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The Epic Mt.Fuji Climb

  • April 5, 2019
  • By wildxena
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The Epic Mt.Fuji Climb

It literally took me 5 minutes to make the decision to join my friends to climb Mt Fuji. Mt Fuji is the highest mountain in Japan reaching a height of 3,776 meters. This is a once in a lifetime experience conquering one of the most iconic mountains.

Mt Fuji opens to hikers from July 1 to August 31. The best time to climb Mt Fuji is during the official climbing season. Outside of the official climbing season the mountain is deemed to be unsafe. We were there early July when the summit first opened for the season.

We chose to take the more popular Yoshida trail and kicked off our journey at the 5th station, at which point cars will no longer advance. We departed the 5th station at around 1pm and took around 6 hours to hike up to the 8th station. We decided to take our time and rest at the mountain huts whenever we can. One of the souvenirs that you can have from climbing Mt Fuji is a walking stick. You can buy one of these wooden sticks right before you start climbing Mt Fuji, and then get the stick “stamped” at a stamp station as you make your way up.

Be aware that at higher altitudes the air has a lower amount of oxygen, making you susceptible to lightheadedness and exhaustion. Staying a night will allow your body to acclimatize to the high elevation. One of us is actually a cop and despite his strong physique, still not exempt from altitude sickness and decided to stay at the mountain lodge at the 8th station.

Mountain Lodge at the 8th Station
Prepare to get cozy with your friends or…strangers

After resting for a few hours, we got up at around 2am in the dark and carried on our journey…this time, in pouring rain! It will take another 2.5hours to hike up the summit, it was probably the most difficult part of the hike (cold, rainy, my body literally just woke up, and did I mention thin air). A light waterproof wind proof jacket is a must have, and be sure to bring a headlamp! Mind you unlikely you will be able to take any breaks on this narrow trail up, other hikers will keep pushing you up to the summit for a couple hours non-stop. At the end, it’s all worth it.

9th Station on the Yoshida Trail…almost there to the summit!
Made it!!

We finally made it to the summit – high-speed gusty windy and extremely cold. The sun finally came out, but unfortunately, it’s covered by thick cloud. You ever seen this ring of cloud towering the mountain? Yes, that’s what we got. This journey was still an unforgettable, fantastic experience we had despite not being able to see the sunrise; after all, we made it all the way to the summit and we should be proud. The scene hiking back down was spectacular and mind you, we were hiking above the cloud for a while. It took around 5 hours to arrive back at 5th Station.

We will totally climb Mt. Fuji again to watch the Sunrise from the summit!

Day 1
11:00 Arrived at Mt.Fuji 5th station (Group picture before the big climb)
12:30 Left Mt.Fuji 5th station via ascending route on the Yoshida Trail
18:00 Arrived at 8th station (3,460m)
Stay at Mountain Lodge (Dinner and Rest, no shower available)

Day 2
1:00~2:00 Woke Up
2:00 Left Mountain Lodge for the summit
4:30 Arrived at the summit (waited there for sunrise)
6:00 Left the summit
13:00 Arrived at 5th station (experience and photo sharing)

By wildxena, April 5, 2019 Seattle-based world traveler living my best life!! I am passionate about seeing the world and experiencing different cultures. Strongly believe the best adventures come from traveling outside of your comfort zone. Follow along this humbling journey of mine that I am very proud of.

wildxena

Seattle-based world traveler living my best life!! I am passionate about seeing the world and experiencing different cultures. Strongly believe the best adventures come from traveling outside of your comfort zone. Follow along this humbling journey of mine that I am very proud of.

About Me
Seattle-based world traveler living the best life!! I am passionate about seeing the world and experiencing different cultures. The best adventures come from traveling outside of your comfort zone. Follow along this humbling journey of mine that I am very proud of.
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