What to Bring
Clothing
I definitely suggest wearing layers. The top of the mountain is extremely cold and sometimes windy. I was wearing 5 layers on top and 3 layers on the bottom. Then, when the sun rises, and you’re descending the mountain it gets really hot, so you’ll need to be able to strip down to single layers.
I suggest wearing a good pair of gloves to keep your hands warm, a base layer of thermal underwear, a tshirt, some quick dry hiking pants, a buff or scarf, a fleece sweater, and a lightweight rain jacket.
Bring an extra pair of socks also because sometimes it can rain and you don’t want to have wet socks while climbing.
Footwear
Do not buy new hiking boots. Unless you have the time to break them in and use them beforehand, I do not suggest buying new hiking boots. Unfortunately, people believe that they need new hiking boots for this climb, but the pain of a new pair of boots will be worse than if you had just stuck with non-hiking boots that you are accustomed to. Running shoes, or some kind of shoes with traction on them that you’ve used before or are used to will work just fine.
Also, please don’t wear flip flops to hike 8 hours up the largest mountain in Japan. You’ll be miserable.
Equipment
Do not bring more than you need. Even though items seem lightweight, after several hours, they will start to bring you down. Only bring the necessities. A headlamp, a functioning camera that can withstand the cold and you know how to use (I used a GoPro), sunglasses for when the sun rises, a couple of body warmers, and a platypus water pack to keep you hydrated.
Pack these in a backpack that fits on your waist so that all the weight is on your waist and not your shoulders.
Food/Snacks
Food is expensive on the mountain. Bring a cup of noodles to warm you at the top (they can provide hot water), a few nutritional protein bars and one Snickers bar for that added sugar that you’ll appreciate once you’ve hit the summit.
Solo Climbing Mount Fuji
The 5th station on Mount Fuji is halfway up the mountain. The bus dropped off its weary passengers who might be having second thoughts. While the weather on this August evening was humid and hot at the base of the mountain, the temperatures halfway up the mountain had dropped significantly.
I had just climbed Mt. Iwate the week before which was said to be tougher than what I was about to do. I figured if I could do Mt. Iwate, then I am invincible.
I was about to embark on a journey up Mount Fuji– alone.
Beginning the climb
With my headlamp in place, I began the climb.
At first, the incline was non-existent, but then there was a crossroad and I watched as the only other person climbing quickly took the steeper pathway. I paused thinking he might be headed on the more experienced trail, but then I saw the sign for the Yoshida trail pointing up and I quickly moved to follow him. I had lost him though and I was for sure alone.
Suddenly I couldn’t breathe. Jesus, is this incline really that steep? Am I really that out of shape? Hard as I tried, I wasn’t able to catch my breath. Air wasn’t going into my lungs fast enough. I took a deep breath, but I still couldn’t catch my breath. The way you bawl your eyes out and as you attempt to stop the tears, you just can’t seem to take in a deep enough breath.
The altitude was affecting me. Don’t panic. Just breathe. Every time I thought I had taken enough deep breaths, I hadn’t, so I paused every few steps. When I finally made it to the 6th station, not too far away from the starting point, I decided I should spend more time getting used to the altitude before climbing higher. I hung around there for about 20 minutes, the longest break I took the entire trip up.
Continuing the Climb
After I had finally become accustomed to the altitude, it was a breeze from there. I stopped at every station to continue to adjust to the different altitudes. There were not many people so my climb began pretty lonely, which isn’t so bad when you are suffering from oxygen deprivation.
Climbing a mountain for about 6-7 hours gives you a lot of time to think. For example, I was trying to come up with ideas of what to title this article, How I Died On Mt. Fuji? The Things You Think of When Climbing Mt. Fuji? Above the Clouds in Japan? Are We There Yet?
Stargazing While Climbing
The glimmer of the city lights on the horizon was difficult to see, well, because I was not level with the horizon, but rising way above it. I was much closer to the vibrant, shining stars. I could see millions more dotting the night sky. The usually familiar constellations were not immediately visible. I looked up, searching for the recognizable shapes among billions of stars. If I had continued to stare up, though, I surely would have fallen backward off Mt. Fuji, so I lowered my head, unable to find the constellations.
The clouds were below me– dark massive forms floating just off the edges of the mountain ready to devour whatever object crossed their path. As I gazed at the clouds, I finally saw the Big Dipper, straight ahead. I was eye level with the Big Dipper for the first time in my life and it shone bright, each star an unmistakable piece of the puzzle. It took my breath away… but it probably was the altitude.
The Yoshida Trail Combines with the Subashiri Trail
After the 7th station, I began to see more and more people. At the 8th station, two trails emerged and it seemed I had caught up to a tour group. The mountain was packed. The amount of headlamps shining the way made it easy for me to save my own battery and turn my headlamp off.
My fast-paced walking was no longer of good use. Now I was at the mercy of the rest of the travelers: the elderly, a kid, people who weren’t prepared, and people who were overly prepared. Did that guy just pull a gas stove out of his backpack?
Judging by the time I assumed I had at least an hour left, but the guy running the hut at the 8th station stated that we had two hours left of climbing. No one believed him, even I was skeptical. There was a sign that said 50 Min, this guy is crazy. I just wanted a fluffy pillow at that point. Then when I started to climb again, and the people on the mountain weren’t moving I realized that he was right: due to the stop and go of the cue walking up the mountain, it took another two hours to finally reach the top.
Prepare For the Cold
I had been prepared for the cold with 5 layers on me. What I wasn’t prepared for was when my sweat would dry underneath as I stood in line to go up the mountain. I continued to climb using as much muscle and movement as possible to try and break a sweat, no matter how exhausted my body was, to ensure I didn’t freeze.
People had paused on the side of the trail, curled up on the flattest rock they could find, bundled up, trying to bring the heat to their bodies. I don’t know if they made it the rest of the way, but I couldn’t stop.
Reaching the Summit
Waiting for the sunrise
I almost didn’t believe it when I finally hit the top. Do my eyes deceive me? But it was the top and I let out a small “Woohoo!” but no one else seemed to join in on my victory: “Yeah, yeah, we all made it to the top now shut up and sit down so we can watch the sunrise.” The summit was packed with people. Many were pulling out sleeping bags and foil blankets and cups of noodles and gas stoves– anything to get warm. I had nothing else.
I was shaking, but the sun was beginning to rise so I found a spot amongst everyone and watched as hints of orange began to fill the sky. The sun slowly rose above the clouds and the mountains in the distance cast shadows on the land below, creating diagonal lines in the already gorgeous scenery. It was 4 am.
The End
I wish I could have watched the sunrise over and over again. But I was cold and my hot coffee was getting low so it was time to climb back down the mountain. It was finally bright out and I could see what it was I had just climbed. It was a big black mountain of nothingness (it is a volcano after all) but that’s ok because I didn’t need to see trees and plants when I was walking at night. As I was sliding down the mountain on the loose rocks, I kept my eye on the view from the side of the mountain as I descended further and further. There was never a point when the view was not good.
Who put all these rocks here?!
