Sunrise on Fuji

So, I wasn't really anticipating a second hike of Mt Fuji but I decided to join my friend Judy and do an overnight hike. And I am so glad that I took this oportunity to do it again because it was a totally different experience.

We took a bus from Yokota at around 7:30 am and got to the 5th Station around 10 am. The weather was totally clear and lovely, if not a bit warm. This was pretty amazing for me, because the first time I climberd there were clouds below us the entire time. This time we could see the ground for miles, and we even saw the ocean. I love a good view. Our hike went smoothly and we were making good time for the first few hours. Then the winds slowly picked up, until they were a monsterous roar. They were scary and felt as if they could blow us off the mountain if we didn't hold on to something. Then the fog rolled in and we couldn't see anything and it was cold and painful as the wind whipped small rocks into our face. We knew when a massive gust was coming because you could hear it a few seconds before it hit us. Luckily that usually gave me enough time to hold onto a rock and brace myself. We were so relieved when we reached our mountain hut, Fujisan Hotel. Don't be decieved by the title hotel, it was nothing more than a wooden hut with three floors tucked into the mountain. But it was comfortable, safe from the wind, and warm. They served us beef curry for dinner, which was delicious and warming. Our "beds" were small and crammed together (probably at least 40 or 50 of us in one room), seperated by what looked like shower curtains. I didn't get much sleep, but it was nice to have a place to hide from the storm and stay warm.

We went to bed around eight and "woke up"(in parenthases, because I didn't really sleep much) around 2:30 am. Someone turned on the light in our shared room around then. So I went outside to check out how things looked. The storm was gone and we had a beautiful view of the lights from the little towns surrounding Fuji. As we ate breakfast (rice and some sort of cold meat) the clouds rolled in bellow us, which made for some different amazing views. Our guides had previously warned us that it gets pretty crowded on top during sunrise which makes it harder to see the sunrise, so we decided not to rush ourselves. We began hiking before sunrise, but when it was getting light enough that we didn't need head lamps. All the views before sunrise were gorgeous and the closer we got to seeing the sun poke through the brighter the silver lining on the clounds got. When the sun did finally peak through it cast a beautiful red glow onto Mt Fuji. Such a cool experience, and I am so glad I got to see the sunrise.

Judy and I hiked to the top, took some time to get some stamps and souvenirs and enjoyed the view of the clouds from above. Then we hiked up to the crater to peak in and headed down. The weather was great for the hike down, very mild. We were also very tired by the time we got to the bottom, with sore toes and dirt and grit on our faces from the windstorm the night before. And I felt blessed to have been able to experience Fuji twice.

Judy and I celebrated by a dinner at a Thai resteraunt and then I headed home to take a much needed and well deserved shower. A big thanks to Judy for getting me motivated to do this and a big thanks to Jake and Evelyn for taking care of my kids so that it was possible.