Mt. Fuji Descent: Gotemba Trail

0130 - rise and shine!

None of us were awake. It was a mediocre sleep, at best. The time spent in the bathroom for that first relief of the day was no picnic, either. Pit toilets were NEVER meant for 300 people at a time. And no coffee. And I forgot my headlamp. I was prepared to be quite the grump that morning, and those of you who know me realize how out of the ordinary that is. As it turned out, everyone else on the mountain had their headlamp and flashlight, so I was in fine shape to make it to the sunrise viewpoint.

Without the sun, the mountain was very cold. I emptied my backpack of all my layers - a whopping two more for my torso and gaiters for my calves - and was thankful for the extra set of "Hot Hands" that June gave me.  There were several people already en route to the summit, which made me thankful that I was able to sleep in until 0130. A look down the mountain lets you know just how many people are all up early and sharing the same goal. Solidarity!  The summit area was very large, but difficult to find a spot because any misstep could easily cause a small rockslide.  I was able to scramble up a bit from the trail in anticipation of the sunrise, although my agility, center of gravity, or something was off (or too much?) and kept me from scrambling to the very top.

We all settled in and waiting for what we hoped would be a good sunrise. The weather on Fuji governs so many experiences that it is difficult to say what you will and won't do during your climb. Our luck held for the sunrise. It crept above the low clouds that were probably making an overcast morning for the surrounding communities. I loved hearing so many people from so many different places "oooh-ing" and "ahhh-ing" nearly in unison. Some things are universal.

When the sun cleared the clouds, everyone applauded, as though the sun would give an encore. I clapped and laughed at our good fortune, and smiled my goofy grin at my Japanese neighbors. All I could say was, "Sugoi!"

My sunrise selfie does not convey how cold I was, just sitting there for what seemed like forever. I was simply happy.

We made our way back towards the 10th Station. The weather station at the top of Mt. Fuji was set ablaze by the morning sun.

We also got an excellent look at the crater. I did not realize that Mt. Fuji was (is) a volcano that is dormant, which is not the same as "inactive." This made me somewhat nervous, but I figured I was happy for this revelation while at the top of the mountain rather than just starting out.

The 10th Station offered a sunrise stamp as well as an opportunity to mail our postcards from the summit of Mt. Fuji. I am usually a postcard junkie, but this was the busiest post office I'd ever seen. I had just enough time and flexibility remaining in my gloveless fingers to scribble a "Wish you were here" to Ryan, use the stamp, and then pay for the real Fuji stamp and postmark.

I left the post office as a crowd of tourists attempted to enter, and I was thankful that our group had timed the post office visit so well.  Our guide let us know that the Gotemba trail was good for hiking and that our descent would offer different stations with different stamps. 

From the summit, the Gotemba trail skirts by snowpatches on a substrate of soft rock and ash. Our gaiters would be very handy on at least the first half of this hike, if not the entire thing. You can see the trail leading down through the volcanic ash to the somewhat greener areas below.

Very quickly, our group cohesion began to wane. Different athletic abilities, varying states of fatigue, and with excitement diminishing with every 100 meters, it was almost a solitary journey back down the mountain. I was still excited about the stamps, but a couple of my compadres preferred to press on rather than have someone press on another Fuji stamp. All stations were marked with colorful flags, which were the only flashes of color besides the hikers on the mountain.  We found one station that offered breakfast, and I was happy for the bento breakfast, even if it didn't have coffee.

At the crater, we turned right onto a quick bypass that would take us back to the Fujinomiya trail just long enough to take us back to our vehicle.

I was really hopeful that we were nearly there. Although the day was beautiful and I was happy for the experience and thankful for June for coordinating such a great trip with a good team of people, I was WIPED. I took one last look at the smaller peak adjacent to the crater, and then headed for the bus without any looks back. We were headed to an onsen before returning to Tokyo, and I was pretty sure that all of my muscles would appreciate a warm soak after an epic overnight hike.