Climbing Mount Fuji

There is more way than one to scale a mountain. Many have several routes to the top.  Mt Fuji has four.  Along the trail, there are huts, big and small, where weary hikers can stop and rest. You can hike during the day, but most people choose to hike at night so they arrive at the summit in time to see the sunrise at about four thirty a.m.  It means the walk up starts at 10 or 11 o'clock the night before.

Of course you can also try what four people are going to do this fall.  They will climb Fuji four times in 24 hours to raise money for the Wounded Warrior Project.  That means on average it will take them six hours to go up and down. It will take us 10 to 12.  

Since I have only read about the huts and trails I will wait until we have firsthand experience before going into more detail.  I will tell you we are doing this without a guide.  The trails are marked and because there are so many other hikers we should be fine.  We will follow the pack and hope they are going in the right direction.
 

As this blog goes out, we should be arriving in Tokyo.  I will have more in a day or two, provided all gadgets are in working order. 

-- Diana Williams