took exactly 24 hours for us to get back to where we started. We packed ourselves in the car without even changing the climbing wear and proceeded straight to a nearby onsen -Fujiyama Onsen.

 
Climbing Mt.Fuji is truly a once-in-lifetime experience. At 3,776 m elevation, Mt.Fuji is the highest point we have ever landed in/ climbed up on earth. To do that, we had to climb up and down continuously for 24 hours, except for the 4 hr rest at night and the 2 hr stop at the summit. We felt great that We Made It. We couldn't believe we made it!