Tuesday, July 7, 2009

Mt. Fuj



As you may know I (Melissa) wanted to say that I climbed Mt. Fuji while we lived in Japan. So we booked a few tickets and thought wow the weekend of the 4th of July would be the perfect time. We hopped on a plane and landed in Tokyo. Jumped on a few trains and buses and found ourselves at the 5th station of Mt. Fuji...a long way away from our reserved rooms...only to find out that we had missed the last bus down the mountain. So in good spirit we decided to put our gear on, throw our bags in the locker and fasten our head lamps and start to hike Mt. Fuji at night. Now, if you have never seen Mt. Fuji up close I will tell you that you will think to yourself, "oh, that should only take about 2 hours to hike." Well, in reality it will take you the 5-7 hours as stated in several brochures...it's just the reality of it all. Also, I give a word of caution to all who attempt (that would be us) to hike Mt. Fuji from sea level up to 12,000 plus feet in less than 24 hours...it will be difficult again it's just the reality of it all. It was a wonderful experience to be above the clouds, to feel the wind brush up against your face and to know that this world is indeed spectacular. I agree with the Japanese saying..."anybody would be a fool not to climb Mt. Fuji once-but a fool to do so twice."


The sunset before we got ready to hike.
Here we go...just taking a few photos before our ascent.
Dan and myself...those were some killer stairs.
Near the summit. The entrance is guarded with the shisa dragons...I just had to get a photo next to the one keeping all of the good spirits in.
The Daiinaiin Crater at the top of the mountain.

2 comments:

Unknown said...

I can't believe you guys hiked all night long! You must have been exhausted! Speaking from one who takes a nap every afternoon and falls asleep at 9:30, I can't even imagine!! But that's awesome...you guys are hard core!!

ginny and gary said...

Hi Guys! Peg told us about your hiking Mt. Fuji and we wanted to see the pictures. What an awesome experience!! Being above the clouds looked amazing and incredibly beautiful. We loved your dialogue explaining the pictures. It's almost like watching the travel channel only better! You both look great and happy. Love, Virginia and Gary