The Climb

*I'm going to try to back track through some of the more eventful moments of the past year or so. I don't want to forget all the fun details!

Despite my failed attempts to "get in shape for Fuji", I went ahead and purchased tickets for a base trip for us last summer. I hoped the purchased tickets would motivate me to really push myself in that last month (it didn't). A friend signed up for the trip too so we were looking forward to a getaway for the three of us.

Jeff has wanted to climb Fuji for years, ever since his first deployment to Japan in 2008. I didn't want to get left out so I included myself, even though we both questioned whether I could do it. I have badly injured feet from years of strenuous Irish dancing and despite my best mediocre efforts to stay in shape I keep sticking with lazy. But I also didn't know what to expect. Everybody said it was hard, but how hard is hard?

(Spoiler alert: Fuji is HARD)

So August came around and we headed to Tokyo. Our trip included bus transportation and a stay at an American hotel. We got down the night before and enjoyed some Hard Rock Cafe at 4pm because our trip began in the middle of the night. I believe we had to get on the bus at 2am. We stopped at a rest stop on the way at maybe 3:30/4:00am. Japanese food for breakfast is not that delicious. We opted for basic beef bowls since the rice would fill us up but it was topped with mayonnaise and just tasted BAD. We choked it down since we knew we needed full stomachs, but it was not a good start. All of us felt off for the first leg of the climb from the mayonnaise/rice combination brewing in our stomachs.

The tour bus drove us up to the 5th station on the mountain, which is where most hikers begin the climb. This station had a large shop with all sorts of food and supplies, along with several small restaurants. It's where we purchased our hiking sticks. The sticks can be branded at each stop along the way and we were looking forward to having them as a souvenir.

At the 5th station with our hiking sticks.

 The hike began with an easy path with almost no incline. We were joking that this hike was going to be a breeze and power walking along.

Jeff & James on the "easy" portion of the climb.

We began the hike at about 6am so the view was gorgeous as we walked. It was still warm so we kept our layers in the backpacks.

Eventually, the incline became more noticeable and the path became more rough and rocky. Here's where my lack of fitness started to show. While Jeff and James were laughing and joking, I was huffing, puffing, and wondering how the hell I was going to get up this mountain. It's been like an hour and I'm ready for it to be over! This was where I started to question the decision to join them on this trip...

I will be forever amazed with the patience of Jeff and James during this climb. They never complained about my slow pace, never rushed me at each rest stop, and never stopped encouraging me to take the next step. I would've quit about a thousand times if I didn't have those two pushing me along.

Each rest stop had a spot to get our hiking sticks branded and a small shop with water, oxygen, and snacks. I usually collapsed on one of the small benches while the boys got the sticks branded. I would sip water in between gasps for breath and they would patiently wait for me to become ready for the next leg of the climb.

It became increasingly difficult, sliding from small inclines and soft soil to rocks and steps climbing up the side of the mountain. This is the part where I slipped into auto pilot. I was so exhausted and out of my element that all I could do was try to make it one more step. The climb zig zagged across the mountain, so Jeff kept encouraging me to make it to the next zag to stop for a breath. This climb was a harder physical challenge than anything I'd done before and I just couldn't focus on much more than trying to make it to the next stop.

 

I wish I could say I struggled through the challenge with grace and determination, but that just isn't me. Around the 7th stop, I whispered that I didn't think I could make it to the top. I was exhausted to the point of tears and didn't know how to find anymore strength in my body. I was so embarrassed because while tired, the two men with me were holding it together and still finding the energy to joke about the little things. They both encouraged me to try for just one more station. We all knew that if I quit, Jeff would quit too.

The trail surprised us with a twist I didn't expect. All along, I had assumed that if it became too difficult for me I could just camp out in a rest stop and wait for them to make their descent down. Problem was - the ascent and descent were two different trails. The only option for me to descend from where I was was to turn around and go down the climbing trail. I wouldn't be able to just wait and meet the men on the way back down. Jeff wouldn't leave me on the trail by myself, which means he wouldn't see the top.

I think this little hiccup was the only thing that got me up and moving. As dissapointed as I would be if I didn't make it to the top, I knew I couldn't live with how disappointed I would be if my failure also kept Jeff from making it to the summit. This has been his dream for years - I couldn't just squash it! So I put on a grim smile and kept moving.

I don't have any pictures of the hard parts of the trail. I could hardly put one foot in front of the other so I wasn't really thinking about snapping pictures to remember. I wish I had - because the rock trails were unforgettable. Despite my exhaustion, I couldn't help but feel like a badass climbing rocks as large as me. The challenge of finding secure footholds and avoiding slipping on the rocks kept my exhaustion at bay. It was foggy and misting so the rocks were wet, making the climb even more dangerous for someone as clumsy as me. The image of me falling and cracking my head open flashed through my head probably 50 times a minute, which slowed my climb even more!

Somewhere between the 9th station and the top, I injured my foot. Remember I have horrible feet. The balls of my feet are shot and my feet are so flat. So I knew the pain was going to be rough on this climb. I expected it, packing lots of pain medicine and anticipating a day of rest the next day. But all the wet, slippery rocks and my exhausted climbing became a huge problem. I slipped so many times, each time clenching the balls of my feet to try to grip with my toes and not fall. One of these slips did something to the ball of my right foot. I was now in searing pain, with sharp shooting pains starting in the ball of my foot and radiating outward with each step. I couldn't flex my toes without crying out in pain.

Jeff asked again if I needed to stop, to go back down. But we were this close to the top, too close to just turn around and go home. So I decided to try to ignore the pain and make it to the top of the mountain if it killed me. He laughed and said "That's my girl".

And I swear, that last leg of the climb was the longest time of my life. It took an eternity. Jeff and I were both exhausted and I was whimpering in pain. I had to stop at each corner and gulp down tears, because the combined exhaustion and pain were just too much to handle. I didn't even care that I was blubbering like an idiot because all I wanted to do was get to the top. We were surrounded by equally terrible looking people so it didn't matter. People were gasping oxygen bottles, taking rests on the side of the trail, and struggling at each step just like us. And I have to throw one more compliment to Jeff out there right now - he stayed right by my side the entire climb. Never did he leave me behind, complain about my pace, or make me feel like I was holding him back (even though I was). He just kept encouraging me and trying to make me focus on anything but my foot.

After an eternity of climbing, we finally made it to the top. Again, my capacity for taking pictures was beyond killed, but you entered the summit through a Torii gate. The top had a temple, some restaurants and gift shops, and I don't even know what else because I didn't make it past the steps to the temple. I fell onto the steps in relief and inhaled a piece of bread from the MREs Jeff HAD to bring (we didn't even finish one between the three of us!). The boys limped off to get our sticks branded with the final stamps claiming we made it to the top!

We all limped over to the edge of the little wall to snap some pictures. The mist and fog made it impossible to see where we were, but we made it to the top of that mountain, damn it.

I was still half-crying in pain, so I sat back down on the steps as the boys walked off to find the first aid station.

All of us were thinking the same thing: how the hell was I going to get back down the mountain when I could hardly take two steps?