Mt Fuji still looks better from afar...

- Never Stop Dreaming -

In the end I decided to scale Fuji to catch that epical sunrise on the highest point in all Japan (literally). The weather reports on Friday, 4th September were all giving me the "Clear weather ahead" signals to urge me to go forth and embark on this adventure. The date 4th Sept was exactly 2 months earlier 2 years ago on 4th Nov where I subdued Mt Asama. Hiking and mountain climbing were no where remotely close to the top of my priority list and no where near the bottom as well, in fact they were not even in the list. But since I am in Japan, I would definitely want to do this hike sometime. The main reason why I was super whiny and hesitant about such activities was because I don't exercise at all and I am most definitely not your regular "fit" type of guy. The sad truth is that I am just one fat bloke covered in flammable blubber which might just burst into flames near naked fire. My legs have a hard time getting this huge mass from point to point, so there is always the car complete with air con to do that.

With absolutely no training or whatsoever, I left work on Friday an hour earlier to tie the misc. ends together before going for the night hike. Being totally virgin to this hike, I tend to bring more so to err on the safe side. More food, energy packs, water and clothes. Drove to Komi to dump the car there and switch to public trains. It was drizzling and the skies where the usual gloomy grey giving the "end of days" feeling. Japanese trains leave on the dot which in this case did as I saw another fellow hiker from my group gasped in horror as the train pulled away from her because she was just 3 seconds late! Peered out the window to catch the dying lights of the Friday evening before receiving a phone call 20 minutes later, halfway down the train journey that suggested I bailed the train and go back, pick up my car and drive the late comers to the meeting place. I declined since I had no intention to veer from my original plan that was NOT to drive there. Reached Kobuchizawa some 1 hour plus later to find out that the convoy that was suppose to pick me up was late. Upon seeing a foreigner stranger with a huge pack that resembled a hiker, I chatted with him thinking that he was from my group since it was just not usual to have a hiker that late in the station. It turned out he wasn't from my group and was going to somewhere else. Nonetheless that killed the waiting time and I was whisked away to Fuji moments to my doom.

The journey to Fuji via the highway wasn't pleasant at all...though it was smooth, we were racing thru a massive thunder storm. Lightning, rain pounding, wipers sweeping frantically and reduced vision were all the signs that I needed to convince me to bail on this hike. Though I was and am still a huge fan of rain and storms but not in dire situations where I needed to expose myself to the elements for a cause. We kept a decent conversation throughout the journey in the little 660cc car, deep inside my head, the little voices were whispering to me, "Abandon the hike, it's not too late to do it now. " There were no angels this time to say anything convincing...Alas, we exited the highway when we passed the monstrous rollercoaster steel structure glimmering off the heavy rain and onto the foot of Mt. Fuji. Pulled up into a nearby spot to liaise with the rest of the convoy. Made another trip to a nearby convenient store amidst waiting for the rest which I stupidly stocked up more riceballs fearing that I might need them. Soon the rain stopped altogether and the fullmoon greeted me in full glory with only some strands of Cirrus illuminated with a faint yellowish outline. "God, so I guessed this is how it's supposed to be huh?" I thought to myself since this journey to hike Fuji was an accumulation of highs and lows that somehow confused me.

Then our tiny car began to crawl up the winding road to the 5th station where the hike was supposed to start. Somewhere along the journey up a huge massive silhouette of a cone shook me up pretty badly. The moonlight was so beautiful and bright to cast this silhouette of Mt Fuji so close to me against a cloudless back drop of the deep blue sky. It was the first time in my life that I actually came THIS close to a monster so huge...I was speechless for a while recovering from shock as I tried to figure out what the tiny lights lined up in a single file on Mt Fuji was. In the end, my friend in the car said, "Those are the lights of the different stations up Fuji. Fuji looks pretty small from here." Well literally he was right in the fact that Fuji did look pretty doable from the bottom up and not really that massive afterall. But from past experiences, I knew that looking from the bottom up a mountain was never the way to judge how high it was...our eyes and our presumption were always full of errors. Many times during the journey up, I had really wanted to dig my camera out to capture one of the most beautiful and priceless moonlit night scene I had ever seen but since we were already behind schedule, I decided not to and just kept them for my own personal memory sake. For that I truly apologized since no amount of wordy description could paint the actually scene.

Finally we reached the designated car park where there were at least 100 odd cars. This was an indication that we were about to be joined by heaps of other climbers up somewhere along the hike to the summit. Met the rest of our climbing crew from 2 other separate cars, geared up (My backpack was seriously overweight!) and proceeded to the one and only shop to get the sacred "Tsue" (杖).

Basically the Tsue is a fine piece of wooden hexagonal climbing stick that varied in heights and accessories. Some had bells, some had country flags (The usual Japanese / American ones only!) and some had a piece of different colored cloth covering only the top section. 2 sets of 4 kanjis were written on the cloth, "6 sides of peace and Mt. Fuji climbing stick". The prices varied as well depending on the accessories. I picked the most expensive one (the one with the cloth cover) for ¥1,300 because the bells would probably irritated the hell outta me, the flags were meaningless and the one with the cloth resembled the Buddhist "Kongotsue" (金剛杖) which I got it online after failing to find it in Kyoto. The unique thing was that this fine Tsue had a burnt insignia on it which was branded by a hot metal seal. As one proceed to different stations along the trail up, one could accumulate more seals ranging from ¥200 to ¥300 which of course feature different designs. I had read about this Tsue from numerous forums online and was already determined that I would not be able to get it since we were climbing outside the official climbing season. Holding the sacred and magical Tsue firmly in my palm before we set off did boosted my moral slightly. Took a breather, a group shot and made 4 things-to-do-at-the-summit entries in my head.

1. To catch the epical sunrise since this was the MAIN PURPOSE of climbing this monster.

2. Collect some "sacred" stones at the top for souvenirs since I don't think I would wanna do insane stints like this again.

3. Hurl a coin into the crater and make a wish and hope it comes true so I can tell others about it.

4. Since I got the Tsue I only wanted the seal at the summit to remind myself that I made an accomplishment.

With everything set, I popped my headlamp, glanced at the 10.22pm digits on my watch, pushed the tiny buttons on my watch to record the altitude change for the ascend and started what was about to be the most insane journey that I had embarked on. No pictures again since I only wanted to the sunrise and besides I was already behind the scheduled time.

Starting off the 5th station was relatively a breeze thru a short section of soft, moist (possibly due to the rain earlier) sandy path before a steep narrow route (the right trail upon reaching the twin forked intersection) up the trees covered path. Though this was only the beginning of the steep journey up, I could already feel my leg muscle straining hard. That was what you would get for not having prior training and doing silly stunts like this. After I exited from the trees, I was greeted by a string of lights consisting of tiny headlamps and big bright incandescent lamps (BBL) from the stations up above. The trail up was lined in a zig zag manner on the GIGANTIC black cone silhouette with the fullmoon smiling behind and gazillions stars twinkling. Once again the path was nothing more than a collection of relatively gentle slopes in volcanic sand and small rocks. There were occasional steps like stairs leading up to a rest station which I presumed was the 6th station or 7th station (can't remember). As I approached more zig zag path which were clearly visible even without my headlamp, and each time I looked up at those BBLs, I told myself I would only stop to rest when I reach them. Fatigue and the lack of training were already taking its toll on me but the Tsue was indeed helpful in assisting each step I took. One step at a time, I took it relatively slow with other hikers passing me to demoralize me. Stopped somewhere eventually for an energy pack, rested for no more than 3 minutes and moved on. Upon reaching the 1st station (not sure which one was it), it was thronged with hikers who rested, smoked and did everything else to keep them going on strong. I took a good look at the station and rested before moving on. Built like a log cabin, inside were tatami mats, climbing gear, snacks and other accessories and a small altar. Outside there were benches where one could view the beautiful land below sleeping like an innocent child. Listening to the sound of rumbling compressors to keep the lights and power going, I squeezed the remainder of my energy pack and admired the scene for one last moment, looked at the other hikers wheezing their O2 canisters before heading out again.

More of those sandy trails with small rocks but as I progressed, they were getting steeper as seen from pictures of Fuji. Looking back down was not a good idea since I was already pretty high up (more than 2,400 metres) and the zig zag lines of lights below were a little scary. The chilly wind blew past and I felt pretty comfortable as I raised my head up again to appreciate the moon and stars. The BBLs beaming from next couple of stations became both an inspiration icon and a much dreaded one to me as I approached them. You see when you looked up at them whilst moving up, you tell yourself that you MUST get then before taking a break. They looked like there were easily reachable since it only took me about an hour to reach the first one. WRONG! They were becoming a hassle and much harder to reach...and each time after reaching them, the trail continues and becomes steeper. "Bloody hell, Fuji is such a bitch!" came thru my lips as I forced myself to carry on. There were a series of 8th stations along the way so don't be fooled upon reaching the 1st of the series of 8th stations. From the last 8th station to the 9th station, it would be brutal since the comfortable albeit steep path were replaced with insane rocky formations. Literally I was like scaling an almost vertical cliff of dangerous rocks less the carabiners, harness and ropes. At times I would find myself dragging my ass up a rock surface almost the height of my chest. The entire route was lined on both sides with ropes but was wide enough for one to choose which way to ascend. Either way it was tough and strenuous which made me felt like giving up each time I reached a rest station. More hikers thronged the stations as it got higher and each exit I took to ascend higher from the stations, I would really really feel like turning back and giving up. So many times I questioned myself if I should carry on and would I really be able to summit. My right knee had already taken its toll and was screaming out in pain with each step I took...I could not bend it properly and had to take single climbing steps to relieve the pain. Nonetheless, I was mentally determined but physically handicapped to continue.

Somewhere along the 2,850 odd metres into those ridiculous rocky climbs, I was already worn thin by fatigue. Then to sink further into agonizing despair, I had a cramp in my RIGHT calf after attempting to push myself up one menacing rock. Sat there, took a breather and enjoyed the view from the top, blocked other hikers and forced them to take a different route, drank some Pocari Sweat and squeezed more energy packs before pressing on. The Pocari Sweat did ease off the pain for a while before the cramps came back. Shifted the weight to my left leg instead to release some pressure on my right calf...Like the will of some strange God abandoning my plight, my LEFT thigh started to have cramps too! Now I was really screwed since I was half way up and a long way down, immobilized and hurting, pissed and no way to go except up. Altitude sickness also settled in on me as each time I lifted my head to look at those BBLs or to look down at the sleeping land, I would feel nauseous. Took some rest here and there and emptied my mind of everything, gritted my teeth and proceeded all the way (slowly of course) to the 9th station before calling it quits. It seemed like an eternity of cruel torture lashed out mercilessly on me frail body as I treaded with caution all the way up to the 9th Station. The incline was now almost reaching the exponential part of a graph and the scene of of it was like those seen in the Himalayas, protruding rock formations carved like steps leading up to the top stations along an almost vertical face of the unsightly cliff. It was now 900 metres (not sure it was elevation or distance) to the summit according to a sign and it was already 2 minutes past 4 in the morning. A lot more hikers now crammed this last base before the summit and there was a long queue up. The horizon had a faint light bluish gradient hinting the sunrise soon and I was desperate. I had no more time to spare and had just 2 choices which leads to the same goal..

1. Bail out, sit out and catch the sunrise from this base...which I still had to summit at sometime since there was no other trail down Fuji...

2. Summit, catch the sunrise and descend...

In light of desperate moments like this, any contingency plans would have worked but I had none. I pulled out some precious thoughts from my memory, some beautiful faces and whispered, "For you I shall complete this feat." Finished up more energy packs, sipped some Pocari Sweat and in an instance, I blazed up like a wild raging Hellfire unleashing Armegeddon on everything else except the thought to summit and complete what I had set out for. Only 900 freaking metres up, there was absolutely no way I would give up when I was this close to the top. I chose to go forth and complete this hike, passing the massive idiotic hikers jamming the one way path up and occasionally treading off the designated route. I could feel the sudden surge in adrenalin and energy within me each time I had thoughts about how time was running out for me to summit to catch my epical sunrise. There were pockets of left over snow everywhere to distract me but I was only eyeing the tiny Tori gate which became more visible with each seconds ticking by. It was no longer the silent silhouette of the night watching viciously at foolish hikers, even the pair of Stone Lions guarding the summit in front of the Tori gate were vividly visible in the distance. I gave it my everything I'd got, kept the Tori gate in my line of sight and hunted in like an injured prey. When I was like just a couple of metres more before reaching the pair of stone lions, I could feel the agonizing pain in my body vanishing magically. I stretched out my hands and felt the cold stone lions majestically watching each hiker as they passed thru, closed my eyes and rested. I knew that I had made it...to the summit just minutes short of 5 am. It was a moment of pure bliss and self-realization for me, rebirth, reborn and rejoice! There was one last station at the summit which was now pretty packed so I chose to steal a nice spot behind one of the stone lions and unpacked my gear only to find myself trembling in the cold, totally drained. Still I fought on to pull out my baby camera and snapped some decent pictures, changed filters and snapped more pictures. That was about as much usable energy as I could harnessed...

The sunrise was indeed beautiful like a view from an airplane's window less the cabin pressure, reflective coatings on the window and the tiny confined frame of the window. Each second passed and the horizon brightened a little until a tiny glimmering ball of light greeted everyone on the summit. There were exclamations of joy, delight and accomplishment singing in the air but I wasn't echoing with any of it for I knew my much battered body was slowly succumbing to the cold. I took a little while more to enjoy my much deserved break since every other breaks that I took on the way up lasted no longer than 10 minutes. By 5:20 am the sun was already scorching and no longer the gentle baby first light of Sept 5th. I made my way pass hikers posing for pictures at the summit to the shop to brand my Tsue only to find it closed. Pissed to the point that I felt like torching everything up there and razed it to ashes, I met my hike leader and the rest who congratulated me. Ventured off to collect some stone samples and looked over to the crater in the middle of Fuji. Was just too tired to even toss a stone in front of me so I chose to skip my 3rd to-do-at-the-summit list.

By 5:30 am my group started to descend with an incredible speed which left me limping in the distance. Guessed like everyone wasn't troubled by the hike up though I heard some saying that the altitude sickness had them leaving some bile and undigested dinner up there. While descending slowly I questioned myself how silly I was to haul up so much unnecessary stuffs which were not utilized in the end. All those weight, all those burden and all those stupid and unnecessary over zealous preparations...

1. Ate none of the 4 riceballs I brought up.

2. Finished only 0.5 litres of the 2.5 litres I brought up.

3. Wasn't even cold enough to pull out my fleece jacket.

4. Wasn't even necessary for me to use a warm head gear.

5. Didn't even need extra batteries or a headlamp.

6. Didn't even need extra socks.

Without all these, the climb would have been relatively easier...Took me approximately 6.5 hours to summit from base 5 and another brutal 5 hours to descend on the wrong side of the mountain. The Subarashi Route to descend was the wrong one that I took but was also the fastest one. Why was it the fastest one I thought when all these while from the summit, it was just smooth, soft and comfortable dirt tracks that I walked on. Then came my much needed answer...the route converged into a tiny funnel and then it was an insanely steep, almost 4 to 5 km of a long, continuous stretch of volcanic ash covered dirt trail down. Though the dirt was soft to actually run, hop and slide with incredible speed down, I could do none except to take one step at a time given my busted knee and tearing leg muscles. The sun was slapping my face directly with burns and I had no other way to avoid it. The view was breath taking with the lakes, forests, land formations and winding roads all in sight. I had no chance, no energy and no effort to pull out my camera...I wasn't even admiring the view but the fact that this was in front of me and I had not other way to descend but in the this particular direction. All that was inside my head was to end this misery that I had got myself into and lie on my comfortable bed. There was no end to everything and I had been up since Friday morning, deprived of any sleep and energy. I was one really angry hiker descending Mt Fuji...

Then as the trail was about to come to an end, I checked my watch for the altitude. Since I left off at 2255 metres from the 5th station earlier, I knew all these was about to end as the digits read "2500". I knew I wasn't far and in the distance I could see a man waiting for fellow hikers...As I descended closer to the 2255 marked, I was becoming more relieved...soon I found myself descending to the 2100 mark as I closed in on the gentleman at the bottom of the trail. Sound of an engine rumbling could be heard and I thought that was the bus which was supposed to take me to the other 5th station. Relieved, I went a little faster with hopes to end this misery earlier without even realizing the pain becoming more unbearable.

In the worst ever disgusting utter horror served to me, the gentleman was actually manning a kiosk with some other elderly folks trying to conspicously deceive me into buying drinks priced exorbitantly (elevation tax) and resting in some sort of rest area. The sound of the engine, PUI! was nothing more than the compressor trying to keep the fridges cold! If i had a gun I would have shot him and everyone else resting there...I was even thinking to beating the crap outta him with my Tsue. I forced an extremely reluctant sarcasm filled smile at him while he evilly grinned and said, "Only 2 km more...you can do it!" I made my way into the last section of a forested path which was even more difficult for me since there were more steps but at least the canopy sheltered the sun and it was pretty cooling to go thru it. It was funny though as I had observed...in the forest there were 2 paths, one for ascending Fuji and one for descending. The ascending one was smooth and well paved while the descending one was just some unsightly badly beaten path with tree roots sprouting, uneven and dangerous drops. Wonder which brainless F***wit came up with such an idea to further torment damaged and incredibly pissed hikers like me in search of the next victim to ghost. In the end, I crossed over to the ascending path and briskly strolled down until I reached a small dedicated shrine and descended down the very last, beautifully constructed heavenly stone steps to civilization. Looking back up, I had really wanted to desercrate the mountain, the routes so that no one could ever go thru this awful ordeal in a huge flammable blubber suit.

More mental trauma awaits me in the little village below...