How NOT To Climb Mt. Fuji

How NOT To Climb Mt. Fuji

Hi. With the 2025 Mount Fuji hiking season quickly approaching, as well as the one-year anniversary of my own ascent to the top of that mountain, I wanted to make this video to assist new hikers in planning out their trip by way of learning from my experience, learning from my errors. Now, I wouldn’t exactly call myself a well seasoned hiker. I get around to making a few hikes each year, but there are certainly way more people who have way more authority on the subject of climbing mountains. Essentially, I’m not getting into the Salty Spatoon. I’ll go to Weeny Hot Juniors any day, but Salty Spatoon, that’s pretty off limits for me at this point in terms of climbing mountains. Weeny Hot Juniors. All that to say, if you’re looking for a layman’s perspective on what it was like to climb Mount Fuji, you’ve come to the right place. If you’re one of those K2 super light barefoot trailblazers, um, you’re probably also in the right place if you’re looking for a novice to laugh at or laugh with. I don’t know. I can laugh at myself. Let me take you step by step through this journey, highlighting my victories and my errors. So, if you ever get the inkling to climb Mount Fuji, you’ll remember what not to do. Oh, and by the way, I did make it to the summit, though I probably shouldn’t have. Oh, it’s cold. It is so cold. Mount Fuji is the tallest. You know what? I’m going to take this off. This is really hot. This isn’t too sweaty, is it? Mount Fuji is the tallest mountain in Japan. At 3,776 m, or in hamburger units, 12,388 ft, it soarses above the Japanese countryside and all other mountains around it. It’s actually not very tall in the grand scheme of things. I mean, it’s one of the tallest mountains in Asia. Yeah, but Mount Everest is more than two times its height. As it is an active volcano, the whole area around Mount Fuji is buzzing with geothermal activity. You can find many great onens or hot springs in the town surrounding the base of the beast. In spite of its status as an active volcano, Mount Fuji hasn’t erupted in over 300 years. Its snowcapped peak is instantly iconic, having inspired countless woodblock prints, paintings, poems, films, and combini photo opportunities. I mean, it’s got its own emoji. Not many things in this world have their own emojis. Well, I guess there is the Easter Island head. Statue of Liberty, Tokyo Tower. This is the most I’ve ever used this touchpad. This mountain also holds a lot of religious significance to the many practitioners of Shintoism. You can see this by the shrines that dot the landscape and along the trails leading up to the summit. Now, this is just a very brief overview of the very long history that Mount Fuji has. And honestly, for most of this, I’m just reading off of Wikipedia. So, now I want to switch it over to what climbing Mount Fuji looks like in the 21st century. Mount Fuji gets a little over 200,000 climbers per year in a climbing season that lasts just over 2 months. Because the summit is covered in snow for most of the year, and because the weather is usually unpredictable as you get towards the top, the trails are closed off to the general public until the summer. If you’re watching this in 2025, the hiking season this year is from July 10th to September 10th, with the exception of the Yoshida Trail, which starts July 1st. Mount Fuji. First day the season just opened. And here we go up to Mount Fuji. There are four main trails that lead to the top of Mount Fuji. Each with their own perks and quirks. In order of popularity, they are the Yoshida Trail, the Fujomia trail, the Sububashiri trail, and the Gota Trail. That last one being the longest and most difficult. But then again, it is the least crowded. I kind of make a big deal about things being crowded versus not crowded, especially when it comes to hiking. You know, that was certainly something that I was thinking about when I was planning my trip when considering which trail to climb. I see these videos of long snaking lines coming down from the summit at like 3 in the morning as people line up to watch the sunrise. That’s not the sort of thing that like I’m interested in. It’s not like a claustrophobia thing, but like I can kind of see how it could be a little claustrophobic like that. Overcrowding and over tourism are on the headlines and on everyone’s minds in Japan right now. Closing off specific areas of Kyoto to tourists. restaurants with signs that say Japanese speakers only. They put a tarp along that sidewalk with the good view of the Kini and Mount Fuji so that you can’t take the picture of the Kini with Mount Fuji in the background. Are you kidding me? Without getting too much deeper into this topic, Yamanashi and Shizuoka have found their own ways of dealing with this little over tourism headache. Hiking limits and hiking fees. Yamanashi Prefecture limits the amount of hikers to 4,000 people per day. There’s also a mandatory fee of 4,000 yen. Now, in Shizuoka Prefecture, they don’t have that uh limitation on the amount of people, but they still have the fee, the hiking fee, the fee that they hiked up. They hiked up the hiking fee. This whole mandatory fee thing is relatively new. They started it back in 2024 just for Yamanashi Prefecture. They claim they need money to help upkeep the trails as the flood of over tourism now jeopardizes the safety of individuals climbing the mountain, which I totally believe. Mount Fuji can be a very dangerous place. I mean, it’s literally in the middle of the wilderness. And without proper upkeep of its trails and facilities, and with climbers not following regulations and guidelines, a fun climb can turn into a dangerous situation. I’ve heard stories of tourists climbing in flip-flops. I’ve heard stories of tourists climbing with their luggage. Japanese media loves this stuff because it’s like, look at wacky tourists climbing up with all their luggage like the airports on the top of the mountain. Climbing Mount Fuji can even be fatal as around 10 people each year die on the mountain or as a result of its conditions. Just as I was recording this video, I found a news report of a 67-year-old American man who was rescued from his tent just days before the trails opened. He claimed that he didn’t see signs saying that hiking was off limits. Temperatures were well below freezing and he had hiked up in sandals. This was his third time climbing Mount Fuji. Also, when rescuers unzipped his tent, they found him butt naked, which I thought was really funny until I found out it’s a result of a condition called paradoxical undressing that happens in late stages of hypothermia. He was minutes from death. On all four trails, there are various rules and best practices related to each individual climb. stuff like the time of day you’re allowed to climb, if you need to pre-register, if you need to watch a safety video, and other things. I’ll put a link in the description to the official Mount Fuji hiking website where you can see all of the information you will need when planning your specific hike. But heading up the mountain without knowing anything about it can be dangerous. So, with our little history and background out of the way, I want to get into the story of my specific climb to the top. all of my trials and errors, all of my victories and failures, every guideline that I didn’t listen to and that I definitely should have. And it all begins back in 2022. So from 2022 to 2024, I was employed as an ALT through the Jet program. I spent most of the working day either teaching high school English or sitting at a desk doing nothing, wishing I could be teaching high school English. I lived in Kumamoto Prefecture and although it was pretty rural, I could not have asked for a better placement. As a side note, my friend and I have a weekly podcast where we relive our greatest moments on the Jet program and offer advice to those who are about to move to Japan as an ALT. It’s called the Deskwarmers Podcast and you should really check it out. It’s literally on this channel. Anyway, my teaching contract expired in July of 2024, although I had a hard deadline to leave the country by August 24th of that same year. So, I had about 1 month where I could just kind of do whatever I wanted before I left the country. I spent some time traveling around central Japan with a few longtime friends. I revisited some of my favorite places in Kyushu and I finally had time to cross out the single highest item on my bucket list. I found a hiking partner. I reserved a mountain hut. I reserved accommodations for before and after my climb and I bought my plane ticket. The plan was simple. From August 14th to the 18th, I would travel to Tokyo and stay by myself in a hostel. On the 18th, I would then meet up with my hiking partner. We would then start climbing Mount Fuji on August 19th, staying the night in a mountain hut. And in the morning, climbing to the top to watch the sunrise on August 20th. We would then climb back down the mountain, take a train back to Tokyo, and stay the night, flying back to Kumamoto on the 21st. I would then spend one whole day in Kumamoto August 22nd, then fly back to the United States on August 23rd, exactly 2 years and 1 month after I first left for Japan. I had everything planned out and it was perfect. But sorry, Miss Jackson, you can plan a pretty picnic, but you can’t predict the weather. I set out for my adventure on the afternoon of August 14th. But as I was on my way to the airport, I realized that my trip could be impacted by the mother of all typhoon activity set to hit within the week. I was sitting on the runway praying that a typhoon wouldn’t affect my flight, my days in Tokyo, and most importantly, my hike. So, just before midnight on the 14th, I managed to make it to my hostel and get settled in. The next day, I did some shopping in Tokyo’s Daikonyama district. Awesome neighborhood. Shout out to Dry Bones. They gave me the shirt. Well, they didn’t give it to me. I bought it. It was admittedly kind of out of my budget. At the end of the day on the 15th, I hung out with some other travelers from the hostel I was staying at. Now, on August 16th, all hell did break loose. It was pounding down rain all day and because there was nothing outside that I could do, I ended up watching three separate movies in three different movie theaters. I saw The Holdovers, Children of the Corn, and The Fall Guy. Anyway, that was the 16th. On the 17th, I got to hang out with my friend Shunke. Shout out Shunke, you the bomb. And finally, on August 18th, I met up with my hiking partner, Lucy. We spent the day going to various outdoor stores like Mont Bell, gathering last minute supplies for our hike. And you know what? Here’s a hiking list for a standard climb up Mount Fuji. A helmet, headlamp, knit, beanie hat, sunglasses, neck warmer, backpack, backpack, rain cover, long sleeve shirt, waterproof jacket, trekking poles, gloves, long pants, waterproof pants, trekking shoes, extra socks, paper maps, trail meals, and snacks, a down jacket, an up jacket, just kidding, a fleece jacket, thermal underpants, disposable pocket warmer, a trash bag, and money. You should bring at least 2 L of water. Water is sold at most mountain huts along the way up, but I recommend you bring more than you think you’d need. Or just pack an extra picari sweat. Oh, and as credit cards aren’t usually accepted on the mountain, you’re going to need a lot of cash. Bring enough money to cover your stay at a mountain hut, plus a couple hundred extra. It really doesn’t hurt to have emergency cash on hand in case you need it. I also bought this fanny pack, which proved to be a little less than waterproof. So, does anyone want to guess which of these items I forgot to bring? Well, I’ll cross them off as we go along when I realize that I don’t have them and I actually need them. We can start with the headlamp because I realized while packing that night that I had forgotten to pick one up that day. Luckily, Lucy had an extra for me so I didn’t have to go out and get one the next morning. After a high calorie meal at Egg [ __ ] we prepared to get up very early and begin our journey to the top. What is going on Fuji gamers? Today we’re going to be climbing Mount Fuji. Was that too much? No. Perfect. And tomorrow and play. And tomorrow we’re going to be climbing Mount Fuji. So, uh, stick around. Early Monday morning, Lucy and I walked from the not hotel in Shinjuku past the Tokyo Municipal Government Building to Ko Plaza Hotel. there. She stepped in a van and I never saw her again. Lucy was never actually my hiking partner. Not officially. Um, let me explain. Back in July, when I realized that August would be my last chance to cross Fuji off my bucket list, I was trying to find some people to hike with, but ultimately decided to just hike it alone. This is when I found out another ALT from my city had just gone through the same thought process, except she was a little smarter in ordering a guided tour up the mountain, complete with transportation to and from the trail heads, reservations at a pretty decent mountain hut, and five or six other travelers to hike the trail with. Now, I had previously hiked Mount Unen in Nagasaki with Lucy. So, when the two of us figured out that we were both trying to hike Mount Fuji around the same weekend, we hatched a devious scheme. The plan was simple. While Lucy and her group took the van through Monday morning Tokyo traffic all the way from Shinjuku to the Fujomia Fifth Station trail head, I would jump on a bullet train, hopping off at Mishima train station. I would then catch the bus that takes hikers all the way up to the fifth station trail head at Fujinoia. Ideally, we would both make it there at the same time where I could randomly bump into Lucy and walk alongside her guided tour. I would stop along the trail at my own mountain hut, then meet back up with them in the morning to watch the sunrise. I thought this was a foolproof plan. The only problem was I am a fool. And if a fool makes a foolproof plan, then he is a double fool to think that that plan would work. It did not work. I filmed this part on the next day. Quite fittingly, I’m wearing the exact clothes that I was wearing on that fateful day. My long sleeve workout shirt and joggers, minus the Crocs and socks. Also, oh, the ski goggles. Yeah, I had those on at the beginning and uh I kind of thought they made some kind of like thematic tie throughout the whole episode, so I’m just keeping them on. I didn’t really bring these with me. So, taking it back to August 19th, Lucy got in that unmarked van near Ko Plaza Hotel while I made my way to Shinjuku Station. I had ordered my bullet train tickets to depart from Shinagawa Station. It was around 8:00 in the morning, so I was forced to navigate the Tokyo subway system during rush hour. Admittedly, I was not very good at this. I end up taking a local train in the wrong direction for a few stops. Got out, tried to transfer platforms to a different train going in the other direction. I realized that was a stupid idea, went back to the first train line, this time heading in the opposite direction, and then finally transferred to the train that would get me to Shinagawa Station. The bullet train was scheduled to leave at 9:04 in the morning, and I stepped on at 9:02. I’m a person who kind of likes to be punctual. I get really anxious when I’m not in places at the time that I’m supposed to be in places. This got the cortisol running. This was very nerve-wracking for me. This almost made me poop my pants. In a continuence of blunders, I had mistakenly purchased the ticket to get off at a Tommy station, which is nowhere near the bus route that I was trying to get on. So, I stepped off of the train, was very confused, and had to get on the next one bound for Mishima, which luckily was just one stop over. And this was fine because I could pay the difference in fair when I got out at Mishima Station. Unfortunately, this mistake made me miss the bus that I was trying to take. I was trying to keep a positive outlook, but the chances of me actually meeting up with Lucy at the trail head were getting slimmer and slimmer. So, while at Mishima train station, I tried to relax as the next bus wasn’t going to come for another 30 minutes. So, I stocked up on some more food. I called my sister. I took one last comfortable bathroom break. Then, I waited on a bench for the bus. So, Mishima train station has two entrances and exits. The first on the north and the next on the south. The northern exit serves as the gateway for riders who are getting on and off the bullet train, while the south is for the local train. The exit on the north side has buses that go to and from hotels. The southern exit has city buses and buses that take hikers up to Mount Fuji. I was waiting on the wrong side. By the time I realized it, uh, no matter how fast I sprinted through the station, looking like a baka gaene tourist, I would not be able to get on that bus. I actually watched in horror as the bus pulled away. The next bus wasn’t for another hour, and it didn’t take me long to decide what I needed to do next. I went over to a line of taxis, pulled up right to the station, and I asked the guy to take me to Mount Fuji. I had already made it this far, so what’s another bump in the road? Well, that bump in the road cost me about 16,000 yen, which was just over $100 at the time. Although me and the taxi driver had a really good chat. That was like the last time I actually used Japanese to have a full conversation. It was awesome. I was at the top of my game. I like that guy. What an A1 swag mofo. Hi. Okay, but the absolute worst part about all this was I had to pay him in cash. That taxi ride had burnt up more than half of my reserve money. You see, I knew the Mountain Hut reservation was going to cost me 8,000 yen. Now, that included the price of dinner, so I didn’t need to worry about that. I knew the bus from Mishima Station was going to cost me around 3,500 yen. Now, I figured I’d spend another 5,000 yen on snacks, drinks, or other goods that you can find on the mountain. So, I got that 16,500 number, doubled it, rounded down, and figured I’d be safe in only taking about 30,000 yen. But now, considering I had just spent 16,000 yen on the taxi ride alone, if you subtract the price of the mountain hut and that extra 5,000 yen I wanted to spend on goods and food, I was left with 1,000 yen of emergency money. I didn’t realize how strapped for cash I was in the moment because that 1,000 yen went promptly into the donation jar at the Fujomia Trail check-in table. The volunteers working that station were pretty nice. I showed them the confirmation for my accommodations that night and when they worryingly asked if I was hiking alone, I let them know that I was meeting a friend later on in the trail. They also made a comment about how they thought my bag was a little small. This was my backpack, by the way. There’s nothing in there. I don’t Well, anyway, I did some stretches and I got ready to climb Mount Fuji. Yay. At 12:20 p.m., I put my foot on the first step of the Fujomia Trail. After the first set of stairs, you’re greeted with a wooden sign. Entering the fifth station of Mount Fuji. Elevation 2,400 m. The fifth station, the start of the climb. The trail is covered in this really fine volcanic dirt that tends to move around when you step in it, hence the need for these stair-like platforms installed along the route. Normally, climbing these steep of stairs would leave me pretty winded. Though, luckily, part of my training for this Mount Fuji hike led me up the 3,333 steps of Kumamoto, Japan’s longest continual staircase. If not for that grueling incline, this section of the hike would have left me in a pretty bad shape. So, I made it to the top with the help of the uh a police training academy. As I looked all around me, it was like I was in a dream. I was sandwiched between the huge puffy clouds below me and the soft wispy clouds above me. As the mountain seemed to rise miles above me, it disappeared under the clouds, making it like an island in the sky. As I walked along, I periodically looked behind me to see that the things closer to the base of the mountain were slowly becoming smaller and smaller. Spirits were definitely high in this first section. It was just me, my backpack, my snacks, my water, and a dream. But there was still one more thing I needed. A hiking pole. Yes, this hiking pole. Everyone I’ve ever talked to who’s climbed Mount Fuji has gotten one of these hiking poles. These poles are iconic. You can get them stamped at each mountain hut you pass by or most of them. But like seriously, everybody gets these poles and it’s like kind of a point of pride. Like, yeah, I got the pole. I climbed the mountain. Look, there’s the stamp at the top. This, if anything, is like the most physical proof you can have that you climbed the mountain. I wasn’t going to be a chump who just didn’t get one of these. So, no, I didn’t bring my own hiking poles, and I was looking out to buy one of these. That first section of the hike wasn’t too difficult. However, a hiking pole would have made it a lot easier. And I was in luck because only 20 minutes into my hike, I made it to Hoy Sansol, the mountain hut at the sixth station on the Fujomia Trail. I think I dropped about 1,200 yen on the hiking pole and a few of the stamps that came with it. You can watch the mountain hut workers take a steel rod and burn these into your stick. It’s really satisfying. If you hike a mountain and you didn’t even burn your pole, did you even hike the mountain? There’s actually a really cool website that shows each and every hut I think along the Yoshida Trail where um and like what the stamps look like. I’m going to put that in the description because just go down. That’s a beautiful website. Whoever made that is a genius. As I sat down and waited for the first of many brands to be seared in upon my pole, I took a quick nut break. I dug into some cashews, had a little picari sweat, and I watched as almost everyone at that rest stop was either hiking to or from the path heading immediately north towards the mountain. I mean, obviously, right, that’s the Fujomia trail. That’s the trail I’m currently on. But on this beautiful Monday morning, I was about to break away from the pack. The mountain hut I reserved for that night was the Sunabashir Khan, which was located at station 7.5 along the Gotambba trail. But how does one get from the Fujomia trail to the Gotambba trail? Enter the prince route. This increasingly popular way to climb the mountain was named for Crown Prince Naruhito after he branched off at this point during his hike in 2008. Instead of continuing along the Fujomia trail, the prince route takes you down into the Hoe Crater. This is the spot at which Mount Fuji erupted 300 years ago. Being down in the center of that crater was crazy to say the least. There’s no grass, no trees. It’s just a wasteland of large and small rocks alike. I was able to see people climbing along the inside of the crater, working their way up the mountain. Little did I know that this was going to be one of the hardest sections of the hike. It was really steep, and the volcanic gravel that you walk on is pretty loose, so it’s really hard to find traction in your footing. It was here on these switchbacks that led up the crater that I really got acquainted with my pole. I cannot imagine what it would be like if I had to crawl up there on my hands and knees. This I I got a lot of got a lot of use out of this guy. I learned to put one foot in front of the other, suck up the pain, and push through. Sporadic water breaks allowed me to sit down and take a few breathers as I made my way up. When the trail finally spat me out at the rim of the crater known as Horseback Ridge, I was really surprised at how windy it was. Wind was blowing into the crater up and out along the ridge. I took the extra time to walk down and visit the top of Mount Hoey. Looking down at all the other hikers still making their way up, I felt really accomplished. And when continuing along the path that eventually joins up with the Gotmbbea trail, the confidence in my ability to crush this mountain couldn’t have been higher. It’s about 3:00. I got started about 3 hours ago, around 12. And uh feeling really good. It is just beautiful up here. I am over the moon. Well, still on Earth, although it doesn’t really look like it. That looks like moon rocks. They’re volcanic rocks. They’re not moon rocks. It’s tiring. You know, it kind of hurts, but spirits are high. Spirits are high. When passing by this deserted rest stop, I was reminded at just how powerless humans can be. Sometimes even the things we build are no match for the forces of nature and the influence of the mountain. Not too much further down the line, I passed by another abandoned hut and oh uh no, that’s just what they look like. I got my stick stamped at Wadaji and was surprised to find that the hut that I was staying at for the night was only another 100 yard away. Look at that. Another stamp for the books. Um, it was 500 yen. And uh, I’m actually a little worried that I won’t have enough money to pay for my lodging tonight. That would be really funny. Uh, I think last time I checked they were like, “Okay, 8,000 yen, meal included.” So, um, my accommodation is right up there. So, I’ll I’ll have to see if I actually have enough money to pay for it. If not, um, like it’s something in my head, but I don’t really want to. I do what I got to do, I guess. At 3:35 p.m., I arrived at Sunabashir, my mountain hut, 3,090 m above sea level, 3 hours after and 690 m above where I started. Oh, and if you’re wondering how I got some of these shots, uh, let me introduce you to a different pole that I really like. This guy, this is my Insta 360. Ah, this was one of the best purchases I think I’ve ever made. The Insta 360 is actually a really useful tool. I love this thing. The Mountain Hut was really fun. Other than the fact that things were a little overpriced and I was kind of running out of money, I had a really good time. When I first got checked in, I was kind of surprised that all the staff could speak pretty good English. I gladly coughed up the 8,000 yen reservation fee and reluctantly paid the 500 yen for extra stamps on my stick and another 500 yen to charge my phone for an hour. After they showed me to my futon, which was right next to where we were standing, I took a little rest before dinner. The Sunabashir Mountain Hut itself was pretty interesting. It’s a long wooden structure with two platforms built into the back wall for people to sleep on. I think you could fit maybe 20 people on the top and 20 people on the bottom. Otherwise, there’s the entryway with the stone gencon, a short walking space with tables for eating and a kitchen area. Staving off some oncoming cramps, I drank the last bit of my water. But no worries, as I was able to get a drink with dinner, and then of course I could buy some water for another 500 yen. But I was about to load up on some curry. Over dinner, I enjoyed talking with some of the other travelers staying in the hut. I met a college student from Switzerland, a family from Fukuoka, two musicians from Los Angeles, and a very large group of Filipinos, most of whom were from Manila. And much like the thunder clouds we could see rolling in the distance, the vibes were electric. You’ve made it this far. Just a little more to go before reaching the summit. It’s understandable that you would want to celebrate loudly after coming this far, but keep your voice down because other climbers are stand. This party was a really fun memory, but something happened here that was far more important than I could have realized in the moment. The grain alcohol that the Filipinos gave me may have saved my life. We stood out in the cold playing the guitar until about 9:00 at night where most of us ended up hitting the hay. I tried texting Lucy one more time, but of course, I had no service. In the plan that we’d agreed upon, I was going to wake up extra early so I could get to their mountain hut before they got up and got ready to see the sunrise. So, I continued to operate under the assumption that I would see her the next morning. So, with the plan set, I tried to go to sleep. That may have been the longest night of my life. So, I was wedged in between like a 30 person sandwich. The guy to my immediate left was like the only person in the entire room snoring, like snoring very loudly. I’m sure he was able to get a great night’s sleep, but at what cost? At the cost of everyone else. The guy to my immediate right kept getting up and going outside to either, I don’t know, smoke or go to the bathroom. I don’t know what he was doing. He kept getting up and coming back and getting up and coming back. And the guy next to me was snoring, snoring, snoring, getting up, coming back, snoring, snoring, snoring. and I’m in the middle trying to get like awake, just a window of sleep. It was traumatized. And so, right around 1:45 in the morning, when things were finally quieting up, I hoped to just get a little bit of sleep. But then, alarms started going off and people started dressing for the hike to see the sunrise. So, with just 15 minutes of sleep under my belt, I begrudgingly got up, changed into my new clothes, and walked outside. This is what I wore on the morning of. So, this is my rain jacket that I wore, and I have another quarter zip underneath. I didn’t have a hat. I forgot a hat. So, I was lucky. I had this like Kumaman headband thing that I got at the airport. I was going to give it as a gift, so I’m like, might as well use it. I was wearing this to cover my ears cuz it was very, very cold. I’m also wearing rain pants. I also had a headlamp, which I can’t find for this video. Um, but there was one thing that I was missing. Can you guess? That early morning mountain air was chilly, and it didn’t help that I didn’t have anything to cover my hands. No gloves, no hand warmers either. And to make things even worse, as soon as I stepped outside, I noticed that it was sprinkling. But while standing outside Sunabashidon, I thought that every little thing was going to be all right. I figured that I’d file behind my new Filipino friends as they hiked up into the early mountain air. My plan was simple. I mean, I should arrive at Lucy’s mountain hut before her group sets off, right? She’s probably got extra gloves or hand warmers for me to use. She had an extra headlamp, so I could only assume she’d have even more things for me. And while we’re at it, she could even lend me and my new friend some water because crucially, I had run out of water. I had neglected to buy another bottle of water before I went to bed the night before. I don’t know. I kind of just assumed someone would be able to sell me water as I woke up in the morning. I Look, I I’m I’m a fool. I’m a fool. I’m Weeny Hut Jr. Oh, yeah. And get this, because of my expensive taxi ride and the fact that I needed this pole and all the stamps, I only had 500 yen left to my name. One 500 yen coin left and nothing else. That would buy me exactly one bottle of water if I even got the chance to buy it. But maybe, just maybe, when I reach the eighth station, Lucy’s cabin will be awake and ready to watch the sunrise and someone will be able to sell me a bottle of water. Copium was at an all-time high. So, me and my new hiking friends hit the trail at 2:00 in the morning, and we were all thirsty. They had run into the same problem that I was having, although I’m sure they probably had more money than I did. Those sprinkles turned into a light rain as we hit the switchbacks between Sunabashiron and Akayua Hachi Gokan. The incline was steep and the road was rocky. We were baited by another abandoned mountain hut, which okay, that one wasn’t going to sell us water, but we were trudging along. It’s kind of nauseating looking back at some of these Google Street View photos in the daylight because if you were to trip and fall, you would be falling for a pretty long while. I was thankful I had my rain jacket, my rain pants, and for the moment, my shoes were still holding up, too. I could put my non-dominant hand in my pocket, as I used the other one to hold on to the hiking pole to help me up the mountain. It took us about 40 minutes to reach our next stopping point. Through the darkness, guided only by headlamp and the sound of people in front of us, we got to the eighth station, which was reasonably closed at 2:40 in the morning. So, we waited an extra 20 minutes to see if anything would open at 3:00. And guess what? Yeah, that never happened. Waiting with the Filipino group wasn’t too bad, though. They let me take a sip of what little water they had, which really went a long way. It was now 3:10 in the morning, and my window for seeing the sunrise on the top of Mount Fuji was slowly shrinking. It didn’t seem like anyone in Lucy’s hut was even close to waking up. So, I thought about leaving her and the Filipinos behind. They were still waiting for people further behind me, and I knew I wanted to watch the sunrise at the top, and nothing nothing was going to stop me from being able to do that. So with hopes that surely surely there would be another mountain hut open towards the top before the sunrise. I placed a bet probably a bet on my life that I would be able to make it to the top without dying of dehydration or getting blown off the mountain. I continued ahead alone. To this day, I think that that was such a dumb decision on my part. It was bad enough to hike alone, but the hike in low visibility with near freezing weather with no water to drink is just an insane thing to do. I think that breeze of a hike I had on the previous day contributed to an overconfidence that kept me pushing forward. I started seeing less and less hikers on their way up. I don’t know whether to contribute that to low visibility or the fact that people were giving up and turning back. I had this hope in my mind that I would get to the top of the mountain. The clouds would clear, the sun would come up and dry me off, and I could go to one of those restaurants at the top and spend my last 500 yen on a plastic bottle of water. That mental image was pulling me up the mountain. I mean, I couldn’t think about anything else. I couldn’t even listen to music as I was afraid my AirPods were going to get water logged. It was raining a lot harder now. It was seeping through my jacket, through my shoes, and even through my fanny pack. How ironic is it to be completely drenched and worryingly thirsty at the same time. These switchbacks were much like the previous set. 10 steps in one direction, turn, 20 steps in the next, turn, 10 steps, turn, 10 steps, turn. I was keeping a steady pace. Large rocks that were coming into my field of view were just as quickly disappearing behind me. I was doing everything I could to minimize the force going into my legs to prevent the onset of more cramps. But of course, it didn’t take long for that to become a problem. The fire spreading through my legs returned, and I knew it wouldn’t be long until I had to just sit down and call it quits. But I was dreading doing that as well, because the constant movement was the only thing keeping my hands warm. With the wind now blowing in all directions and the rain starting to pick up, I started to fear for my life. I was running out of options and I was running out of time. So, make sure to secure some water before leaving and prevent dehydration. Get out of here. This place is too tough for you, little man. If only I could find some source of water, just a drop to help save off the cramps and keep me pushing forward to get to the top. And then I had one of the biggest brain moments of my entire life. So, the Filipinos had loaded me up with grain alcohol the night before when we were partying. Not the best idea when you’re already kind of dehydrated and getting ready for a big hike, but you know, in the moment it was cool. Um, they gave me a plastic cup. A plastic cup that I took with me in my bag cuz we’re supposed to carry our own trash off the mountain. That plastic cup. The rain. The rain is water. Rain. Water. Plastic cup. Drink cup. So, I took the plastic cup out of my backpack, used my sleeve like a funnel, and funneled rainwater into the cup. I felt like I discovered electricity. Call me Ben Franklin. I was going to make it out alive. With every part of my body soaked, I was using gravity to put as many drops of rain into that cup that I could. My fingers were starting to get cold, but the adrenaline and the movement of my body was doing just enough to keep me warm. The cramps subsided, and I started picking up the pace. It was too dark and foggy to see the top, but I could feel myself getting closer. If I took one misstep, one stumble, the only thing standing between safety and certain death was the thin white rope that guarded the sides of the trail. Step by step, turn by turn, sip by sip, through howling winds, I put one foot in front of the other and trudged forward. The switchbacks eventually dissolved into a straightaway and the hardpacked dirt of the trail turned to stone steps. I looked up. No clouds parted as I walked under the simple wooden Tory gate at the top of Mount Fuji. It was about 4:40 in the morning. The sun was set to rise in just 30 minutes, but there was no chance that I was going to be able to see it. I huddled, like a few others, under the shallow awning of one of the buildings at the top of the mountain. Surely things were set to open up at 5:00, right? Surely. Even at the top, I was still thirsty. I was using my cup to collect rain water that was running off the top of the building. Desperate times call for desperate measures. That’s when the Korean guy standing next to me noticed that I was quite illprepared without gloves and without a real source of water. So, he very kindly gave me his extra bottle of water. I think the worst situations bring out the best of people. At 5:00, things did start opening up around there. With my newly acquired bottle of water, I was able to spend my last 500 yen on the final stamp that I added to my pole. The ultimate sign of achievement that I had conquered this mountain. It’s It’s this one. It’s the red one. It’s not a cool burn-in stamp. They just It’s like an ink stamp. It’s actually kind of fading off. I sat inside the Chojo Fujicon rest house for nearly 2 hours warming myself up and digging into the last of my nuts. It got really, really busy during that time. I mean, there must have been huge groups of people walking behind me. Not that I was able to see them. Anyway, I was also finally able to get in contact with Lucy. After texting with her for a bit, I found out that she was still at the Eighth Station mountain hut. Her tour guide had decided not to take the group to the top of the mountain due to typhoon speed winds. With my body warmed up and me being mentally prepared to walk back into the cold, I devised one final foolproof plan. What’s up, gamers? We’re currently at the top of Mount Fuji. It kind of smells like pee because I’m right next to the bathroom. Um, it’s cold. It is so cold and I can’t see anything. I’m surprised my phone is even working. We have a nice little mountain um hut here that serves cup noodles and coffee in the temple. And the very peak is just beyond there. I didn’t know if I was going to make it up. I was running out of water. There’s no chance I’m seeing a sunrise. I mean, one, we’re already past the sunrise. too. It is. I mean, look at it. It’s crazy. I don’t have any gloves. So, I got to make this quick. I’m going to go to the very summit of the mountain and then I’m going to go back down. I’m going to have a nice breakfast and then hopefully they can take my card on the bus. So, um fingers crossed. Oh my god. Daddy, here we go. Right this way. Sorry to keep you waiting. So, I made it to the top. Time to head back down. Passing back under the wooden Tory gate, I was finally able to see my surroundings and the hellish landscape that I had to walk up. The rocks were still a bit slick from the rain, so I had to carefully navigate my way down. That being said, I was still halfway jogging down the mountain. It was actually pretty speedy. You travel a lot faster when you’re not going up and you’re going down. You have that gravity assist. Honestly, other than the few near-death experiences, I have very little memory of my way back down the mountain. Making it back down to Sunashiron, I indulged in the egg and rice breakfast that came included with the price of my stay. Considering the conditions of the mountain that morning, the people working at the hut were not surprised to find me absolutely soaking wet. But I couldn’t stay there forever. So with no money and about half of a water bottle left to my name, I continued down the mountain. So since the Prince route goes along the Gota trail, you have the option to take this branching path that skips a lot of the switchbacks on the way back down. It’s a more direct route towards the Hoe Crater. That same volcanic gravel that was hindering me on the way up had just become one of the highlights of the hike. I was able to kind of slide down the mountain if I got at a good speed. I had a good rhythm. I was putting one foot in front of the other. I wasn’t being tripped up and I almost kind of skated down. There are some videos online of people kind of like sliding down on their butts. I didn’t do that cuz that’s kind of another trail where you do that. I forget which one, but um this was still pretty fun. But it seems that every time mother nature notices me enjoying myself, she throws a curveball in my direction. Horseback Ridge lines the upper rim of the Hoey Crater. I had passed by here before, but today was different. High winds were blowing into and out of the top of the crater along the ridge. In this one relatively short section of the ridge, the path is only flat for 6 to 8 ft across the top. The wind was blowing so hard that I had trouble walking straight. I had to duck down, maintain my center of gravity, and take small secure steps as I inched myself towards the trail along the inside of the crater. What normally would have taken me about 30 seconds to traverse took me 10 minutes as I believed to be fighting for my very life. This was another moment where I thought to myself, “Yeah, I probably should have turned back there. Though I thought I was so close to the bottom that I may as well just try and get it over with.” Once I finally made it to the bottom, the Fujomia trail head at the fifth station, I remembered that I was broke. So, I didn’t exactly have a plan about how I was going to get out of the Mount Fuji trail head area. Buses come up uh every so often, and there was a bus ticket counter. Luckily, I was able to pay with my IC card because it was just cheap enough. I pried open my wallet, which had been water logged from all the rain. All of my cards in there, all that stuff got ruined. But once I made it on the bus, it was like relief. They dropped me off at the train station in Fuji City. I was like laying out all of my wet clothes, like my socks, my shoes, my my jackets, and stuff. I knew people were looking at me like I was the Baka Gajene, but like I didn’t care. This was a crazy experience I just went through. I have the story to tell. I got the pole. They see me with the pole, they know. I hope. So yeah, I was able to take the bullet train back to Tokyo. Stayed at the hostel another night. Got on the plane in the morning back to Kumamoto. stayed there for a day, drove back to the airport to get on a plane, taking me to Tokyo, taking me back home, and that’s a whole other story. There’s there was complications with that, too. But we’ll save it for another time. So, with one whole Fuji climb under my belt and about a year to mole things over, I’ve come up with a list of things that I would do differently for next time. Bring more than enough water. Bring more than more than enough cash. Pack gloves and a headlamp. Plan further in advance. Have a weather related backup plan to hike the mountain on a different day. Have a set in stone hiking partner. Follow the rules and guidelines a bit more closely. And at the end of the day, realize that nothing is worth risking your life over except the hiking stick. I would die for the hiking stick. Anyway, that’s it for the video. If you enjoyed it, please leave a like or a comment telling us what you liked about it or subscribe to the channel, even listen to our podcast. Join our Discord group. Um, I’ve been Matthew and this was my perilous trip to the top of Mount Fuji. Take me home to the place where I belong. West Virginia mountain mama take me home country.

At least I had fun!

Music/videos used in this project: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1PlLXsAwY9vRuCahqfHIhZh1KVRr3Ho1hi7_cLNUswfw/edit?usp=sharing

Check out The Deskwarmers Podcast: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLbBOorMrvquUwl1-Rb_M9jgBk2IQvOchO&si=4ro-WTogVUTS0YDi

That beautiful pole website: https://fuji.halfof8.com/

Stop by our Discord: https://discord.gg/Au9RxZz8rv

CHAPTERS
00:00 Intro
01:44 Fuji History
08:12 Planning the Trip
10:29 The Trip Begins
13:15 Getting to the Mountain
20:38 The Climb Part 1
29:07 The Hut
33:11 The Climb Part 2
41:46 The Top
45:39 Time to Head Back Down
49:24 Final Thoughts

How to NOT Climb Mt. Fuji
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