hiking Fuji-san with Perkins-san. the 'before' shot taken at the trail gate from the 5th station.
my first time to see snow in July!
most people say that Fuji is best viewed from far but being able to look down on the clouds and still see land rising into the sky was pretty amazing.
some people were carrying more than others!
being a volcanic mountain, there was fewer vegetation as we went up, but the views were still awesome. and it was cool to look down and see how far we'd come.
the tori gate near the top
We made it! at 3776m here's the 'after' shot 5 1/2 hours later near the crater on the top, I was pooped. we celebrated with a tiny beer and started down to catch the train home.
post office at the top.
view of crater.
decending trail to the bottom.
finally took on Fuji after a year of watching it out my window. most japanese have told me that everyone should hike fuji at least once, but you're crazy if you hike it twice. for me, i discovered there is something more special to it than just hiking up and back down. I'll remember all the little things: the elementary school kids with numbers on their backs, the the young couples routing each other on, the old men some hiking for the 100th time or more, the giant tour groups, the funny japanese signs like, "Don't throw a stone" and especially the feeling of finally reaching the top . I feel like we all shared it together. and i wouldn't be surprised to find myself up there again just to see the look on the face of somebody experiencing it for the first time like i did.
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