rising sun

i can now report about the climb with a happier and less exhausted frame of mind, a good 12 hours after leaving the site of the ordeal.  if i had of packed my ibook i may have whipped it out on the descent (by far the most painful part) and possibly began the report something like this...

I totally recommend climbing mt fuji - if you FRIGGIN HATE YOURSELF!

but now after a good hard kip on the bus ride back to shinjuku, a long and relaxing scrub and a near unconscious slumber - i have started to look through the photos - all 623 of them - and its clear why we did it and why most people tackle such a task!

it was spectacular - actually beyond words - as the mountain started to transform from a dark rugged hunk of rock into an overwhelming wonderland bathed in colour and warmth we sat speechless and just soaked it up

(mama soaking it up)

All in all it was a calm ordeal, without injury - physical or emotional. there were times when i thought i would piss my pants with laughter and times when i thought one of us were just going to stop and drop - but we made it! to the top? - no...but to a position that allowed us the most breathtaking sunrise ever!

fuji is 3776 m high - we got past the 8th station and to a rocky outcrop at 3250m and the sun just wouldnt wait any longer, so we stopped, photographed and totally chilled.

coincidentally we were at the ascending and descending route meeting point, so without too much hesitation we decided to start the slide down- i think there was a slight bit of disappointment in our hearts that we didnt keep going to the "top" - but hey one mans top of the mt is another mans heart failure...we came, we conquered, we saw the rising sun!

memorable quotes from the climb...

overheard two japanese shop staff in the 5th station store:

A: there are alot of foreigners here

B: of course - japanese wouldnt climb mt fuji

mama mia - certainly the most vocal and hilarious

'those bloody bells are giving me the shits'

'holy fuck'

'i'm fine its just my heart and lungs'

'fancy bringing a dog up here'

'i just bashed my brains out on the toilet door - wanna take a photo of my lump'

'if i didnt have this bloody back pack i would be right!'

'whose idea was this?"

 

the constant calls from zume kept me going

'gambarro' (do your best)

'zutto issho' (always together)

I PROMISE to make a photo album tomorrow - its almost 2am and we are going to friggin disneyland tomorrow - i better get my beauty sleep before mingling with the likes of cinderella and minni