Magic Mount Fuji
Trip Start
Aug 15, 2006
1
19
93
Trip End
Aug 13, 2007
Mount Fuji,
Japan
Sunday, October 15, 2006
We only arrive evening time and there are no buses to any of the stations where you can begin the climb. It was recommended that we travel on to Gotemba town and we may be able to get a bus from there. But no luck so now we are in Gotemba town where the climb takes 7 to 8 hours instead of 4 to 5 hours. No problem!! We are very determined we will do it.
6.00am Up and out of hotel.
6.30am Sausage and Egg McMuffin in McDonalds......Not healthy climbing food but nothing else available at that hour.
7.00am Taxi ride to 5th station to begin the climb, our very old taxi driver looks quite concerned that we are going up alone out of the climbing season and asks us to ring him when we get back down for taxi back to town.
02 Flying form in back of taxi
7.23am Off we go! Even though Lonely Planet and our local map say this route will take 8 hours we are very sure we can do it in less.
03 Starting out
8.00am Right from the start it is hard - we are walking on volcanic ash which is like trying to hike through deep sand. Weather is warm and we are still very optimistic.
04 Oh yeah its all fun and games now
9.30am Right on time with the map as we hit the 6th station, still looks no closer to the top though.
05 So its not as easy as it looks then
11.25am This is a massive struggle - Pauls groin is at him & he's in alot of pain and I've nearly burst out crying because it feels like we're getting nowhere!!!!!!! But we keep pushing each other. The mountain is more or less deserted on the side we are climbing except for one guy who started an hour after us and has gone on ahead and one guy lying down looking dead.
06 Now its freezing and the wind is strong
1.45pm The guy who passed us out is passing us again on his way down. We are both in a heap on the ground when he goes past. He says 40 minutes to the top (not sure if thats his 40 minutes or our 40 minutes)
2.00pm Paul is in agony now - I'm feeling knackered but very determined to get to the top, it looks so close. We are now walking 200 metres at a time and then resting and then another 200 metres....not looking good.
07 So I see you didn't make it then
2.30pm Pauls had it, can't go any further so off I go with the camera. I couldn't face the four hours back down without getting to the top!
08 Ok neither can I
2.55pm I reach the top. 7 hours and 35 minutes later. Its bloody freezing and completely deserted. So I run around with the camera take a load of photos, theres only a tiny bit of snow and the crater is absolutely huge, much bigger than expected but other than that nothing to report. Got the hell out of there quick.
09 But I can
3.10pm Get back to Paul with the pictures - you fly back down, what takes half an hour going up takes 5 minutes coming back down.
3.15pm Start running back down - we're flying along but its still hard work dodging the rocks and loose boulders. The clouds are below us covering the bottom half of the mountain too. Trying hard to get down before it gets dark.
5.30pm Its dark when we get back to the deserted car park. No buses and even the vending machines are off. We are now absolutely shattered and covered in dust but have to keep going to get back to main road.
6.23pm We get to the main road, we have to hitch back to town or pick up a taxi. Its now 11 hours after we started. The first car that passes us stops, unbelievable. Two young lads on their way to Tokyo, car full of bags and boxes. They stop and clear the back seat for us, even put U2 on the radio.
11 The rescue team
TIP : If you are climbing Mount Fuji - DO NOT CLIMB THE GOTEMBA ROUTE OUT OF SEASON!
