The Climb Up

Many of the websites that I read before climbing Fuji-san talked about altitude sickness and being prepared for the elements. One site said to bring two litres of water each. So we did. Kel had also packed enough food to allow a small Pacific nation to survive for two weeks so I was comforted in the thought of eating well. She had even turned her hand to making home-made Onegiri, which is a Japanese delicacy in my opinion.
The hike to the 7th Station was in two parts. Not because we walked and stopped, which we did to take many photos, but due to the fact that there is an Old 7th Station and a New 7th Station. At each station we stopped, took some water and had second and third breakfasts respectively. At both of these stations I was starting to feel the effects from the lack of oxygen. The car park is at 2500 metres, and these stations were well above that. From each of these stations we had the most amazing view from above the clouds. The clouds had started to thin and we were about the look down on Fuji city and the mighty Pacific Ocean. Unnervingly though, as we climbed between the two 7th Stations, Kel and I heard an almighty boom. The sound then repeated itself again and again. I thought to my self 'That doesn't sound right' and turned to look at Kel who said with a look of shock, "What the f**k was that?" I guessed that it might have been the military base at Gotenba, which Kel actually confirmed later when she asked a local at the next station. It is quite unnerving standing on an active volcano and hearing loud thunderous noises around you.
As we started our climb up to the 8th Station, I had found my second wind. The head ache had disappeared and my legs felt strong. Kel and I had got into a calm rhythmical pace which suited us really well. There was a lot of shoal rocks all over the path which made it quite slippery and we had to pick our way carefully. It felt like I was walking uphill on snow again and I blasted Kel's ears with many stories about my previous life.
By the 9th station we both knew that this was no ordinary mountain. We had been climbing for about 3.5 hour now and the air was getting thinner. Our rest stops were getting longer but we didn't mind. The top of the mountain wasn't going anywhere and we took our time to try and acclimatize. Many people had passed us going in the opposite direction. These travellers had stayed overnight in the mountain Stations and had got up early to see the sunrise. I have never said Ohayo Gozaimus or Konnichiwa as many times as I did before this climb and everyone (more so the Japanese travellers) had a really friendly demeanour either going up or coming down.
Kel actually was able to experience snow on this climb. In between the 8th and 9th Stations, a sheltered section of the mountain still was able to hold a large gully of ice from the winter. She looked at it, commented, and then walked on. We were on a mission to the top.
From the 9th Station, it is expected to take about 1 hour to reach the summit, and that is what it took us. Our pace had slowed but was consistent. I had a head ache due to the altitude and Kel's legs were speaking loudly to her. We stopped at the 9.5 Station which had the worst smelling toilets of them all (it costs Y200 to use the bathroom at each station) and then ground our way up to the top. I really felt a sense of achievement as Kel and I passed through the Shrine entrance and made our way to the 10th Station. 4 hours and 40 minutes it took us to tame the wildest mountain of Japan but I couldn't just sit and rest. I had to take it all in. I dragged Kel down another path and walked over to the edge of the crater. Unbelievable. The crater was enormous. The colours of the rocks bled from dark browns, through deep reds and into oranges and greys, and there was even a bit of complimentary snow lying right in the centre
for us to admire.
After taking it all in, Kel and I sat in the warming hut, which was next to the temple that the monks attended to. As we sat and ate trail mix, some workmen who had just made the climb sat opposite us at the narrow table. One of them brought over a tray of coffee for his colleagues and for us. We were incredibly surprised by his generosity. We offered them some of our biscuits and watched as the cultural barriers just fell apart right around us. "It is probably one of the best tasting instant coffees I've had." said Kel, as she dove in head first. The men were so kind that they wouldn't even let me take the paper cups off the mountain for them in our rubbish bag.