22 ~ 23 July 2012
#17
Subashiri (5th Station) >> Summit >> Yoshida (5th Station)
[Mimi & Haru]
#17
Subashiri (5th Station) >> Summit >> Yoshida (5th Station)
[Mimi & Haru]
This was a climb with 2 friends Mimi and Haru, both climbing for the very first time. We set out from the Subashiri 5th Station around 17:00. The Subashiri trail is not as rocky as the more popular Yoshida trail but it is longer and very steep in places. Although it starts at a slightly lower elevation than the Yoshida trail I figured it would be a little easier and definitely a lot less crowded.
The main purpose of this trip was to help Mimi do her first climb. Mimi had never done anything as tough as this before but I was hopeful that we could all make it to the very top. Haru, Mimi's friend looked quite strong so I had no doubts that she could do it. Mimi, despite her best efforts was starting to suffer from altitude sickness from around the 7th Station onwards. In the end the high altitude won and she decided to stop at the 8th Station (3400m) unable to carry on without a lengthy rest.
Haru was still up for the challenge and from the 8th Station we had 90 minutes before sunrise. After leaving Mimi in the safety of one of the mountain huts along with most of our belongings, Haru and I practically raced to the summit to see the sunrise. We made it to the summit with time to spare. Down below us was a sea of cloud and it looked like it did the very first time I climbed Fuji. After seeing the sunrise we descended rapidly back to around the 8th Station mountain hut where we had left Mimi and after getting our things together, made the slow winding twisting descent to the Yoshida 5th Station. After a well deserved Mt. Fuji Curry the 3 of us returned to Shinjuku on the Highway Bus.
A memorable climb for Haru because she made it to the summit. Memorable too for Mimi because she put up a brave fight and had we left earlier or planned the journey differently I am confident she would have made it too. The main lesson seemed to be that if you are not really sure about your fitness it is better to do it in two stages and sleep over in one of the mountain huts or just give yourself a lot of time.