Climbing Mount Fuji: What I got right and wrong this time
Some time last December, I casually asked a couple of colleagues if they were keen to try climbing Mount Fuji. “Was it easy?” they asked. “Not too difficult, but we should do some training for it.” was my reply. That piqued their interest, and I started recruiting more members to the expedition.
Six months later, we firmed up our plan to go ahead with the climb. And three months after that, we found ourselves at the 5th Station of the Yoshida Trail, the most popular and easiest route up Mount Fuji.
The three things I got right
Essentially, I wanted to avoid the mistakes I made with my previous climb — lack of training and packing unnecessary things.
1. Training
I took up a gym membership in June and started visiting three to four times a week, alternating between yoga/pilates, running and strength/balance training.
And five weeks before the climb, the group started meeting during weekends to train climbing stairs. We climbed at least 200 floors per session. It was really tough but I thought it was the most important part of my training.
2. Packing
I brought too much water on my last climb. And I lugged up a tripod, which I didn’t used at al. So for this climb, I brought just 2 litres of water, and ditched the tripod, against my photographer instincts. I made sure I brought enough money to buy water should I need more. (In the end, I spent only on extra energy jelly drinks.)
My attire, at least during the day, was just right. Started out with one layer of Mont-bell’s Wickron T-shirt, and added on a long-sleeved one about two hours in. Then I added on my rain shell when the wind became stronger. Felt comfortable until the very last part of the climb at night (more on that later).
You can read my previous post for details of what I brought.
3. Staying at a mountain hut
I was initially reluctant to book a stay at a hut, because I made it up straight from the 5th station in my previous climb. But not trying this out would have been a mistake — it’s a quintessential part of the Mt Fuji climbing experience: having curry rice for dinner as the sun sets, checking out how other climbers were coping as they arrive, and yes, struggling to sleep while being packed like sardines on a massive tatami bunk bed.
Only one of us managed to sleep in the end, but it was good to take a break.
The one mistake: Warm clothing
When I got to the top, I was a little disappointed that it ended, because I felt I could have continued climbing some more!
But I soon realised I had more to worry about when we started our wait for the sunrise. You see, I wanted to avoid the inevitable human jams when the tour groups started their ascent, because it was Mountain Day and huge groups were expected. I pushed the group to start early — around 10.30pm — and we got to the top by 2.30am. That meant a two-hour assault by strong, icy winds at around 6 degrees Celsius (43 deg F). I later learnt of a term called wind chill, which basically means that the coldness you experience is exacerbated by wind.
I was literally shivering all the way.
We only had a brief respite when the shops at the summit opened for business. Instant ramen never tasted so good.
What would have saved me: A fleece jacket. And an emergency blanket for good measure. I had decided against my instincts not to buy or rent a fleece jacket because I didn’t experience the same kind of cold weather the previous time. Now I know.
It must have been the longest wait for a sunrise. I was cursing in my head as the clock ticked past 4.45am and the sun was nowhere to be seen.
And then, this…
After that, it was a long walk down.
I took the Subashiri Trail the last time, and was down by 8am. But the Yoshida Trail descent was a lot longer. We made it down only around 10am. I was starving by then, having consumed all my food on the way up. There are no mountain huts on the way down.
Picked up a Mt Fuji-exclusive Montbell T-shirt, had lunch, and took the bus back to Kawaguchiko, where we headed next to a ryokan for a well-deserved rest.
Am really proud of the team for making it to the top. Now that I’ve gone up the Yoshida Trail twice, I will probably try out the Fujinomiya or Gotemba Trail if I were to go up again. And yes, I will definitely bring at least one more warm layer the next time.
My next challenge was a solo trek on the Kumano Kodo. More on that in the next post!
All photos were taken on the wonderful Ricoh GR.
