The Tale of Fuji: Part 2

Now that confirmation was made on the climb, the real planning began. And the time to make choices.

There are several different options to climb the mountain. Timing is not one of them. You have to climb during the months of July and August. That's the only option. But how you get to the mountain is up to you.

You can do a daytime climb. This means you start at 5 a.m. and finish by 7 p.m. and don't do anything at dark. In this option, you don't need a hut, much food, or night gear. But I wanted to do the traditional climb and see sunrise from the top of the mountain. So daytime was out for me.

Another option is an all-night climb. In this option, you start at 4 p.m. and reached the top at sunrise. But you don't have much time to rest and you are climbing in the dark nearly the whole time.

I researched doing the climb on our own (train ticket from Tokyo, bus pass to 5th station, stay at the hut, train ticket back to Tokyo) and soon discovered that it would be the same price as an overnight English tour I recently read about in a American travel guide. So I booked the tour and could relax knowing that we had transportation to and from the mountain, two meals, and accommodations on the mountain at the 8th station.

Climbing Mount Fuji is not the most physical thing you will do. But mentally it is tough. It's long, slow and boring scenery along the way. It's lava rock, lava rock, and more lava rock.

I had this great plan to physically prepare, so I would be in tip top shape for the climb. In truth, I went to a couple of spinning classes, and did the stairmaster and treadmill a handful of times. My friend, Andrea, who bounced like a bunny up the mountain, is proof that if you're in good shape (like she is), the hike is a breeze.

So since I wasn't where I wanted to be physically, I was pretty nervous the weeks prior to the climb. I went to some safety briefs, where the presenter warned about fatigue and injury. I researched altitude sickness prevention medicine and asked my pharmacist sister Colleen for her professional opinion. She said skip it, rest and drink water. Go slow. You can do it, she said.

One of my co-workers hiked it on July 4. I had lunch with her and asked her a million questions. How much money did you bring? How much water? How much does it cost to use the toilet? What was the temperature at the top? How many layers of clothes did you pack? Did you wear them all?

Our summer high school intern hiked the mountain last summer with her dad and brother. I asked her the same questions. I compared the answers with Benny.

I had a dream about being on the mountain, separated from Andrea, Tammy and Nicole. I didn't have any of my hiking supplies or money, but yet I decided to go up the mountain. That was the entire dream. I woke up scared.

My Japanese co-workers reassured me that a dream about Fuji is a good thing. It means I will see the top of the mountain. Any dream, good or bad, is a positive sign, they reassured me.