Been kind of getting sidetracked from the Japan Series posts but I'm back at it again with post number two. Progress.
One of the craziest stories I tell people is about the time I had climbed Mt. Fuji. This however was one of the least prepared experiences of my life as my two friends and I were beyond hungover from the previous night and had no idea how the trek would even be like. To begin this adventure we spoke to our concierge at our hotel who provided us with directions including an exclusive warning that it would be a difficult journey and extremely cold. We then proceeded to thank him, grab the directions written down, and ignore all the warnings he had given us.
Leaving Tokyo, we took a bullet train straight to the city of Fuji where we left our bags at the nearby hotel and made our way to the bus station. In order to ascend Mt. Fuji you had to get to the Kawaguchi 5th station by bus. At the 5th station is where all the tourists usually go to take pictures of the mountain because this was probably the closest point you could reach by vehicle. When we finally arrived at the 5th station it had gotten dark already but for some reason we thought it would be a fantastic idea to ascend the mountain at 8pm. That way, after the 6-7 hour trek up we could catch the sunrise and we would make our way down the mountain the same day. Wow were we naive. But before I get into the hike lets go over what my friends and I had brought with us and how we dressed!
Preparation
Friend one - Jeans, jacket, t-shirt, man purse, dress shoes, no food, no water
Friend two - Shorts, jacket, t-shirt, running shoes, back sac, water, no food
Myself - Shorts, hoodie, tank top, running shoes, no food, no water
Let's just say we were the least prepared hikers to climb Mt. Fuji that day
Anyways, as we climbed the mountain our adrenaline had been running a solid 45 minutes until it died down in an instant. It was also so late at night that we could see absolutely nothing around us. We were parched, hungry, and pretty much ready to give up when we realized the buses didn't even run late at night so we couldn't turn around. The trail ascending the side of the mountain was also non-existent as it was all gravel. Imagine hiking up a sand hill, where with each step you would sink in and have to use even more energy to push off and continue upwards. It was pretty much like taking two steps forward and one step back. Along with a terrible hiking path, the pathway upwards was filled with switchbacks making the overall hike seem longer than it should've been. Going back and forth, hiking on gravel, while also staring at pitch black the entire hike was god awful.
Three hours in and I was pretty much crawling on the trail. Legs cramping, stomach dying from starvation, and mouth parched I thought this was going to be the day I died. We were able to pass by various huts that were supposed to sell food and water but they were closed because NO ONE hikes the stupid mountain at 8pm like us. To top it off, it was so dark and we had absolutely no idea if we were even going in the right direction or just wandering off into the wilderness.
Four hours in and it was around midnight. The temperature had dropped drastically and the altitude was killing us. We were dropping like flies as we gasped for air. At one point I literally collapsed on the gravel and lied there for five minutes trying to take a quick power nap but instead we got up and kept going.
Five hours in and FINALLY we got to a hostel/hut that had a functioning heater, snacks, and beds. We were so ecstatic and tired that we ran in asking for a place to sleep. Keep in mind the language barrier is pretty strong in Japan, especially the non-downtown areas like Tokyo or Osaka. When we tried to make a conversation with the hostel worker all he did was wave his hands telling us to leave. That was when our faces dropped. Apparently before ascending the mountain you were supposed to make a reservation at this hostel because space was limited. After doing extensive research after our trip we also found out that people would ascend half way at noon, sleep in the hostels overnight, and climb the last few portions around 2-3p.m to make it in time for the sunrise. Wow we're idiots. As we left we were so tired, hungry, and cold that we just couldn't climb any further.
What we ended up doing was sitting up against the hostel together and literally cuddle up together like penguins for warmth. Yes, it was that cold and yes the shorts didn't help. We probably passed out for 15 minutes miserably when my friend woke us up and said that if we laid outside in the cold any longer we would probably freeze to death. Sadly agreeing, we got up and continued our ascension up the mountain.
Six hours in and all I could remember was staring at the ground with my eyes half open and my feet dragging behind me. At this point all of the tour guides from the hostels had awoken and were beginning their last hike up as well. My friends and I looked around and then began to notice each and everyone one of them using oxygen tanks because of the altitude. Wow were we jealous. We also felt like even stupider american tourists as they stared at us wearing shorts and jeans hiking the tallest mountain in Japan.
After what seemed like an eternity we finally got to the top. There was a rest area at the top and I immediately collapsed and passed out. It wasn't until people started scrambling to the side of the mountain that I had finally awoken and realized the sunrise had begun.
After 6-7 long hours of death we finally were able to see the sunrise a top of Mt. Fuji. However with just our luck...it had been a cloudy morning and it had ruined most of the sunrise. Awesome. I still managed to grab some pictures with my phone and gopro though so I guess it wasn't all for nothing.
It's a shame the conditions weren't as great as they could'v been but it was still a surreal moment that we were looking down from the top of the tallest mountain in Japan.
After the sunrise, we started descending the side of the mountain and wow were we excited to get off that mountain and find civilization. We were so excited we had started running down the pathway making it to the bottom in a mere three hours. Finally arriving at the 5th station we shoved our faces with ramen, soup, and water and never felt happier.
Writing about this mountain trek doesn't seem to grab the craziness of this time in my life as I had experienced it. If you ever do go to Japan, do check out Mt. Fuji and try ascending it yourself! It really is a beautiful mountain and if you do it right it can be enjoyable. Bring layers, food, water, an oxygen tank, and maybe some plans with you and I guarantee you it'll be worth it at the top. For myself however it was one of those near death experiences that you cannot fully explain to someone about. All you can do is look back at the experience and say "wow, we were idiots as teenagers".
Thanks for reading this post and if you liked it follow me for more or check out my other posts about my trip to Japan!
The Beginning https://steemit.com/travel/@stephcurry/1-japan-the-beginning