Hiking Mount Fuji

Fuji-San

Hiking Mount Fuji

Basic information:  Mt. Fuji  is 12,388ft (3776m).   The Kawaguchiko 5th station starts at 7562 feet(2305m).   The trail is only about 3.7 miles (6km), but it takes most hikers 5-7 hours to get to the top.  Hiking season is very short, only two months, due to extreme weather on the Mountain. 

Trail Head

Trail:  I went the most popular route which is to take a bus from Kawaguchiko Station, ride about 50 minutes to Kawaguichiko 5th station, and then hike to the summit.    I decided to do the sunrise hike.

What I brought:  A weak flashlight (not on purpose), gloves, runners jacket, rain jacket, energy bar, 2 liters of water, money and a lot of 100 yen coins (for the bathrooms). 

At one of the huts on the way up

The stations:  The huts and station were my favorite part of the hike up.  Each of them sold different things.  Some had bananas and chocolate, some had ramen and coffee, others offered hats and gloves (which I was VERY grateful for!), and some even offered beds.    A lot of hikers opted to start the hike early and then sleep for a few hours at one of the huts.  The people who ran the hut would wake them up so they could make it to the top to see the sunrise.  I usually just marched on by the huts because I didn't want to stop, but if were to go again, I would start the hike earlier and spend more time at each of them. 

the line went on and on and on.......

The hike:  I started my hike at 10:30pm and reached the summit at 4:50am.  I planned on hiking alone because I am a TERRIBLE hiker.  I tend to get really nauseous, my heart rate shoots to about 220, and I get so dizzy that I sometimes black out.   I hate making people wait for me and I am much more likely to push myself if I am with others.  So I went by myself.    I met people on the bus so we started the trail together.  We all ended up separating at about half way.    

The hike itself was not that difficult.  I had expected a difficult trail, but it was actually not too bad.   The worst part of doing the sunrise hike on this particular trail is that you basically stand in line for the last 3 hours to get to the top.  It is difficult to pass people and if you do, it is kind of rude. 

The last two hours of the hike were very cold!  I assumed that I would stay relatively warm while hiking, but because the line was so slow, there is not enough energy being created to produce warmth. There were times when I huddled down in a little ball shivering. lol.  I didn't bring enough to wear!

The Summit

 I made it up to the top in time to see the sunrise.  It was breath taking.  I can't even begin to describe how beautiful the view was.    At the summit there are restaurants, vending machines, and men selling hot chocolate, coffee, and beer.   
 

Standing next to the caldera drinking hot chocolate

Soooo beautiful!

The crowd at the top cheering and taking pictures as the sun came up.

The tori stands at the end of the trail.  You go under it as
you reach the summit.  This isn't the greatest picture.

The descent:  Was miserable!  The only good part was the seeing the stunning view during the day.  It's steep, the ground is soft and rocky, and switch backs seem to go on forever.  The bees were the worst part.  I'm terrified of them and these little suckers were persistent.  I ran the whole way and made it down in an hour and 30 minutes.  If I stopped for a second to rest I would inevitably hear a "bzzzzz"   The worst of it was waiting for the bus when I had no choice but to endure my extreme fear so that I could stand in line.   I think the lack of sleep probably was the only thing that kept me from running around like a lunatic. 

Overall:  It was a great experience.   I would recommend it to anyone because the view is so beautiful that it is worth the long hike up and the miserable hike down.  It is often (in many versions) said that "Only a fool doesn't climb Mt. Fuji.  Only a fool climbs in twice."