Climbing Mount Fuji

When I was young and in my prime and stationed in Yokohama, Japan, in 1970, three of us decided to climb Mt. Fuji. It was already getting late in the climbing season so we didn't have much time to plan and barely made the regular climbing cutoff on the last day of the season which in those days was in September. Now the end of the regular season is the last day of August but that's a dfferent story.

When I climbed the mountain there were nowhere near the number of climbers (300,000) that ascended the mountain in the 2011 or 2012. Now that it has been designated as a World Heritage Site (in June, 2013) I don't know how many climb every year.

The train from Yokohama took us to the jump off point, we bought our climbing poles and started up in mid-afternoon.

We bought one each of the old and new Japanese flags inscribed "Light of world peace. Top of Mount Fuji 3776 meters"

We improvised and had "Fuji or bust, 1970" burned into the other side of our climbing poles

We started the actual climb at station five and it wasn't long before dark descended on the trail. Of course being young and feeling the need to get on up the mountain we decided to take a shortcut and headed straight up. Need I say that was a mistake? The trail winds back and forth, zigzagging up the mountain Our shortcut led from a kinda trail to steep rocks and difficult going.

The old light still works

In those days before efficient batteries and LED lights we had one flashlight that soon went dead and my old hand powered generator light. It did work, and still does, but it takes muscle so was only useful at intervals.

"Hand generator flashlight Aeromarine Mfg Co.
Delray Beach, Fla., U.S.A." probably WWII era 

It took us a couple hours to find the trail again and although tempted we didn't try any more shortcuts.

Each station had a small fire with branding irons and for a small fee (50 Yen?) the operator would brand the symbol of that station onto our climbing poles.

Some fires weren't very hot

At station eight we were tired and sleepy so we paid the operator the branding fee and also a fee (perhaps 200 Yen) to crash for a couple hours.

3000 meters

Up before dawn we made our way up through the last two stations and witnessed the sunrise from the atop Mt. Fuji. It was a beautiful and memorable sight. As it turned out we were lucky because the top is often surrounded by clouds and sometimes drizzle at that time of year.

After a cup of expensive coffee (but not so expensive considering it was at the top of Mt Fuji) we headed back down the mountain. Most people hiked back down the trail but we were young and brash so we took the shortcut down the long sand slide on one side of the mountain and got the Sandski brand.

In just three hours we were down the mountain and back on the train, smelly and tired but happy from our wonderful trip climbing Mount Fuji.