I hiked to the top of Mt. Fuji in 2006. I used various forms of public transportation to get out to Station Number 5, which is basically "base camp." Setting out a few hours before sunset, I was determined to view the sunrise from the top of the mountain.
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View of Mount Fuji on the flight into Tokyo |
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Mount Fuji Station Number 5 |
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Mount Fuji Station Number 7 |
It was about this time that I had a solid stream of sweat rolling down my back. While I had plenty of water and a change of clothes for the hike down and ride home, I hadn't thought about bringing a third set of clothes to change into when I took a break at the last station before the top of the mountain. Some folks were sleeping, others were chatting outside. I hunkered down in a heated bathroom for a couple of hours. I know what you're thinking, "ew, gross!" but believe me, those were some of the most well-kept bathrooms I've ever seen. Since there wasn't a whole lot of traffic passing thru that station at that time, I basically just sat in my own private stall, warming up and drying out.
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A Torii on Mount Fuji |
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Torii silhouette |
Somewhere along the hike up from the last station to the top of the mountain, I ran into the sister of one of my best friends in high school. It was extremely dark, so I couldn't see her all that well, but I could tell from her accent that she was American. So the conversation went something like this:
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