Shinjuku station ready for our departure at 7:40am
snoozing in the bus
view from the bus
五合目5th station ca. 2300 meters
Teriyaki chicken sandwich picnic time
incredible clouds, leaving the 5th station at 11:45am
our fearless guide who sometimes climbs Mt. Fuji 5x a week in the summer
Masa in the crazy bent birch forest between the 5th and 6th station
our group
六合目6th station
getting stamps on our walking sticking
the huts of 七合目 7th station
looking back at the 7th station
weekdays supposedly aren't as busy as weekends, the pilgrimage continues ...
our guides did a good job pacing the hike, we took breaks every 30 to 60 minutes
4:30pm Tashikan, the first hut of the 8th station at 3100 meters
We had curry rice and bento dinner at Tashikan hut
We slept in these crazy bunk beds 15-20 people on each level and there were two rows in each of the three layers of the hut. You can imagine there were a lot of people. It was actually quite comfortable and definitely good to rest, unfortunately the guy next to Masa snored very loud, so we only ended up sleeping 1-2 hours instead of the 5 we could have technically slept between 5pm and 11pm. Next time I would bring earplugs! A 10 year old boy was on my other side who decided to sleep perpendicular to everyone else instead of parallel and unintentionally kicked me occasionally.
11:30pm started heading up the mountain again.
rest place and restaurant somewhere along 八合目8th station
九合目9th station which was only this sign
one of the last とりgates before the top.
breathtaking slow sunrise as we continued to ascend
we made it to the top!!! 3760 meters (16 meters below the summit)
the summit with snow
4:45am here comes the sun ...
Masa and the crowds of people with reflectors
Crowds cheering as the sun rose
In the 5 seconds as the sun came up over the clouds Masa proposed on his knees, of course I said yes. We're engaged!
the top was so cold and windy, my hands were shaking
above the clouds in 7th heaven
heading back down
my fiancee tanning
our other tour guide
our group taking a break
63. Marathon up Mt. Fuji with ca. 7000 runners
hillside twisted birches
back at the 5th base camp from where we took the bus to a nearby onsen (hot spring)
We had some noodles at the 5th station, then went to an おんせん hot bath. Very nice!
