On my recent Far East trip I arranged time to climb Mt. Fuji. The peak is 12,385 and the most popular Kawaguchiko trailhead on the NE side is at 7,550. For logistics reasons I needed to climb the south side Fujinomiya trail, which is a steeper grade but starts at 7,900. The Japanese authorities only encourage climbing in July and August, and have set up several overnight huts on all 4 routes (the others have lower trailheads and are much less used) which are not open much out of that timeframe. Mt. Fuji is probably within my capability as a day hike (parameters very similar to San Gorgonio) but public transit to the trailheads are geared to the 2-day schedule so a private car or $100+ cab ride would be necessary for an early morning start. The other reason for the overnight huts is a Japanese tradition to be on the summit for sunrise.

The hike turned out to be very challenging due to adverse weather. It had been cloudy with some rain for a week. Snow-forecast said it would break for the night and day of my climb but it did not. Japan's climate is similar to East Coast at similar latitude (DC, VA, Carolinas) but with rugged western topography. Lots of humidity but also lush vegetation and dense forest up to the treeline, which was about 8,000 on the south side and 8,400 on the north side of Fuji.

I started up Fujinomiya at 4:15PM July 28.


This white outfit is the traditional Japanese attire for Fuji. I did not see many people dressed like this higher up.


I rode the bus to the trailhead with a young British couple, Ian and Claire. They were on a 2+ month trip that would later include snowboarding in New Zealand. They were fit but did not have altitude experience, so I gave them each a Diamox on the bus. Here one of them took my picture just above the 6th station maybe 8,500 feet.


Here Ian chats with 2 climbers on their way down. They had wind and rain on the summit mid-morning, though they heard it had been calmer at sunrise.


Soon we were at the new 7th station at 9,100 feet, where Ian and Claire had a reservation. Since they were doing fine, I suggested they go higher, especially if they were going to try for the sunrise. They elected to stay there, perhaps after hearing my "sleep altitude" warnings on the bus.


I continued up to the old 7th station at 9,880 feet, just coming into view here. The trail in foreground was typical of much of Fujinomiya, resembling rock stairs more than a trail. The NE trail is more graded into long switchbacks. I've now entered the cloud/fog zone also. I arrived 6:15PM.


Dinner at 7th station


Bunk area. Lights out at 7PM in deference to those trying to make it up top for sunrise. I was not tempted as it blew hard and rained most of the night. I stepped in a puddle on the way to a Diamox pee break at 2AM. Until 2001 Mt. Fuji had a serious sanitation problem. They have now installed sophisticated chemical toilets at the stations, and there is generally a 200 yen charge to use them and cover maintenance.


I got up by 5AM. I was now glad I had hauled winter clothing through sweltering China and the eclipse cruise. I needed the Gore-Tex jacket and base layers when I headed up at 6:15AM in the wind (~15-20) and fog. With the high humidity my glasses were constantly fogging, so I put them away within half an hour.


Within 15 minutes the weather got worse. It rained hard, mostly sideways with the wind. I put a plastic rain jacket over the pack, but some of the ties came loose a few times and had to be reattached. My hiking shoes are Gore-Tex, but 20 years old and after half an hour they saturated. However, with the hooded jacket my core remained comfortable and I was able to continue up. Here's the 8th station at 10,600 in the pouring rain. Hikers were not allowed inside to rest here, as it may have been full with those spending the night.


To be continued...