26 ~ 27 August, 2015
#29
Yoshida (5th Station) >> Summit >> Yoshida (5th Station)
[47th Birthday]
#29
Yoshida (5th Station) >> Summit >> Yoshida (5th Station)
[47th Birthday]
For my last two birthdays, my 45th and 46th I had run 45km and 46km respectively. Although I was not really in good running form my intention was to try and run 47km on my 47th birthday. The alternative was to climb to the Fuji summit and watch the sunrise. The Fuji option depended entirely on the weather and after a week or so of wet weather including a torrential downpour on the 25th, the forecast for 26th and 27th looked good for a birthday sunrise.
I got myself packed and ready the evening before and the following day made my way by the usual route to Fujisan Station. At Otsuki a helpful member of station staff told me about the Fujikyu Free Pass which for 3640 yen included a round trip ticket to Fujisan or Kawaguchiko, including the round trip bus to 5th Station. This provided both a small saving and the convenience of having just a single ticket. When I got to Fujisan Station I headed up to the 6th floor observation deck and from there all I could see was solid cloud and no sign of Fuji. The weather forecast at the top of Fuji was for clear weather which if correct would mean a sea of cloud looking back down.
This time I had avoided arriving at Fujisan too early and I took a largely empty bus up to the 5th Station arriving just before 5 o'clock. Above the cloud layer the sky was clear and looking up I could see the Fuji summit. I headed for the restaurant and sat there for the next few hours to acclimatize and to eat something before I headed up the trail. I planned to set of around 21:30 and try to make it to the summit for around 4 o'clock. Compared to my previous trip I was carrying a little extra weight in the shape of my tripod and my DSLR camera. The plan was to try and photograph the starry sky. This was something I had never tried before so I was excited about this prospect until I realized I forgotten to bring my camera mount. I would be lugging an extra couple of kilos as a result of forgetting one tiny bit of equipment. It didn't dampen spirits at all but it made me start thinking that I would need to come back again.
There were not many people in the restaurant and of those who were there, most were overseas visitors and the others seemed to be smaller groups of university students. A group of 3 young men sitting at a table nearby were struggling to figure out how to put on their spats so I showed them how to wear them. They were climbing Fuji for the first time and like many first time climbers they were putting on most of their gear even before they set out. I had done the same in the past but I knew from repeated climbs that as soon as you hit the first incline you found yourself having to remove extra layers. The extra layers were mostly useful as you get higher up and the waterproof or windproof clothing was what helped to keep you warm as you got higher. As long as you kept moving you always stayed warm. Anyway it was nice to help them a little bit although I didn't mention to them that it was going to be my 29th climb or that it was going to be my birthday. The 3 of them set out about 7:30 and I wished them luck and the told me they would see me at the top.
I finally left just after 9:30 and looking up towards the summit I could see a huge bright moon literally sitting over the summit. Looking down below I could see patches of diffused light coming up through the clouds. It felt a little colder than last time but conditions seemed to be perfect again. I had plenty of time so I kept a slow steady pace and continued on up, taking brief rests at some of the rest huts or stopping occasionally on the trail to take a quick break. Like last time when I got to the final 8th Station huts I decided to detour and join the Subashiri trail. Fuji was not as crowded as last time but there were a few large groups who were slowing down progress a little too much at times.
There was absolutely no one at all on the ascending Subashiri trail but I knew I could just keep heading up without any worry about clambering over any more rocks, being slowed down or slowing down anyone else. As I headed up the stream of headlights on the Yoshida trail were soon out of view and above I could see a sky full of stars. Then quite unexpectedly the wind picked up and a fine mist descended around the summit. It didn't feel dangerous in anyway but visibility fell to about 15 or 20 yards. 15 or 20 yards was about as much as I would work before stopping for a quick break. By the time I reached the top it was almost 4 o'clock.
The first thing I did was put on my extra layers and my wind proof clothing. The plan was to actually make my way around to the far side of the summit but the wind was much stronger than had been forecast so I headed away from the usual gathering place on the Yoshida side and headed a few hundred meters around the summit to a place with a bit of an rock overhang which I knew could provide a little shelter in case it started to rain. When I got there I found the spot also shielded me from the wind too so I settled myself down and waited.
The sky above had cleared of the mist again and I could see lots of stars. Below me I could make our the shapes of huge clouds. Everything seemed set for a very nice sunrise just like my last visit. While I waited I enjoyed a small birthday drink of umeshu, a plum flavoured Japanese alcoholic drink. As the sky started to brighten up there seemed to be no sign of the sun. I did however see what at first sight I thought were the lights of an aeroplane just above the clouds on the eastern horizon. It was the brightest thing in the sky at the time and it was only after I got home and checked on line that I learned that it was in all likelihood the morning star (the planet Venus).
I was joined by other people including a small guided group and we all continued to wait for the sun to make an appearance. It was well past the actual sunrise time and the heavy cloud cover below was probably what was causing the delay. The chances of seeing the sun at all seemed to be diminishing even more as a thick mist again enveloped the summit. Below I could see people who had given up seeing the sun and were already heading back down the Subashiri descending trail. I continued to wait and was rewarded with a totally unique experience, unlike any of the other sunrises I had seen before. A partial sun was visible through the thick mist and then a clear orb minus the brightness because of the mist. It created for quite a surreal setting on the Fuji summit. Then within a few minutes the sun seemed to banish the mist and the summit was bathed in warm bright sunshine.
I decided against walking around the summit. The main reason for that would have been to see the shadow on the other side but the sun was already climbing higher in the sky and with heavy cloud below I wasn't really sure I would see much of the shadow anyway. Plus, I was feeling extremely tired so I just headed back towards the descending trail and started to make my way back down. I stopped briefly to take a photograph of the wooden shrine gate and the sea of cloud and then continued on down.
The sky above cleared up really nicely as I headed on down and I stopped many times to take a short break. The heavy rains the day before had compacted the usually very loose trail so the conditions underfoot seemed to be a little easier than usual. About an hour later the mist closed in again and remained like for almost the remainder of the journey back to the 5th Station. The descent can feel like it is never ending because of the constant switch backs and today with it being misty it was impossible to visualize the end point which at least gives you a crude idea of how far you still have to go. However, having done it many times before I just kept my head down and kept going. I seemed to be in surprisingly good spirits and once I passed the 7th Station rest station I knew it was less than an hour back to the 5th Station.
I had not spoken to anyone during my climb. On my 40th birthday I had also visited Fuji and on that occasion I had joined an American couple at the summit and spent a cold few hours huddled together under a silver sheet. They had encouraged a happy birthday sing song and I had captured it on video and to this day it remains one of my favourite birthday and favourite Fuji moments. This time it was just me and Fuji, and I felt really quite contented with that. Along the way I came upon a grandfather grandson duo from the US. It was not until I was about 40 minutes from the the 5th Station that I found myself talking to another solo climber from France. His name was Alex and it turned out he had been on the same bus coming up to the 5th Station yesterday. He had set out earlier and stayed in a hut near the 8th Station before reaching the summit. We returned to the 5th Station together and while he went of to access the free wifi, I went and cleaned myself up a little.
The 5th Station was crowded with day visitors again and as I looked around I noticed the date and again was reminded that today was actually my birthday. I took a photograph and headed to the bus stop to queue up for the bus. It was while I was waiting for the bus to turn up that I spotted the 3 young men I had helped with the spats. I had not seen them at the top but they had safely made it up and down again. I told them it was my birthday and they wished me happy birthday and did something quite unexpected, one of them went and bought a birthday present and gave it to me. It was not a happy birthday sing song on the summit but it was really nice of them to do that. I asked if they would be on the bus going down and they were. I planned to get them something when we got of the bus.
They continued all the way to Fujisan Station and there I had just enough time to get them a box of souveniors from the shop. Their train was departing in a couple of minutes but they decided to catch a slightly later train which gave me enough time to get them each a couple of cans of beer too. Only one of them and myself drank the beer and it was enough to get me merry. They left on their train a short while later and another 30 minutes later I was also on my way too. A few hours later I was back home feeling quite exhausted but also quite happy that I had managed to enjoy a birthday sunrise from the summit of Fuji again.
I got myself packed and ready the evening before and the following day made my way by the usual route to Fujisan Station. At Otsuki a helpful member of station staff told me about the Fujikyu Free Pass which for 3640 yen included a round trip ticket to Fujisan or Kawaguchiko, including the round trip bus to 5th Station. This provided both a small saving and the convenience of having just a single ticket. When I got to Fujisan Station I headed up to the 6th floor observation deck and from there all I could see was solid cloud and no sign of Fuji. The weather forecast at the top of Fuji was for clear weather which if correct would mean a sea of cloud looking back down.
This time I had avoided arriving at Fujisan too early and I took a largely empty bus up to the 5th Station arriving just before 5 o'clock. Above the cloud layer the sky was clear and looking up I could see the Fuji summit. I headed for the restaurant and sat there for the next few hours to acclimatize and to eat something before I headed up the trail. I planned to set of around 21:30 and try to make it to the summit for around 4 o'clock. Compared to my previous trip I was carrying a little extra weight in the shape of my tripod and my DSLR camera. The plan was to try and photograph the starry sky. This was something I had never tried before so I was excited about this prospect until I realized I forgotten to bring my camera mount. I would be lugging an extra couple of kilos as a result of forgetting one tiny bit of equipment. It didn't dampen spirits at all but it made me start thinking that I would need to come back again.
There were not many people in the restaurant and of those who were there, most were overseas visitors and the others seemed to be smaller groups of university students. A group of 3 young men sitting at a table nearby were struggling to figure out how to put on their spats so I showed them how to wear them. They were climbing Fuji for the first time and like many first time climbers they were putting on most of their gear even before they set out. I had done the same in the past but I knew from repeated climbs that as soon as you hit the first incline you found yourself having to remove extra layers. The extra layers were mostly useful as you get higher up and the waterproof or windproof clothing was what helped to keep you warm as you got higher. As long as you kept moving you always stayed warm. Anyway it was nice to help them a little bit although I didn't mention to them that it was going to be my 29th climb or that it was going to be my birthday. The 3 of them set out about 7:30 and I wished them luck and the told me they would see me at the top.
I finally left just after 9:30 and looking up towards the summit I could see a huge bright moon literally sitting over the summit. Looking down below I could see patches of diffused light coming up through the clouds. It felt a little colder than last time but conditions seemed to be perfect again. I had plenty of time so I kept a slow steady pace and continued on up, taking brief rests at some of the rest huts or stopping occasionally on the trail to take a quick break. Like last time when I got to the final 8th Station huts I decided to detour and join the Subashiri trail. Fuji was not as crowded as last time but there were a few large groups who were slowing down progress a little too much at times.
There was absolutely no one at all on the ascending Subashiri trail but I knew I could just keep heading up without any worry about clambering over any more rocks, being slowed down or slowing down anyone else. As I headed up the stream of headlights on the Yoshida trail were soon out of view and above I could see a sky full of stars. Then quite unexpectedly the wind picked up and a fine mist descended around the summit. It didn't feel dangerous in anyway but visibility fell to about 15 or 20 yards. 15 or 20 yards was about as much as I would work before stopping for a quick break. By the time I reached the top it was almost 4 o'clock.
The first thing I did was put on my extra layers and my wind proof clothing. The plan was to actually make my way around to the far side of the summit but the wind was much stronger than had been forecast so I headed away from the usual gathering place on the Yoshida side and headed a few hundred meters around the summit to a place with a bit of an rock overhang which I knew could provide a little shelter in case it started to rain. When I got there I found the spot also shielded me from the wind too so I settled myself down and waited.
The sky above had cleared of the mist again and I could see lots of stars. Below me I could make our the shapes of huge clouds. Everything seemed set for a very nice sunrise just like my last visit. While I waited I enjoyed a small birthday drink of umeshu, a plum flavoured Japanese alcoholic drink. As the sky started to brighten up there seemed to be no sign of the sun. I did however see what at first sight I thought were the lights of an aeroplane just above the clouds on the eastern horizon. It was the brightest thing in the sky at the time and it was only after I got home and checked on line that I learned that it was in all likelihood the morning star (the planet Venus).
I was joined by other people including a small guided group and we all continued to wait for the sun to make an appearance. It was well past the actual sunrise time and the heavy cloud cover below was probably what was causing the delay. The chances of seeing the sun at all seemed to be diminishing even more as a thick mist again enveloped the summit. Below I could see people who had given up seeing the sun and were already heading back down the Subashiri descending trail. I continued to wait and was rewarded with a totally unique experience, unlike any of the other sunrises I had seen before. A partial sun was visible through the thick mist and then a clear orb minus the brightness because of the mist. It created for quite a surreal setting on the Fuji summit. Then within a few minutes the sun seemed to banish the mist and the summit was bathed in warm bright sunshine.
I decided against walking around the summit. The main reason for that would have been to see the shadow on the other side but the sun was already climbing higher in the sky and with heavy cloud below I wasn't really sure I would see much of the shadow anyway. Plus, I was feeling extremely tired so I just headed back towards the descending trail and started to make my way back down. I stopped briefly to take a photograph of the wooden shrine gate and the sea of cloud and then continued on down.
The sky above cleared up really nicely as I headed on down and I stopped many times to take a short break. The heavy rains the day before had compacted the usually very loose trail so the conditions underfoot seemed to be a little easier than usual. About an hour later the mist closed in again and remained like for almost the remainder of the journey back to the 5th Station. The descent can feel like it is never ending because of the constant switch backs and today with it being misty it was impossible to visualize the end point which at least gives you a crude idea of how far you still have to go. However, having done it many times before I just kept my head down and kept going. I seemed to be in surprisingly good spirits and once I passed the 7th Station rest station I knew it was less than an hour back to the 5th Station.
I had not spoken to anyone during my climb. On my 40th birthday I had also visited Fuji and on that occasion I had joined an American couple at the summit and spent a cold few hours huddled together under a silver sheet. They had encouraged a happy birthday sing song and I had captured it on video and to this day it remains one of my favourite birthday and favourite Fuji moments. This time it was just me and Fuji, and I felt really quite contented with that. Along the way I came upon a grandfather grandson duo from the US. It was not until I was about 40 minutes from the the 5th Station that I found myself talking to another solo climber from France. His name was Alex and it turned out he had been on the same bus coming up to the 5th Station yesterday. He had set out earlier and stayed in a hut near the 8th Station before reaching the summit. We returned to the 5th Station together and while he went of to access the free wifi, I went and cleaned myself up a little.
The 5th Station was crowded with day visitors again and as I looked around I noticed the date and again was reminded that today was actually my birthday. I took a photograph and headed to the bus stop to queue up for the bus. It was while I was waiting for the bus to turn up that I spotted the 3 young men I had helped with the spats. I had not seen them at the top but they had safely made it up and down again. I told them it was my birthday and they wished me happy birthday and did something quite unexpected, one of them went and bought a birthday present and gave it to me. It was not a happy birthday sing song on the summit but it was really nice of them to do that. I asked if they would be on the bus going down and they were. I planned to get them something when we got of the bus.
They continued all the way to Fujisan Station and there I had just enough time to get them a box of souveniors from the shop. Their train was departing in a couple of minutes but they decided to catch a slightly later train which gave me enough time to get them each a couple of cans of beer too. Only one of them and myself drank the beer and it was enough to get me merry. They left on their train a short while later and another 30 minutes later I was also on my way too. A few hours later I was back home feeling quite exhausted but also quite happy that I had managed to enjoy a birthday sunrise from the summit of Fuji again.