There are very little pictures because it was very dark while we hiked through the night. Also, it got cold and windy as we got higher so picture taking was not a priority. Dave and I did not bring winter or hiking clothes too. Going up the mountain, it was more difficult than I thought - mainly due to the strong winds and climbing over rocks. The internet says "anyone can do it" but I disagree. :)
Walking through the night!
Honey relaxing.
Us at 3250 meters. I didn't feel well here.
After about 3 1/2 hours of hiking, I started not to feel well. I stopped and ate food (beef jerky, trail mix, candy, water, etc) but still felt nauseous. It kept getting colder and windier the further up we went. We continued up at a slower pace.
At ~3400 meters, we stopped at a hut because I still felt sick. One of the workers at the hut mentioned this is the last stop before the top, so this is the last opportunity to rest. Since I was not feeling well, we went inside (cost 1000 yen...~$11... for 1 hour of rest or you could buy food). We told Rob and Julie to continue on. We opted for 400 yen (~$4.30) hot chocolate for each person. The hot chocolate price was ridiculous because it was nothing more than a small styrofoam cup. The hot chocolate price included a 15 minute free rest! It was roughly 2:15 AM. Dave drank his hot chocolate and I drank about 1/4 of it...then I grabbed his cup and threw up in his cup...along with on my pants and the floor. The workers felt bad for me and Dave made the executive decision to start heading back down, a mere 300 meters from the top (but would have taken 1 1/2 hours). It's a great story to tell though!
Since we did not make it to the top of Mt Fuji, here are some of the Benshen's pictures and video from the top:
The rest of the pictures are on the decent from Mt Fuji. We took our time going down...took pictures...ate food...got behind a large group...we enjoyed our leisurely pace. Also, at the time of year we went, the path down the mountain was closed so you had to go down the same way you came up. Too bad for people ascending the mountain! It probably took us 5 hours to get back to Station 5.
By the way, while descending, we were passed by a four year old girl going up.
Even though we did not make it to the top of the mountain, it was still pretty watching the sun rise. The cloud formations were interesting to watch because they moved rapidly with the wind.
When the sun was out, it was pretty to see the vegetation on Mt Fuji.
Wearing Dave's extra pants since I threw up on mine. Yes, I'm wearing socks as gloves. You know that's smart!
Wearing Dave's extra pants since I threw up on mine. Yes, I'm wearing socks as gloves. You know that's smart!
I forgot my chemistry glasses at home. I love this picture. He's gazing through those chemistry goggles at some amazing scenery, you can see it in his face.
Tour group following us down the mountain. At some points, it was very crowded going down the mountain. Notice everyone is wearing a Gore-Tex suit (they were prepared).
I saw Dave taking a picture of me so I decided to make a "disgusted/annoyed face". I think it turned out pretty well.
We got some nice pictures when at the bottom of Mt Fuji. We're glad these pictures turned out because usually it's too cloudy to take a picture of the mountain.
We finally made it back to Station 5...the first bus back to our hotel left at 10 AM. It was a little ridiculous because Dave and I were done at ~7 AM...Rob and Julie were done ~8:30 AM...so there was a lot of sitting around time. We were very tired and slept the entire bus ride home since we walked Mt Fuji through the night.
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After our four hour nap, we went to dinner at Subway and McDonald's (fries only). After the throw up incident, Japanese food did not sound good so a sandwich and fries hit the spot. We brought our food back to the hotel and then played 500. Unfortunately, this is the only picture we have to remember that night...
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