My Epic Ascent of Fuji San
It's an epic ascent, if you believed me. 
Mount Fuji, also known as Fuji san by Japanese, is the major reason I go to Japan again. I visited Japan a few years ago, but was not able to see Fuji san because it's off limit for climbing season (but I enjoyed the awesome cherry bloomsum)
Fuji san is the highest mountain I attempted so far, at 3772m (over 12300 feet.... yes, plane flies at that altitude). The last record I hold was Plain of Six Glaciers at 2100m. The starting point at Kawaguchiko 5th station is 2305m, which is already higher.
It was said that even 85 years old grandma can climb Fuji san during the climbing season. But don't be fool by it, it's not a piece of cake. According to some reading, you have ~40% less oxygen at 12000 feet.... so your body have to work extra hard as you go up to get enough O2 to keep you functioning. Altitude sickness can kill, potentially.
The climbing party include me, Dixon and his wife Katsura. Most people start their journey at night from Tokyo, climbing through out the night to reach the submit by sun raise to see the yellow yolk coming up from under the horizon. However, we decided to approach it differently. We will start in the morning, train to Kawaguchiko, start on our own pace. Then we will stay and get some sleep somewhere on the way up, and attempt to reach the summit before sun raise.
After a few hours train ride with few transfer along the way, we arrived Kawaguchiko, a town at the foothill. We lunch and bus up to the 5th station.
The weather is actually quite warm as we start around 2pm, but a lot of clouds flowing up the hill.
We saw a lot of families, hiking groups (30+ people parties), among with many old grandpa/ma, even more not too well prepare people, it really amaze me how some people only wearing a plastic rain coat to climb the mountain.
At the early stage, the path are modified and improved. This helps prevent erosion. Also, many walls are built to prevent landslide, which also provide cover for element assaulting us. We zag-zig up the hill.
There are just tons of people climbing, group after group, crowding the trail. It's like a long line up all the way to the summit.... I don't think it's far from the truth.
Gusty wind picks up as we climb, it's so strong that actually it blows you off balance..... and I have to put on layers to stay warm. The path also turns into a rocky trail with chain rail on the both sides.
Along the path, there are many huts for rest and food. This forms a whole support system all the way to the summit... now you know why even grandma san can do this mountain. They can help themselves noodle and tea every half an hour or so, all the way up to the top. But it still not a walk in the park.
Japan is a country covered by 80% hilly terrain, people just so into hiking that the domestic market for equipments are big enough that some brand names are not even export... you can tell from all the well equipped people and the gear they carried. Of course, then you can compare to those poorly (even not....) prepared.
We stopped for rest and sleep at one of the huts at around 8th station. It costed about 6000 yen, which include a meal of curry rice (Japanese style). Not cheap, but you are up in a high mountain... no complain please. (note, we went to a onsen place later that week for only 8000 yen a night in a pretty good hotel, come with a big supper and breakfast... if you want a benchmark to compare to)
We slept until midnight (only 4 hour sleep), and Dixon found himself with a bad headache and decided to abort the summit reaching at this height (he had the same problem last time), Katsura stays with him. I get up with an intense headache as well. I think we both hit by a mild altitude sickness. Besides that I am feeling alright, so I decide to attempt the summit in solo. It's usually a big no-no to do this at night and alone, but I really want to get to the top, and there are so many people on the trail, so I decide to climb, discarding all safty concern usually applies to this scenario.
So, I start the final push around 12:30am. It's really taxing me, I climb so slow and have to stop frequently to catch my breath. There are a lot of people along the trial, we leap-frog each other as we progress. The wind get even worse as I approach the summit, clouds moved in and cover the path and it finally start raining. Fortunately, this happen just before I reach the summit, at about when I reach the torii gate at the top of the mountain... in pitch dark and I am not even realizing I reach the summit.
it's a bit past 3am when I reached the top in rain. Most huts there have not open yet, so people are waiting outside. After we are show into one of the huts, I order food (a 1000 yen tampora udon) and rest. Then I realize how lucky I was; If we stick to the plan and start around 2am, we'd be caught by rain and might have to abort. I guess it's the mercy from the elements sparing me to reach the top, those behind me (from the trail of light, there are many of them) have a really tough time and many likely have to abort. I was too tired to think further.
After some rest, the shop keeper starts asking people to go on or order more food, so I think it's time for me to go back to the 5th station to meet up with Dixon. Descenting is no fun in rain.... my pants and shoes are all wet and cold. Thanks to my Patagonia shell keeping my upper body warm and dry, I just push on and hope it will improve soon. On the way down, I saw some yellow and red sign, but not realizing there are 2 routes here, and end up following the wrong trail. I don't even realize it until I reach the end of trial. So much for not carrying a map and thought there is only "one" way down! So, I took the wrong trail, end up missing the Kawakochiko 5th station... the penalty is a "cheap" 7000 yen taxi ride (since I split 23000 yen 3 ways with few other in the same situation). I get back to where we start and join up with Dixon and Katsura.
It was a nice journey, such an experience. The memory of this adventure going to last for a long time.
Last note, lesson learnt:
- British BDU pants work well as it cuts wind, but failed when wet
- Patagonia keeps me dry. It worths the money
- mistake: no map... how can I be so sloppy. What gives me the idea that I don't need a map!
- mistake: not taking more pic when I reach the summit and decent... my camera is waterproof... so should just snap away.... well, I guess I am too tired to do that and no one is in mood for taking picture when they are in survival mode (all the rain makes you misearable).
- mistake: not wearing gaiters... sand gets into shoes and it sucks
For all the visual on my journey, see here
tags to del.icio.us: japan, travel, fuji san
tags to Technorati: japan, travel, fuji san
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(Last updated 20/03/09)
Mount Fuji, also known as Fuji san by Japanese, is the major reason I go to Japan again. I visited Japan a few years ago, but was not able to see Fuji san because it's off limit for climbing season (but I enjoyed the awesome cherry bloomsum)
Fuji san is the highest mountain I attempted so far, at 3772m (over 12300 feet.... yes, plane flies at that altitude). The last record I hold was Plain of Six Glaciers at 2100m. The starting point at Kawaguchiko 5th station is 2305m, which is already higher.
It was said that even 85 years old grandma can climb Fuji san during the climbing season. But don't be fool by it, it's not a piece of cake. According to some reading, you have ~40% less oxygen at 12000 feet.... so your body have to work extra hard as you go up to get enough O2 to keep you functioning. Altitude sickness can kill, potentially.
The climbing party include me, Dixon and his wife Katsura. Most people start their journey at night from Tokyo, climbing through out the night to reach the submit by sun raise to see the yellow yolk coming up from under the horizon. However, we decided to approach it differently. We will start in the morning, train to Kawaguchiko, start on our own pace. Then we will stay and get some sleep somewhere on the way up, and attempt to reach the summit before sun raise.
After a few hours train ride with few transfer along the way, we arrived Kawaguchiko, a town at the foothill. We lunch and bus up to the 5th station.
The weather is actually quite warm as we start around 2pm, but a lot of clouds flowing up the hill.
We saw a lot of families, hiking groups (30+ people parties), among with many old grandpa/ma, even more not too well prepare people, it really amaze me how some people only wearing a plastic rain coat to climb the mountain.
At the early stage, the path are modified and improved. This helps prevent erosion. Also, many walls are built to prevent landslide, which also provide cover for element assaulting us. We zag-zig up the hill.
There are just tons of people climbing, group after group, crowding the trail. It's like a long line up all the way to the summit.... I don't think it's far from the truth.
Gusty wind picks up as we climb, it's so strong that actually it blows you off balance..... and I have to put on layers to stay warm. The path also turns into a rocky trail with chain rail on the both sides.
Along the path, there are many huts for rest and food. This forms a whole support system all the way to the summit... now you know why even grandma san can do this mountain. They can help themselves noodle and tea every half an hour or so, all the way up to the top. But it still not a walk in the park.
Japan is a country covered by 80% hilly terrain, people just so into hiking that the domestic market for equipments are big enough that some brand names are not even export... you can tell from all the well equipped people and the gear they carried. Of course, then you can compare to those poorly (even not....) prepared.
We stopped for rest and sleep at one of the huts at around 8th station. It costed about 6000 yen, which include a meal of curry rice (Japanese style). Not cheap, but you are up in a high mountain... no complain please. (note, we went to a onsen place later that week for only 8000 yen a night in a pretty good hotel, come with a big supper and breakfast... if you want a benchmark to compare to)
We slept until midnight (only 4 hour sleep), and Dixon found himself with a bad headache and decided to abort the summit reaching at this height (he had the same problem last time), Katsura stays with him. I get up with an intense headache as well. I think we both hit by a mild altitude sickness. Besides that I am feeling alright, so I decide to attempt the summit in solo. It's usually a big no-no to do this at night and alone, but I really want to get to the top, and there are so many people on the trail, so I decide to climb, discarding all safty concern usually applies to this scenario.
So, I start the final push around 12:30am. It's really taxing me, I climb so slow and have to stop frequently to catch my breath. There are a lot of people along the trial, we leap-frog each other as we progress. The wind get even worse as I approach the summit, clouds moved in and cover the path and it finally start raining. Fortunately, this happen just before I reach the summit, at about when I reach the torii gate at the top of the mountain... in pitch dark and I am not even realizing I reach the summit.
it's a bit past 3am when I reached the top in rain. Most huts there have not open yet, so people are waiting outside. After we are show into one of the huts, I order food (a 1000 yen tampora udon) and rest. Then I realize how lucky I was; If we stick to the plan and start around 2am, we'd be caught by rain and might have to abort. I guess it's the mercy from the elements sparing me to reach the top, those behind me (from the trail of light, there are many of them) have a really tough time and many likely have to abort. I was too tired to think further.
After some rest, the shop keeper starts asking people to go on or order more food, so I think it's time for me to go back to the 5th station to meet up with Dixon. Descenting is no fun in rain.... my pants and shoes are all wet and cold. Thanks to my Patagonia shell keeping my upper body warm and dry, I just push on and hope it will improve soon. On the way down, I saw some yellow and red sign, but not realizing there are 2 routes here, and end up following the wrong trail. I don't even realize it until I reach the end of trial. So much for not carrying a map and thought there is only "one" way down! So, I took the wrong trail, end up missing the Kawakochiko 5th station... the penalty is a "cheap" 7000 yen taxi ride (since I split 23000 yen 3 ways with few other in the same situation). I get back to where we start and join up with Dixon and Katsura.
It was a nice journey, such an experience. The memory of this adventure going to last for a long time.
Last note, lesson learnt:
- British BDU pants work well as it cuts wind, but failed when wet
- Patagonia keeps me dry. It worths the money
- mistake: no map... how can I be so sloppy. What gives me the idea that I don't need a map!
- mistake: not taking more pic when I reach the summit and decent... my camera is waterproof... so should just snap away.... well, I guess I am too tired to do that and no one is in mood for taking picture when they are in survival mode (all the rain makes you misearable).
- mistake: not wearing gaiters... sand gets into shoes and it sucks
For all the visual on my journey, see here
tags to del.icio.us: japan, travel, fuji san
tags to Technorati: japan, travel, fuji san
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