What
do Mount Fuji and Superman have in common?
Do garbage
dumps and 400,000 climbers sound enticing?
Having
fist hand experience climbing Mount Fuji, I can say that up
close, Mount Fuji resembles the worlds biggest dump truck
pile of scoria. We're all familiar with scoria right? That
purple or red volcanic rock which looks nice around rose bushes
in gardens? Well, that's the same material which dominates
the latter part of a hike up Mount Fuji.
Another point of interest you can encounter on a climb, is
the high altitude; keep this in mind, pilots flying in non-pressurised
planes will wear oxygen masks above 10,000 feet (Mount Fuji's
summit is 12,388 feet above sea level). Now, when you're lumbering
up a mountain at a similar height, altitude impacts on you
as kryptonite does with Superman; No matter how powered up
you are, the life is simply sucked out of you. As the expression
goes, I was "sober as a judge" when I started my
climb, but soon after I felt like I had downed my sixth can
of beer. Most people know that it's no fun being drunk on
a long flight, but being sober and having the undeserved sense
of overindulgence on a mountain is even less fun. If you're
one of the unfortunate few who gets a little light in the
head when marching up a dormant volcano, the climb becomes
more of a quest than a leisurely stroll, with making the summit
the sole source of inspiration think I can see the top!...FIGHT!
Arriving at the summit justifies the six hour climb and gazing
into the enormous crater will reinforce the sense of accomplishment
(sorry no lava or smoke though). Once you have finished gazing
at the 800m diameter crater and had your Fuji hiking stick
stamped with the you've made it! hankos, its a 3
hour skidding slide to the fifth station where either buses
or taxis await you.
There's a Japanese proverb that goes "He who
climbs Mount Fuji is a wise man, he who climbs twice is a
fool". Hey! wait a second! "HE"?!!
Obviously this proverb came about when it was prohibited
for women to climb the mountain. However, in 1868 an English
woman gave Japanese government officials the finger (not literally
but it would've been cool) and climbed Fuji-san making her
the first woman to climb Mt Fuji in recorded history. With
the sexism out of the way, let's pick at this proverb one
more time. I understand that many people wouldn't be inclined
to do a second climb after the taxing first hike, but let's
consider how a follow up climb could be more rewarding:
1. |
You
already know you can do it! |
2. |
You may
consider taking a different trail, I for one never saw
the Hoei crater up close (a point of interest given that
it was this crater that unleashed the 1707 eruption) |
3. |
You may
have over prepared last time and lugged too much gear...do
it right the next time! |
4. |
You may
have lucked out with the weather the first time (fog!!!)
|
5. |
You may
have climbed overnight to see the sunrise, only to do
a weary and jaded descent. Try an early climb, enjoy the
day and witness a sunset. |
So what
do you think? Does that sound like a checklist for a mountaineering
moron? A day climbing doofus? Maybe one climb is all that
some people need, but don't let a proverb knock your self
esteem, in fact, I ENCOURAGE A THIRD CLIMB! Now that's new
territory for those interested in Haikus! Make up your own
like I did:
"He OR SHE who climbs a third
time is a well adjusted human being and obviously not wasting
their life in front of TV"
OK,
so I went off on a micro rant there, but the moral of the
story is, if you like your holidays to be about comfort and
relaxation, perhaps its best to enjoy a lakeside view of Mount
Fuji while having a picnic. Its here that you will get the
best view of Fuji, and while you're breathing in plentiful
oxygen and consuming a healthy meal, you can spare a thought
for those who are panting their way to the summit, sustaining
themselves with biscuits and water. If you can't get to Japan,
enjoy Mount Fuji in even more comfort; on your couch at maybe
only a few feet above sea level. I recommend the following
for both sentimental ex-hikers and lovers of natural beauty:
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View Mount Fuji from every
angle from the comfort of your home. It doesnt get any
easier than this. Climbing
Mount Fuji may not necessarily be for you.
One of the extremely few Mount Fuji DVD's available is
Spiritual Earth - Mount Fuji. Six years in the making,
Spiritual Earth offers many stunning views of Mount Fuji
with a soothing soundtrack.
|
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How many
ways can you see Mount Fuji? See Fuji-san as you've never
seen it before. |
One of the web's most illustrious Mount
Fuji pages is only a click away
