"If old ladies and kids can do it, so can you"
So, got back yesterday from climbing Mt. Fuji. Ah, Fuji. The stereotypical, best known symbol of Japan. It really does rise out of no where in the landscape and it towers over the surrounding prefectures. FJET (Fukui-ken JETs) offered a trip to climb the mountain and watch the sunrise from the summit. You know, for $130, it was a worthwhile trip. We had to pay for a charter bus for two days, but, you know, it sounded like fun. We got to Station 5, our starting point (kind of like Barr Trailhead in Manitou Springs, CO for Pikes Peak), at 20:40 (8:40pm). We started climbing shortly afterwards. The title of this entry is from our FJET signup paper, and it lies! It lies like a Syrian rug merchant!
The first part of the climb was cake. It was like being in a line the whole way. Hundreds of people were climbing with us and it was like waiting in line at Disneyland or something. Around Station 7, I ran into Donna McIlveen, Canadian girl...very fun and in ridiculous shape. We started climbing together and ended up making the summit together as the second FJET group to finish. It took us 4 hr, 40 minutes (average is 7 hr), and we were an hour behind Dan, Lorianne, Matt and Sarah. You know, this sounds kinda nice, right? WRONG!
The climb itself is a fucking BEAST! Once you pass Station 6, you start running into gravel and loose rocks. This wouldn`t be a serious issue, if the grade on the hill wasn`t 45 degrees or so. Then, you reach Station 7. After that, the grade increases, as does the gravel. To top it off, you then get to boulder! Yeah, rock climbing, in the dark, on a mountain, with no safety equipment and you are exhausted from being awake for too long! When Donna and I got to the final station before the summit, number 9, we thought, "This can`t be any worse then what we have already done...this will be cake. Heck, we can see the lights of Station 10 on the summit!" Oh, how foolish we were...so very foolish. The last section is the worst of the lot, filled with a nearly vertical grade (well, 70 degrees or so), bouldering, no oxygen (as Fuji-san stands at over 13000 ft) and we were freezing. Literally, we could make a climb to the next turn, then rest for a minute or two. We were moving 20 meters at a time, then resting...it was that hard. We got to a white Torii gate and stopped for 10-15 minutes before continuing. We wouldn`t have stopped if we had known that the summit was right at the top of the stairs we were resting on, but, hindsight is 20/20. The summit was amazing though.
The crater is HUGE! It takes an hour to hike around it, and then up to the highest point on the mountain (I didn`t go that high, but I was there in spirit). We were sitting outside in the cold, waiting for sunrise. Chris Hulette, Tim and I were spooning on a bench for warmth...yeah, I was the meat in a man-which. Oh well, we were warm. I moved inside when it opened up. It was an open room filled with wide benches for us to sit on. It was not much warmer than outside, but Dennis, Gallena (spelling = win?), Donna and I all cuddled for warmth. That wasn`t so bad, really. :-) We waited for 4:20a, when the sun started to rise.
That was the whole point of the trip, to watch the asahi (sunrise) from Fuji-san`s summit. And, I can say without hyperbole, that that sunrise was the most beautiful thing I have ever witnessed. I was moved, almost to tears (really!) at the sight. The colours, the clouds, the very mood was incredible. I have not felt that kind of peace in my soul in a very long time. My pictures (to be posted on Photobucket sometime soon) do not do the event justice. It was a once in a lifetime sunrise...and I was glad I could make the summit to watch it.
Fuji-san tested me both mentally and physically. My physical body was a bit battered, especially my left knee. I had a multitude of small cuts from the volcanic rock we bouldered over, I hurt in my muscles from the exhausting climb, my body was recovering from the freezing cold at the top and my arms hurt from helping pull me up by my walking staff. Speaking of the staff, I got it branded at the the Shinto temple at the summit...just to prove I did it! Anyway, the mental testing was just as streneous. I was tested to overcome the dark, my doubts about both my physical ability to make it and my doubts about the worth of the journey. I also had to endure too many Lord of the Rings references. Johnny Moale and Rich Crook both were humming and singing the main theme from those films most of the way up (I left them when I met up with Donna, who climbed fast, quieter and cuter). But, I did it, and I actually feel like I accomplished something worthwhile and saw something wonderful at the top. It truly was a great trip...I don`t know if I would do it again, or if once is all I can do. I don`t want to cheapen the experience in any way.
We have our contract signing party on Wednesday this week. After the ceremony, we have dinner and drinks with our supervisors. Then comes the real fun, as FJET has a party for us. It is all you can drink for 2 hours! Then, karaoke and more drinking if we are still sober enough to function. I can`t wait. Also, I have not had a welcome party with my Asuwa Junior High School (base school) staff...hmmmmm...soon, so they say.
Well, I hope all is well back home. Ryan, I love Aquarius water, but Dakara is better. Joey, congrats on the car, she looks awesome. As for a name, I liked Lab Rat. To everyone else, stay healthy as school starts up and keep in touch. I miss you all!
MA out.
The first part of the climb was cake. It was like being in a line the whole way. Hundreds of people were climbing with us and it was like waiting in line at Disneyland or something. Around Station 7, I ran into Donna McIlveen, Canadian girl...very fun and in ridiculous shape. We started climbing together and ended up making the summit together as the second FJET group to finish. It took us 4 hr, 40 minutes (average is 7 hr), and we were an hour behind Dan, Lorianne, Matt and Sarah. You know, this sounds kinda nice, right? WRONG!
The climb itself is a fucking BEAST! Once you pass Station 6, you start running into gravel and loose rocks. This wouldn`t be a serious issue, if the grade on the hill wasn`t 45 degrees or so. Then, you reach Station 7. After that, the grade increases, as does the gravel. To top it off, you then get to boulder! Yeah, rock climbing, in the dark, on a mountain, with no safety equipment and you are exhausted from being awake for too long! When Donna and I got to the final station before the summit, number 9, we thought, "This can`t be any worse then what we have already done...this will be cake. Heck, we can see the lights of Station 10 on the summit!" Oh, how foolish we were...so very foolish. The last section is the worst of the lot, filled with a nearly vertical grade (well, 70 degrees or so), bouldering, no oxygen (as Fuji-san stands at over 13000 ft) and we were freezing. Literally, we could make a climb to the next turn, then rest for a minute or two. We were moving 20 meters at a time, then resting...it was that hard. We got to a white Torii gate and stopped for 10-15 minutes before continuing. We wouldn`t have stopped if we had known that the summit was right at the top of the stairs we were resting on, but, hindsight is 20/20. The summit was amazing though.
The crater is HUGE! It takes an hour to hike around it, and then up to the highest point on the mountain (I didn`t go that high, but I was there in spirit). We were sitting outside in the cold, waiting for sunrise. Chris Hulette, Tim and I were spooning on a bench for warmth...yeah, I was the meat in a man-which. Oh well, we were warm. I moved inside when it opened up. It was an open room filled with wide benches for us to sit on. It was not much warmer than outside, but Dennis, Gallena (spelling = win?), Donna and I all cuddled for warmth. That wasn`t so bad, really. :-) We waited for 4:20a, when the sun started to rise.
That was the whole point of the trip, to watch the asahi (sunrise) from Fuji-san`s summit. And, I can say without hyperbole, that that sunrise was the most beautiful thing I have ever witnessed. I was moved, almost to tears (really!) at the sight. The colours, the clouds, the very mood was incredible. I have not felt that kind of peace in my soul in a very long time. My pictures (to be posted on Photobucket sometime soon) do not do the event justice. It was a once in a lifetime sunrise...and I was glad I could make the summit to watch it.
Fuji-san tested me both mentally and physically. My physical body was a bit battered, especially my left knee. I had a multitude of small cuts from the volcanic rock we bouldered over, I hurt in my muscles from the exhausting climb, my body was recovering from the freezing cold at the top and my arms hurt from helping pull me up by my walking staff. Speaking of the staff, I got it branded at the the Shinto temple at the summit...just to prove I did it! Anyway, the mental testing was just as streneous. I was tested to overcome the dark, my doubts about both my physical ability to make it and my doubts about the worth of the journey. I also had to endure too many Lord of the Rings references. Johnny Moale and Rich Crook both were humming and singing the main theme from those films most of the way up (I left them when I met up with Donna, who climbed fast, quieter and cuter). But, I did it, and I actually feel like I accomplished something worthwhile and saw something wonderful at the top. It truly was a great trip...I don`t know if I would do it again, or if once is all I can do. I don`t want to cheapen the experience in any way.
We have our contract signing party on Wednesday this week. After the ceremony, we have dinner and drinks with our supervisors. Then comes the real fun, as FJET has a party for us. It is all you can drink for 2 hours! Then, karaoke and more drinking if we are still sober enough to function. I can`t wait. Also, I have not had a welcome party with my Asuwa Junior High School (base school) staff...hmmmmm...soon, so they say.
Well, I hope all is well back home. Ryan, I love Aquarius water, but Dakara is better. Joey, congrats on the car, she looks awesome. As for a name, I liked Lab Rat. To everyone else, stay healthy as school starts up and keep in touch. I miss you all!
MA out.