Finally, Mission Accomplished!

After having to abort the mission three previous times due to ominous-sounding forecasts, I was finally able to climb Mt. Fuji and watch the sunrise this past Sunday night. Although we didn't quite make it to the summit in time for the sunrise, we still got to see a breath-taking sunrise at about 200 meters (650 feet) from the summit. Mt. Fuji's summit is the highest point in Japan, registering in at 3,776 meters (12,390 feet).

This is toward the end of the sunrise. We were above the cloud line, having hiked through the clouds in the moonlight with a few hundred (maybe thousand) other people. The hike wasn't too bad for the first half, but the trail got more congested as we got further up the mountain. And we grew tired quickly as the oxygen got thinner at the top.


Here Jenny and I are finally done ascending. There is a Shinto shrine at the top of the mountain (along with a mountain hut selling souvenirs and really expensive food and drinks). This is a monument outside of the shrine.

Looking down on the mountain in the daylight at those still climbing, we quickly realized that many Japanese are right. Mt. Fuji really isn't that pretty in the daylight (at least at the top, where it is just bare lava rock), but you are treated to some spectacular views of the clouds and the increasing vegetation along the descent path.

Upon reflection, it was a fantastic experience, but it was a lot harder than we initially thought it would be. The altitude really slowed me down at about 3,500 meters, and my knees/legs were pretty much junk when I got to the bottom. The only thing that I regret though, is that I brought four liters of water and only drank two (the load started to get painfully heavy towards the end).