Project: 10 Year
2009
#27/100
Our first real hiking together was Mt.Fuji. We had a chance to climb up the mountain with his flight. To watch the sunrise from the top, we started hiking around 5:00 p.m. I used to hike with my parents often when I was young. Korea has so many beautiful mountains all over the country. Hiking is one of Koreans’ most popular weekend activities. So climbing Mt.Fuji wasn’t a big deal for me.
The climbing itself was fine but hiking at night was new to me. It was too dark and from time to time there was a strong wind blowing. When it happened, we had to stop moving to stabilize our feet. If there were not so many people heel to heel, it could be harder. Usually, I prefer fewer people during hiking for walking at my own pace. I can also enjoy the quietness of the wilderness. At Mt.Fuji, I’m glad there were people around me.
At the base of the mountain, we bought a long stick. It was for support while climbing and also for collecting all the stations’ stamps. We stopped at every camp, and got all the stamps on our sticks. A couple of times, we ate some miso soup and snacks.
Even though it was getting harder on my body, I didn’t want to rest too long. I wanted to have the same momentum until the top. We reached the top at just right time for the sunrise.
It was way more windy and dusty than what I expected. Because of the sandstorm, it was hard to talk to each other but we did not need to talk much. The sun came up soon after we got our spot. The view was breathtaking.
I made this drawing of the view I saw at the top of Mt.Fuji, a few years back.
It is available as a print from here: click
Climbing down from a mountain is the relatively easy part of hiking. At least most of the time. For Mt.Fuji, it was definitely an exception. The trail was a long winding slope covered with small rocks. It was really hard on our legs. We got so tired, we did not speak most of the time. At the bottom, we were so exhausted. My husband was sitting down leaning the stick against of his forehead. He didn’t even want to hold it anymore.
I had some difficulty walking for a while. I remember every time my legs didn’t do what I wanted them to, I bursted out laughing. One day, I want to climb the mountain again.