The bus dropped me at the 5th station, and I immediately felt the difference in both temperature and oxygen level. I had to dress warmer and breathe deeper. I came early today because in the off-season there are only two buses a day from Tokyo. I was up at 6 AM this morning so I was very tired already and there was no place to put my head for a few hours. The 5th station was packed with people; this is as far as the vast majority of people get to the summit in the off-season, and climbing the mountain in winter is suicidal. Before I set out I had a few things to get: a walking stick, something to eat, and at least a few bottles of water. Prices are inflated being Mt. Fuji, so I ordered katsu curry with rice at ¥1,500 instead of the ¥600 or so I'd pay in Tokyo. I sat with a South African couple who wished me a happy 30th and hoped for no clouds at the summit. The 5th station may be crowded but the ranger, in perfect English, warned me that everything on the mountain is closed. During the climbing season the mountain gets throngs of climbers and there are several huts where you could order something to eat and overnight there before ascending for sunrise. Everything closed just a few days ago! It wasn't even 3 PM and I was already very tired but there was no place I could peacefully put my head for a few hours. In one of the souvenir shops I found the coolest thing: a Mt. Fuji-shaped chiffon cake! I had wished for a "Japanified" birthday cake so I got my wish: a Mt. Fuji-shaped cake and Mt. Fuji-shaped candle. A walking stick with the nisshoki (Japanese flag) would be my companion as well. With an extra bottle of water in my bag I was on my way up the mountain. Most overnight climbers start out at 10 PM or so to be on the summit for sunrise but I left earlier since I was very tired and to allow extra time to adjust for the altitude. Five minutes into the walk on flat ground I took a bad fall: a rude awaking for the possible rigours ahead. An hour or so later I was at the 6th station where I opted to rest for awhile and wait for it to get dark. It was very cloudy and I couldn't see the Moon so I figured it was going to be pitch black. Barely able to sleep at all I continued with the lights of Fujiyoshida in the backdrop; at least it wasn't totally dark. They aren't kidding when they say climbing the mountain is dangerous in the off-season. If it starts raining or it's terribly windy or, even worse, you fall and break an ankle there is no shelter of any sort to take cover in. The huts are locked up tighter than a drum and there's no way to call for help. It was zero-hour for me and I had to make a brutal choice. Should I continue onto the top of the mountain triumphantly for my 30th or should I turn back? Emotionally it hasn't been easy because I received some disturbing messages regarding someone very close to me. Adding to the fact that I was terribly tired made for a very difficult climb. The 5th station is at 2,300 metres and I made it to the 7th station at 2,740 metres before I lay down for a short nap. It wasn't windy at all yet there was nobody else on the mountain! In a way I felt peaceful but in a way I felt like there's no margin for error. At 11 PM I woke up and continued the journey. This climb is really tough! I don't know which is more difficult, Mt. Fuji or the Inca Trail. The highest point of the Inca Trail is nearly 500 metres higher than the summit of Mt. Fuji. At 3,000 metres I saw my first soul: a Japanese man named Takash from the Ibaraki prefecture. I took comfort that I wasn't on the mountain alone. Another thing I should humourously add is that there's no risk of being robbed at gunpoint on Mt. Fuji. Once at 3,100 metres it was very windy, and I was so exhausted I kept sitting down and taking one-minute naps. When I looked down the mountain I could see faint moving bits of light, meaning there were other people making their way to the summit. Takash and I sat for more than 20 minutes at 3,250 metres until a French couple caught up with us. They continued on ahead whilst I could barely keep my eyes open. There are several more huts until you reach 3,450 metres, and then the ascent gets very steep and rocky. My body was trying to tell me "Chris, get your ass off this mountain" but I kept pushing myself and saying "C'mon Chris, you can make it." I'll admit I nearly turned back several times. It was windy and very cold, and I sat down every few minutes for a power nap. The last 300 metres or so are the toughest, windiest, and coldest but when I spotted the torii gate at the summit I felt the euphoria!
Exhaustedly yet gleefully I dragged my way up, through the gate, and started crying with joy next to the French couple! I made it! I can't believe it I made it to the summit of Mt. Fuji!
It was windy and very cold but I didn't give a damn. I'm 30! I'm a young and very youthful 30! Tonjobe Omedeto (Happy Birthday) to me! It looked like the sunrise was going to be magical but the clouds rolled in with a vengeance and there'd be no magical sunrise. I wanted to get out my birthday cake and light the candle but it was windy, and only after a few minutes the French couple decided to descend after some photos with our walking sticks.
I was so exhausted I actually rolled out my sleeping bag and took a nap on the summit and when I woke up 30 minutes later it was snowing! I thought I was alone until I saw a couple of Japanese climbers. With my "Japanified" birthday cake I tried to light the candle but it was so windy I couldn't light it properly.
They took some photos and a short video and then I shared some cake with them. Whilst I'll admit I didn't walk around to the actual summit of the mountain (3,776 metres) I made it to the Shinto shrine at about 3,750 metres and I got to celebrate my birthday on top of the world! Today it's my "dirty 30" but not "dirty" in the traditional sense of going out and getting wasted; instead I got my boots dirty climbing mountains. During the season there is even a post office on the summit! Sara Wall sent me a postcard from the 5th station last year but I'm not able to reciprocate because I don't have her address. The two climbers and I decided to descend together. Going down is a lot easier as long as you go slowly; I learned the hard way on the Inca Trail about wearing out your knees. There are many switchbacks on the descending trail, and it's possible to drive all the way to the summit during the season. We must've gone around 30 switchbacks at least, and I was able to get my classic euphoric photo part way down.
Back at the 5th station a cup of hot cocoa, even at ¥350, never felt so great! Even better was a photo in front of the sign showing my date of birth!
Whilst I took the bus to the 5th station from Shinjuku, I wanted to hitchhike back to Tokyo! In a way I would slightly regret it at first due to being extremely tired. A Chinese family picked me up and then I was in some town in which I didn't even know the name! All I knew is that I could slightly see Mt. Fuji. A local speaking English fluently wrote how to say "I'm hitchhiking" in Japanese. Watashi wa Tokyo shite masu (I'm hitchhking to Tokyo). If I'm going to hitch in Japan I must brush up on my Japanese, and a good map is a must! This isn't New Zealand! Eventually I'd end up on the shore of Lake Yamanaka, which is one of the "Fuji Five Lakes" and the largest in terms of surface area. It was nearly 5 PM and I seriously didn't want to spend the evening of my 30th in the dark. That wouldn't happen: it would be a start of a major testament to how helpful the Japanese are. An 80-year-old man named Takamuchi picked me up. He spoke perfect English and drove me to a good waiting spot. He waited with me until a couple stopped and he acted as my interpreter, instructing them exactly where to drop me. On the on ramp to Tokyo I was, and I was picked up by a couple of guys who took me to Ebina service area. Perhaps then came the best of all! Three teenagers were nice enough to drive me all the way to Ed's flat in Nishiarai even though it cost them ¥2,000 in tolls! And all they wanted was a photo with me! It was time to celebrate with pizza and a bottle of wine! Wow, these past couple of days have been emotional, euphoric, exhausting, and energetic. I am 30 years old today, and my life and journeys have still just begun!
