I climbed Mt. Fuji while a raging typhoon passes. I wish I could say "How cool is that?" but I wouldn't really recommend it to anyone. Unless you have a death wish or something, scaling that big rocky mountain in a typhoon is not safe. The experience was horrible and insane. I'm just grateful to survived it without any injuries. The people I climbed with went home safely with only tender muscles and freezing hands to deal with. Miracles do happen!
So for those climbing Mt. Fuji, more than anything, WAIT for the RIGHT WEATHER CONDITIONS. Before climbing, you must certainly put on the right climbing gear, spend some days for cardio training and gather reliable people to climb with. But all these will be useless if the weather is against you. I had the right gear from head to foot but they're not enough to block the winds. I regularly jog and work out but I almost died of hypothermia. (I had to stop a couple of times and put my hands inside my pants cause they're already swollen and purple.) There was even an instance where my left hand froze while holding my walking stick. I had to ask my friend to help me unclench my hands around the stick. I had great cheerful people with me but the weather dampened (and soaked) their spirits. We didn't even have a picture together on the summit.
The worst part of this ordeal is this: We climbed for almost 8 hours against the wind, rain and common sense. But we didn't see the breathtaking sunrise Fuji is famous for- the very reason we're climbing. The summit took our breath away in a different terrible way. How frustrating it is to reach the top without even a consolation of a view! It's like walking to a restaurant tired and hungry you could almost taste the food in your mouth only to be told it's closed for the day.
It was almost 4 am when two of my friends and I arrived at Mt. Fuji's peak. If the weather was fine, we would be probably screaming for joy. But the winds became stronger, the rain became harder and the cold became colder. Upon reaching the top, all we wanted to do was to go down again and just go home. Instead of immediately going down, we gave Mother Nature a chance to change her mind on the weather. We waited for 3 hours on Mt. Fuji's peak hoping for a glimpse of the sun and a touch of some warmth. Seeing that weather's not going to improve anytime soon, we decided to risk descending the mountain with zero visibility. All I can see were rocks- sharp, jagged, big and small all look threatening to me. I went down shivering and praying "Lord, I don't want to lose my hands from this cold. I still have to blog about this whole thing." It was almost 11 am when I reached the 5th Station where the climbers are headquartered. Most of my friends have gone and only one was with me to go home with.
On the train back home, I talked with a group of Indonesian men who also climbed Mt. Fuji the same night we did. No one in their group reached the summit because of the harsh weather. When I heard this, a tinge of pride rose in me. I'm so skinny and weak compared to those men but I reached the top despite of the terrible weather. Maybe my resolve to reach the summit was stronger than the winds. I would be more frustrated had I not reach the top. I can't help the sense of accomplishment I'm feeling until now. I may not have seen the spectacular sunrise but I finished the course. I guess sometimes in life, our efforts won't be rewarded with trophies and medals but only with the finish line. And I think that's okay as long as I'm in one piece. It only means I can try again next year... or maybe not.
Check these links on how to really climb Mt. Fuji. I personally used them as my reference in preparation for the climb.
Climbing Mt. Fuji
What to Bring and Wear on the Mt. Fuji Climb
Fujiyoshida City
Mt. Fuji Explorer
Mt. Fuji Climbing
PS: I'll probably add my own tips once my fingers feel better. :)
