We headed off on the trail, each with a backpack full of necessary items. Jairaj and I took the lead, with my flashlight illuminating our path. The air around us was steeped in excitement and saturated with the light ringing of anti bear bells and the crunching of hard black gravel beneath our shoes.
“My feet hurt,” Danielle began to complain as she bent over, holding her knees with her doughy hands. I noticed that she had worn a pair of buckled Mary Jane style shoes. I as well had worn black boots with thick laces and metal loops that were probably fit for walking a runway more so than for climbing. We were soon passed by children climbing with their parents and elderly men and women with large knap sacks made of cloth on their backs. Within our immediate path, we encountered three festive young men climbing with large backpacks adorned with Swedish flags and disassembled bicycle parts. Apparently they were planning to climb up and bicycle down the mountain. Jairaj, Sarah and I flashed them a ‘thumbs up’ and joined in right behind them, hiking faster and separating a bit from our group.
Mount Fuji, so beautiful from afar with it’s majestic peak, often the subject of artists and writers, has provided lifetimes of inspiration. Up close and personal, the mountain was quite unattractive; a hike on a slightly inclined path of blackened gravel lined by low lying shrubs.
We passed by the 6th station and didn’t stop to rest until we reached Nanagome, or Station 7. Here the three of us waited for the rest of the group. At this station were small cabins and vendors selling snacks. We got our walking sticks branded with ‘Nanagome’ and then posed for quick photographs. I poured some green tea from my thermos, drank it down and tried to catch my breath.
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| Taking a rest at Station 7 |
“How are you guys feeling?” I asked in a raspy voice once everyone arrived. Holding her head, Danielle looked exhausted.
“It might help if you guys slow down,” she said, the corners of her mouth folded tightly upwards.
“I may need to climb back down’, Tiffany added. “It says here that the path around the other side leads down,” she said pointing to her guide book.
“You can’t be serious….we’ve come this far!” Jairaj exclaimed.
“You guys want to climb down….now?” I asked, somewhat surprised since we had only been climbing for about two and a half hours.
“Well, it’s not like we’re climbing together anyway. You guys are so far ahead most of the time,” Danielle griped.
“We can all slow down, or those of us climbing faster can wait at each station for the rest of the group,” I pleaded.
“This is a REAL nice trip you planned Jairaj,” Danielle said rolling her eyes, her words seething with hostility.
“Well, maybe some people should get a physical done before trying to climb a mountain,” Jairaj said in defense.
“Well, you know I have asthma,” Danielle replied as she sharply turned around. I sat on the bench, my walking stick resting beside my leg. I had tightly wrapped the ribbon that attached the bells to my stick around my index and second fingers until they were numb.
“I’ve had asthma for 21 years and….well I’m going to keep on going,” I said with resolve though in reality I was lightheaded and out of breath. I turned and walked away with my heart sinking to my stomach as half of our group, including Tiffany, defected to climb back down to the Fifth Station.
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