Hello everyone!
Guess what? I
successfully climbed Mt. Fuji! The
summit is 3,776 meters high, and I am proud to say I reached it! It was a very long day, but I am so excited
to say that I reached the top! They said
it was the hottest day on the top of the mountain in the past 5 years. I packed rain gear, pants, and a sweatshirt,
thinking it would be around 40 degrees, but was comfortable in shorts and a
t-shirt the whole time.
Here’s a peak into the journey: Friday night after work we
headed straight to the Outdoor Recreation Office, where I rented a backpack,
hiking boots, and gators (they prevent rocks from getting in your boots). Then we went to an on-base Italian restaurant
called Sbarro, where we ate at the buffet (lots of carbs!), and went to the
Commissary (grocery store on base) to grab some last minute supplies for the
next day. We were told to get 8 hours of
sleep the night before, but I was unable to fall asleep and only got about 3-4
hours in before my alarm went off at 1AM.
We left our housing at 1:30 to meet and get on the bus at 1:45. The bus rolled out a little after 2, stopped
for 20 minutes at a rest stop, and we reached the 5th station (which
is where we started hiking) a little before 5:30. After purchasing a walking stick, taking a
few pictures, and putting on sunscreen and bug spray, we started hiking. Here’s a picture before we started hiking:
The first hour and half or so was close to the hardest part
for me, and I didn’t think there was any way that I was going to make it to the
top. The path was mostly all loose
gravel, so with every step forward you slipped back some, so the progress
seemed slow and the work seemed hard. We
took very frequent short breaks (it was hard to go for 10 minutes
straight). After we reached the 7th
station, the ‘milestones’ were much closer together, which helped
mentally. There were huts in between the
stations, and you could buy stamps for your stick at almost all of them (and
sit and rest!). The stamps were burned
into the wooden stick, and each cost about the equivalent of $3. I don’t want to know how much money I shelled
out for the stamps, but the stick with all the stamps is so cool! I also am not really looking forward to
finding out how much it costs to ship the stick back home, but oh well.
After reaching the 7th station, the path varied
between climbing (quite literally) rocks and walking on fairly loose
gravel. Climbing the rocks honestly
seemed easier to me. In order to be
walkable, the path had to switch back frequently, so it was a very windy path,
making the distance longer but the slope much more tolerable.
Here’s a picture of what some of the climbing looked like:
The hike was nearly as much mental and emotional as it was
physical, in my opinion. “I can do all
things through Christ who strengthens me” was a common verse repeated in my
head. I am usually very hard on myself,
so this was one of the first times I have ever been so positive and thought so
many positive thoughts about myself, which helped shift my perspective a little
bit. If I would’ve had a bad attitude, I
don’t doubt that I would not have made it to the summit.
The group I was with reached the summit a little after noon,
and the turn-around time was 1PM, so we had a little while to rest, take
pictures, and use the bathroom. I won’t
go into too much detail about the bathroom, but here’s just a little picture
for your imagination: it cost $2 to use, was a mixed male/female bathroom, and
smelled worse than any port-a-potty I’ve ever used. The adrenaline rush a few minutes before
reaching the top was very beneficial, and the emotions experienced after
finally reaching the top were pretty intense.
However, then we had to begin the trek down. This path was all loose (I mean very loose!)
gravel and dirt, and I struggled to keep my balance. This is when the stick came in very handy, as
well as the gators to keep the rocks out of my hiking boots. I didn’t use them on the way up, but was very
glad to have them on the way down. We
made it down to our starting point in 3 hours, then changed clothes, ate some
ice cream, and visited the souvenir shop before boarding the bus to head back
to base. We stopped at another rest stop
for dinner, and arrived back on base at 9PM, and I returned my rented items
before heading back to housing. I was
unable to sleep on the bus either way, but did sleep well Saturday night! However, in the middle of the night (1:30 to
be specific) the fire alarms went off. I
did not wake up, until someone started yelling that we needed to get up and go
outside. The trek down the three flights
of stairs was not as painful as I had imagined, thankfully! However, when I woke up Sunday morning I was
significantly more sore. I took some
pain killers, but was not too comfortable all day long. A few of us headed to the beach, where we
swam in the ocean for a little while, but then when we tried to lay out, we
realized the wind was so strong it was blowing the sand, which was very
painful! We headed back to base and
visited the pool on base for a while, then showered and went out for supper to
an Indian restaurant not too far off base before returning to set up the center
for the week.
This week may be a little bit difficult because I am so
sore, but I hope that I am able to be energized and enthusiastic! This is week 7 of camp (which I programmed
for), so we are nearing the final stretch of our time here in Japan. It is starting to sink in that I have to
seriously work towards doing all the things I have said that I want to do while
I’m here, as my time here is quickly coming to an end.
My parents have planned a trip to Japan, and I am really
excited for them to be here and experience this awesome culture! While they are here we are planning to go to
Hiroshima together, which I am also really excited about.
This week I am hoping to get down to business again in
regards to the homework assignments, as I really hope that I can have those all
completed before I head home, as it would be nice to have one less thing to worry
about.
Well, I think this is all for now. Thanks to all of those who have prayed for me
and have shared words of encouragement so far this summer (and especially in
regards to climbing Mt. Fuji). They
really have helped to lift me up and keep my spirits strong, as some days are
much harder than others. Here’s to
another great week, that I’m sure will go by fast! I pray that you all have a wonderful week,
guided by God’s loving hands.
- Becky
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