Climbing Fuji- Friday June 25th 2009

Continuing on with the Japan posts... The Friday before we left Japan, we climbed Mount Fuji with Matt's friend Ryan, and Ryan's father, sister and brother-in-law. We rode the earliest train (5:30 AM) and met them at a train station close to Ryan's house and we headed out towards the base of Mount Fuji!

Once we got to the head of the hiking trail, at 7,500 feet in elevation, we see this map of the trail. If you look closely, you can see that the trail is basically switchbacks all the way up to the summit.

What a beautiful view we had as we came around the hills surrounding the mountain! We had had fog the whole way and then we caught a glimpse of this iconic mountain! Then the doubts set in... with all of the snow, would we be able to make it to the top? it looks a lot taller in person...

This is Matt and me as we are setting out on our hiking adventure! Little did we know at this point that we would be climbing these same switchbacks forever and then have to hike down them on the way back down. Don't we look so optimistic?

Then we looked UP and this is what we saw. Clouds and more switchbacks on the ridge we were climbing and then more mountain covered with clouds behind it. The little huts along the trail are places where you can stay during the climbing season to make the hike a two day hike. Of course we were climbing in the off season so they were mostly closed but we passed many people hiking up with food, water and blankets to stock the huts for the following week when the official climbing season would begin and hundreds of people would begin their climb of Mt. Fuji.

At this point, we had passed the switchbacks and begun to climb in the patchy snow and rocks. You can see just how steep this mountain is in this picture as well! Also in the background on the left is the rope and steal rods that held them in place (in other words, the trail) which we followed to the top, if we could find them buried in the snow.

Climbing through the snow. We had to forge our own trail part of the way up and thought about turning back several times when we kept slipping and falling on the loose snow and rocks.

Almost there!!! Matt and I were so happy to be at this point! We had hiked though some deep snow and thought about turing back, more than once, but were met on our way up by workers digging out the trial on their way down! Lucky us:)

Me at the summit of Mount Fuji at 12,388 feet! The first mountain that I had ever climbed and hopefully not the last!

Matt standing by the crater rim on the top of Mt. Fuji. And yes, Mt. Fuji is a dormant volcano.

This was our hiking group resting on our descent of Mt. Fuji. From left to right, Monte (Ryan's Father-in-law), Lynne (Ryan's sister-in-law), Me, Matt, Ryan and Jeff (Ryan's brother-in-law).