27 ~ 28 September, 2014
#27
Subashiri (5th Station) >> Summit >> Yoshida (5th Station)
[Solitude and silence]
#27
Subashiri (5th Station) >> Summit >> Yoshida (5th Station)
[Solitude and silence]
Last weekend as I had headed down Mt. Fuji to the Yoshida 5th Station after spending a very cold night on the summit I was thinking it would be the final trip in 2014 but after getting home and checking what the weather forecast had been I noticed that the weather forecast for the following weekend was looking very good. The weather looked like it would remain good and after a midweek typhoon passed across Japan things seemed to be really looking up so I decided towards the end of the week that I would go again.
Having failed to see the sunset on previous trips I decided that the sunset was going to be a real goal this time. I left home even earlier and took the 05:25 train from my local station and was at the Subashiri 5th Station a little before 10 o'clock with the weather looking bright and sunny. I took the briefest of breaks at the 5th Station and was then on my way just after 10 o'clock. My pack was even heavier than last week because this time I was carrying my camera tripod and an extra lenses. However, I felt much better than last week and was confident II would be on the summit well before sunset.
I came across a few climbers coming back down but on the whole I didn't meet many people. The first hut that remains open past the usual climbing season was all boarded up. I stopped outside for a water break and then just continued up. The lower part of the Subashiri provides cover from the sun and at times it was very welcome because it was turning into quite a warm day. Once past the tree line it was possible to see up to the summit and unlike last week it was completely clear.
The next hut I came across was still open and I could hear voices inside. I was wondering why they were still open but the following day I would speak to hikers who told me they had stayed there. I again just stopped for a drink break and for something to eat and then continued onto the final pair of huts on the Subashiri trail before it joins with the Yoshida trail. After joining the Yoshida trail at the 7th Station I decided to do what I had done last week which was to join the the Yoshida trail. The Subashiri trail is definitely much harder to hike up than the Yoshida trail. As I discoverd last week the distance to the summit for both the Subashiri and Yoshida trails from their respective 5th Stations is almost identical. The Subashiri trail however starts at 2000m as opposed to 2300m for the Yoshida trail but it climbs more steeply to the summit.
I took a break at the 8th Station huts on the Yoshida huts like I did the previous week. I spoke briefly to 2 overseas climbers who were wondering if they had enough time to make it to the summit and then back down again in daylight. I knew it was about an hour to the summit and with it being only 2:00 PM I told them they were fairly close to the summit so they continued on up. I rested up for a short time and as I looked down the descending trail I was surprised to see someone cycling down on their mountain bike. I had seen people carrying skis up the mountain in the early climbing season when there is still some snow but never a bike. On my way to the summit I came across two more climbers carrying their bikes to the summit. I wouldn't meet them again on the summit but the following day I saw their tyre tracks on the descending trail so hopefully they too both made it back down safely.
There was no one on the summit near the main shrine or the buildings when I passed under the final shrine gate onto the summit. My plan now was to walk clockwise around the summit to the other side to wait for sunset. As I continued round I spotted the 2 earlier hikers up on a mound with another Japanese shrine gate. It was slightly away from the trail so I didn't stop to talk to them but continued slowly round. A couple of hikers passed me coming the other way and then I continued until I arrived at the Gotemba trail which has a large hut where it's possible to stay during the climbing season and a shrine where I once set up my tent on a very wet night. I spotted a few people and a sturdy looking tent in the same spot I had pitched my tent. As I continued past I found 2 more tents near the crater behind the shrine. It made me wish I had also brought my own tent.
I continued up the very steep incline towards the weather station and then continued on to the spot where you get a perfect view of the Fuji shadow at sunrise. It was just after 4 o'clock so I had about 90 minutes to wait. The weather was still relatively warm so I changed out of my sweat soaked tops and put on some dry clothing and then the rest of my warm weather gear. It was not cold but standing at the top it was starting to feel colder whenever the wind picked up. The good thing was that the weather forecast had been for very light winds and in fact on the whole there had been virtually no wind at all.
Sunset was scheduled to be at 17:35 so I moved close to a rock out crop to shield myself from the wind and just waited enjoying the beautiful scenery looking down towards the west. On the eastern ridge I could make out the shapes of people against a clear blue sky. As I waited I was joined by 4 non-Japanese climbers who were dressed relatively lightly and were just walking around the summit before heading down again. After a brief chat with them they disappeared and I continued to wait. I was not expecting anyone else to run up but I was joined by a Japanese climber and I don't know how the conversation started but he was on his fourth visit to Fuji and like his previous visits was there just to photograph the night sky. He had a nice camera and said he had driven there from Yokohama and come up the Fujinomiya trail in order to take photographs. After sharing a few stories we waited for the sunset. As the sun slowly went down I could make out the top of the Fuji shadow on the east side of Fuji. After watching the sun disappear I decided to head back to the east side before it got dark. My photographer friend was going to stay put and he pulled on a heavy jacket and we said our goodbyes and I then continued around the summit.
Looking back I could see a thin sliver of a new moon just above the Fuji summit. I continued all the way round and checked to see if I would have any company on the summit but there was no one. I continued further past where I was going to stop just to look back across the summit to the other side to see photograph the moon. It looked really great. To my right I saw another tent. Someone had pitched their tent behind the buildings where I was going to spend my night. I returned to the same spot I was last weekend and set up my sleeping mat and sleeping bag. The weather forecast was much better than last week so I was expecting a slightly easier time this time. Last week the cloud below had completely cleared away and I could easily make out the towns far below but on this trip there was still some cloud far below so I didn't have the same night view which I had hoped to photograph. Above the sky looked like it would be nice and clear and I could already make out lots of stars even before it got completely dark.
It soon got dark but it temperatures remained fine until some time afer midnight when it started to feel a little cold again but nothing like last week. I ate a few snacks and continued my wait. No one turned up and I occasionally got up to look around and look down the east side of the summit to see if I could make out any headlights of climbers coming up. I expected some people and sure enough I could make out the faint glimmer of a few lights here and there far below. I returned to my spot and tucked myself up in my sleeping bag and just before midnight I spotted a headlight coming towards me. Whoever it was passed me by and then returned again and this time I issued a greeting and it turned out to be my photographer friend who I had left on the other side of the summit a few hours earlier. He said he had taken some good shots and was going to head back down to the Fujinomiya 5th Station and drive home. Before he left I gave him my email address so he could send me details of his personal website where he told me he uploaded his photographs.
One or two climbers went and came and it wasn't until around 03:00 that the first small groups of climbers started to appear. I expected to see more but there were fewer than last weekend. Sunrise was 05:37 and just before 5 o'clock I got up and put everything away in my pack. I then headed anti-clockwise away from the main area where people usually wait. The sky was cloudy far below but there would be a nice sunrise. I had seen plenty of sunrises before so I decided to head to the west side again to the spot where you wait for the Fuji shadow to appear.
One other climber was approaching from the other direction when I stopped at the spot for the shadow. He took up position a little further away but obviously was also there for the shadow just like me. A little while later another Japanese climber turned up and we exchanged a friendly nod but said nothing to each other. The sun broke over the eastern ridge and lit up the summit proper. I was focusing both east and west and as the other climber seemed ready to leave I asked if he had seen the Fuji shadow. My Japanese is pretty poor but my fellow climber turned out to be have great English. I told him he would be very impressed if he stayed just a little longer. He had arrived with 7 of his friends all the way from Sendai. They had driven to Fuji and climbed up the Fujinomiya trail and he alone had decided to walk around the summit. He was anxious about not leaving his friends waiting too long for him near the Gotemba / Fujinomiya trails but waited as the shadow soon appeared and grew out towards the horizon. When he saw the shadow he was definitely impressed and glad he had stayed. Photographs taken, we said our goodbyes and he rushed of to meet his waiting friends.
While I had been walking around the crater yesterday and this morning I had heard the sounds of and seen small birds on the summit. I had not expected to see such small birds so high up. The looked like starlings and behaved like town starlings do when they want a little food. This morning too I saw several and a small group of 4 or 5 landed on a out crop not far from where I had been waiting to see the Fuji shadow. They're definitely more wild than regular town starlings but they stopped long enough to give me enough time to photograph them.
I waited a little longer to enjoy the sight of shadow and the surrounding scenery and then retraced my steps back to the other side of the summit. There I removed all my extra layers and sat and ate a few snacks. I packed everything away and just as it turned 7 o'clock I started to head back down. I would only meet a group of 3 hikers on the way down. The walk down was nice and steady and surprisingly more comfortable than usual. The ground was a little damp and I could tell by the caterpillar tracks that a heavy earth moving machine had driven up and down the trail and completely broken the larger rocks into much smaller rocks and compacted the whole trail. The walk down is sometimes the hardest thing afterwards but this time it was maybe one of the easiest descents that I could remember.
As I neared the 7th Station where the Subashiri and Yoshida trails merge I saw a few more hikers coming up. I stopped to chat briefly to a non-Japanese family group inching their way slowly up the Subashiri trail. I told them they could skip to the slightly easier Yoshida trail which was accessible a short way away. Looking back I noticed they had taken my advice. I then stopped at the final hut to take a break and enjoy the view. An Australian couple were also taking a break and I got chatting to them and discovered they had stayed in the hut that was still open on the Subashiri trail. The woman told me they had spent quite a cold night in the hut and commended me for having managed to spend the whole night on the summit. Again we exchanged goodbyes and I continued on down, stopping only once more at the 7th Station rest area and then continuing on all the way to the Yoshida 5th Station.
I had wanted to buy some souveniors and make it for the first bus down at 09:40. I was back at the 5th Station at 09:20 and having bought my souveniors I headed for the bus stop. The bus driver had just driven up and was taking a break when he asked if I had just come from the top. I told him I had and asked if he had ever climbed to the top. He said he hadn't so I showed him the photograph of the shadow and the small birds. The small birds he said changed colour in the winter to all white, in fact their plumage changes with the seasons. Mt. Fuji looks like nothing really lives there but around 2000m there is still a lot of tree cover and I have seen other smaller animals, mostly insects. On this trip I had seen plenty of insects and near one of the huts a small mouse. Lower down the driver told me there are wild boars, deer and bears too. They usually keep well away from hikers.
I was back down at Fujisan Station by 10:40. My slower local train was leaving at 11:36 so I stopped at the Mos Burger for something to eat and quickly went up to the Fuji viewing deck at the stop of the station building for a last look at Fuji before heading to the platform to take my train. I was back home by 3 o'clock.
I had not slept at all for more than 36 hours but I felt surprisingly good after a very nice 27th visit Fuji. The weather had been great. I had enjoyed the sunset and the sunrise. I'd also seen the Fuji shadow and another starry sky with the occasional shooting star. One of the best things was the absolute silence that I sometimes felt on the summit. The wind had remained almost totally calm through the whole trip. I had also spoken to a many more people than I normally do and all in all it had been a great trip to Fuji.
Note: During this trip another mountain, Mt. Ontake which like Fuji is also a volcano erupted. I only became aware of this after I returned home from Fuji. I was watching the sunset from the west side of the Fuji summit and in some of my photographs I have inadvertently captured the ash cloud that was being emitted from Mt. Ontake. I spent the whole night on the summit back on the east side and at times there was a strong sulphur like smell. It was a little disconcerting because I was wondering if something was stiring under Fuji. In all likelihood the smell was probably from Mt. Ontake even though it was about 100km or so away. The eruption at Mt. Ontake has sadly, so far claimed 47 lives with others still unaccounted for.
Having failed to see the sunset on previous trips I decided that the sunset was going to be a real goal this time. I left home even earlier and took the 05:25 train from my local station and was at the Subashiri 5th Station a little before 10 o'clock with the weather looking bright and sunny. I took the briefest of breaks at the 5th Station and was then on my way just after 10 o'clock. My pack was even heavier than last week because this time I was carrying my camera tripod and an extra lenses. However, I felt much better than last week and was confident II would be on the summit well before sunset.
I came across a few climbers coming back down but on the whole I didn't meet many people. The first hut that remains open past the usual climbing season was all boarded up. I stopped outside for a water break and then just continued up. The lower part of the Subashiri provides cover from the sun and at times it was very welcome because it was turning into quite a warm day. Once past the tree line it was possible to see up to the summit and unlike last week it was completely clear.
The next hut I came across was still open and I could hear voices inside. I was wondering why they were still open but the following day I would speak to hikers who told me they had stayed there. I again just stopped for a drink break and for something to eat and then continued onto the final pair of huts on the Subashiri trail before it joins with the Yoshida trail. After joining the Yoshida trail at the 7th Station I decided to do what I had done last week which was to join the the Yoshida trail. The Subashiri trail is definitely much harder to hike up than the Yoshida trail. As I discoverd last week the distance to the summit for both the Subashiri and Yoshida trails from their respective 5th Stations is almost identical. The Subashiri trail however starts at 2000m as opposed to 2300m for the Yoshida trail but it climbs more steeply to the summit.
I took a break at the 8th Station huts on the Yoshida huts like I did the previous week. I spoke briefly to 2 overseas climbers who were wondering if they had enough time to make it to the summit and then back down again in daylight. I knew it was about an hour to the summit and with it being only 2:00 PM I told them they were fairly close to the summit so they continued on up. I rested up for a short time and as I looked down the descending trail I was surprised to see someone cycling down on their mountain bike. I had seen people carrying skis up the mountain in the early climbing season when there is still some snow but never a bike. On my way to the summit I came across two more climbers carrying their bikes to the summit. I wouldn't meet them again on the summit but the following day I saw their tyre tracks on the descending trail so hopefully they too both made it back down safely.
There was no one on the summit near the main shrine or the buildings when I passed under the final shrine gate onto the summit. My plan now was to walk clockwise around the summit to the other side to wait for sunset. As I continued round I spotted the 2 earlier hikers up on a mound with another Japanese shrine gate. It was slightly away from the trail so I didn't stop to talk to them but continued slowly round. A couple of hikers passed me coming the other way and then I continued until I arrived at the Gotemba trail which has a large hut where it's possible to stay during the climbing season and a shrine where I once set up my tent on a very wet night. I spotted a few people and a sturdy looking tent in the same spot I had pitched my tent. As I continued past I found 2 more tents near the crater behind the shrine. It made me wish I had also brought my own tent.
I continued up the very steep incline towards the weather station and then continued on to the spot where you get a perfect view of the Fuji shadow at sunrise. It was just after 4 o'clock so I had about 90 minutes to wait. The weather was still relatively warm so I changed out of my sweat soaked tops and put on some dry clothing and then the rest of my warm weather gear. It was not cold but standing at the top it was starting to feel colder whenever the wind picked up. The good thing was that the weather forecast had been for very light winds and in fact on the whole there had been virtually no wind at all.
Sunset was scheduled to be at 17:35 so I moved close to a rock out crop to shield myself from the wind and just waited enjoying the beautiful scenery looking down towards the west. On the eastern ridge I could make out the shapes of people against a clear blue sky. As I waited I was joined by 4 non-Japanese climbers who were dressed relatively lightly and were just walking around the summit before heading down again. After a brief chat with them they disappeared and I continued to wait. I was not expecting anyone else to run up but I was joined by a Japanese climber and I don't know how the conversation started but he was on his fourth visit to Fuji and like his previous visits was there just to photograph the night sky. He had a nice camera and said he had driven there from Yokohama and come up the Fujinomiya trail in order to take photographs. After sharing a few stories we waited for the sunset. As the sun slowly went down I could make out the top of the Fuji shadow on the east side of Fuji. After watching the sun disappear I decided to head back to the east side before it got dark. My photographer friend was going to stay put and he pulled on a heavy jacket and we said our goodbyes and I then continued around the summit.
Looking back I could see a thin sliver of a new moon just above the Fuji summit. I continued all the way round and checked to see if I would have any company on the summit but there was no one. I continued further past where I was going to stop just to look back across the summit to the other side to see photograph the moon. It looked really great. To my right I saw another tent. Someone had pitched their tent behind the buildings where I was going to spend my night. I returned to the same spot I was last weekend and set up my sleeping mat and sleeping bag. The weather forecast was much better than last week so I was expecting a slightly easier time this time. Last week the cloud below had completely cleared away and I could easily make out the towns far below but on this trip there was still some cloud far below so I didn't have the same night view which I had hoped to photograph. Above the sky looked like it would be nice and clear and I could already make out lots of stars even before it got completely dark.
It soon got dark but it temperatures remained fine until some time afer midnight when it started to feel a little cold again but nothing like last week. I ate a few snacks and continued my wait. No one turned up and I occasionally got up to look around and look down the east side of the summit to see if I could make out any headlights of climbers coming up. I expected some people and sure enough I could make out the faint glimmer of a few lights here and there far below. I returned to my spot and tucked myself up in my sleeping bag and just before midnight I spotted a headlight coming towards me. Whoever it was passed me by and then returned again and this time I issued a greeting and it turned out to be my photographer friend who I had left on the other side of the summit a few hours earlier. He said he had taken some good shots and was going to head back down to the Fujinomiya 5th Station and drive home. Before he left I gave him my email address so he could send me details of his personal website where he told me he uploaded his photographs.
One or two climbers went and came and it wasn't until around 03:00 that the first small groups of climbers started to appear. I expected to see more but there were fewer than last weekend. Sunrise was 05:37 and just before 5 o'clock I got up and put everything away in my pack. I then headed anti-clockwise away from the main area where people usually wait. The sky was cloudy far below but there would be a nice sunrise. I had seen plenty of sunrises before so I decided to head to the west side again to the spot where you wait for the Fuji shadow to appear.
One other climber was approaching from the other direction when I stopped at the spot for the shadow. He took up position a little further away but obviously was also there for the shadow just like me. A little while later another Japanese climber turned up and we exchanged a friendly nod but said nothing to each other. The sun broke over the eastern ridge and lit up the summit proper. I was focusing both east and west and as the other climber seemed ready to leave I asked if he had seen the Fuji shadow. My Japanese is pretty poor but my fellow climber turned out to be have great English. I told him he would be very impressed if he stayed just a little longer. He had arrived with 7 of his friends all the way from Sendai. They had driven to Fuji and climbed up the Fujinomiya trail and he alone had decided to walk around the summit. He was anxious about not leaving his friends waiting too long for him near the Gotemba / Fujinomiya trails but waited as the shadow soon appeared and grew out towards the horizon. When he saw the shadow he was definitely impressed and glad he had stayed. Photographs taken, we said our goodbyes and he rushed of to meet his waiting friends.
While I had been walking around the crater yesterday and this morning I had heard the sounds of and seen small birds on the summit. I had not expected to see such small birds so high up. The looked like starlings and behaved like town starlings do when they want a little food. This morning too I saw several and a small group of 4 or 5 landed on a out crop not far from where I had been waiting to see the Fuji shadow. They're definitely more wild than regular town starlings but they stopped long enough to give me enough time to photograph them.
I waited a little longer to enjoy the sight of shadow and the surrounding scenery and then retraced my steps back to the other side of the summit. There I removed all my extra layers and sat and ate a few snacks. I packed everything away and just as it turned 7 o'clock I started to head back down. I would only meet a group of 3 hikers on the way down. The walk down was nice and steady and surprisingly more comfortable than usual. The ground was a little damp and I could tell by the caterpillar tracks that a heavy earth moving machine had driven up and down the trail and completely broken the larger rocks into much smaller rocks and compacted the whole trail. The walk down is sometimes the hardest thing afterwards but this time it was maybe one of the easiest descents that I could remember.
As I neared the 7th Station where the Subashiri and Yoshida trails merge I saw a few more hikers coming up. I stopped to chat briefly to a non-Japanese family group inching their way slowly up the Subashiri trail. I told them they could skip to the slightly easier Yoshida trail which was accessible a short way away. Looking back I noticed they had taken my advice. I then stopped at the final hut to take a break and enjoy the view. An Australian couple were also taking a break and I got chatting to them and discovered they had stayed in the hut that was still open on the Subashiri trail. The woman told me they had spent quite a cold night in the hut and commended me for having managed to spend the whole night on the summit. Again we exchanged goodbyes and I continued on down, stopping only once more at the 7th Station rest area and then continuing on all the way to the Yoshida 5th Station.
I had wanted to buy some souveniors and make it for the first bus down at 09:40. I was back at the 5th Station at 09:20 and having bought my souveniors I headed for the bus stop. The bus driver had just driven up and was taking a break when he asked if I had just come from the top. I told him I had and asked if he had ever climbed to the top. He said he hadn't so I showed him the photograph of the shadow and the small birds. The small birds he said changed colour in the winter to all white, in fact their plumage changes with the seasons. Mt. Fuji looks like nothing really lives there but around 2000m there is still a lot of tree cover and I have seen other smaller animals, mostly insects. On this trip I had seen plenty of insects and near one of the huts a small mouse. Lower down the driver told me there are wild boars, deer and bears too. They usually keep well away from hikers.
I was back down at Fujisan Station by 10:40. My slower local train was leaving at 11:36 so I stopped at the Mos Burger for something to eat and quickly went up to the Fuji viewing deck at the stop of the station building for a last look at Fuji before heading to the platform to take my train. I was back home by 3 o'clock.
I had not slept at all for more than 36 hours but I felt surprisingly good after a very nice 27th visit Fuji. The weather had been great. I had enjoyed the sunset and the sunrise. I'd also seen the Fuji shadow and another starry sky with the occasional shooting star. One of the best things was the absolute silence that I sometimes felt on the summit. The wind had remained almost totally calm through the whole trip. I had also spoken to a many more people than I normally do and all in all it had been a great trip to Fuji.
Note: During this trip another mountain, Mt. Ontake which like Fuji is also a volcano erupted. I only became aware of this after I returned home from Fuji. I was watching the sunset from the west side of the Fuji summit and in some of my photographs I have inadvertently captured the ash cloud that was being emitted from Mt. Ontake. I spent the whole night on the summit back on the east side and at times there was a strong sulphur like smell. It was a little disconcerting because I was wondering if something was stiring under Fuji. In all likelihood the smell was probably from Mt. Ontake even though it was about 100km or so away. The eruption at Mt. Ontake has sadly, so far claimed 47 lives with others still unaccounted for.