It won't be long until Pam and I board a plane to Japan to see my mother and to take in the culture of Japan. Pam has never been there. I have not been there since 1974. Thirty-five years is a very long time. Many of my relative weren't even born yet since my last visit. A stranger in a relative sea.
The highlight of our trip will be to summit Japan's highest mountain, Fuji-san (12,388 feet; 3,776 meters). We only have a small two-day window to attempt a summit. We want to start at the right time to be at the summit at sunrise.
The month of May was a "lost" month as far as conditioning goes. With the Social Security move, our physical conditioning program took a backseat hiatus.
Now, it is June. We have re-started our regimen. Hikes with heavy packs. When without packs, we sprint the uphills and glide the downhills. Intense weightlifting workouts concentrating on leg strength. Squats, leg presses, leg extensions, leg curls. Also, must workout the upper body as well with pullups, pulldowns, bardips, vertical knee raises, curls, rows, extensions.
The sweat pours, muscles ache. We are paying for the price of our neglect.
After commuting 90 minutes and working a full day, we are tired at the end of the day. But we keep reminding each other we got to do this and do this now just like we did for Mt. Whitney last year. Once before...we can do it again.
Fuji-san is only 12,388 ft (3,776 m). Mt. Whitney's Trail Camp is a little over 12,000 feet so we have no cause for concern. We just have to squeeze in some acclimatization hikes in Yosemite and there are plenty of hikes above 10,000 feet.
I already know that we will not be the only ones on the mountain or its summit. Every day, at 3,000 hike its slopes. There is no quota system like Mt. Whitney. I am sure we will be rubbing elbows with a lot of people.
Our prize will be the coveted branded hiking stick. Each station you pass you get a brand. Don't know how many brands, but we look forward to getting that souvenir.
Questions, questions, questions...
What is the weather like? What route will we take? How long will the hike take? When do we start? Will we need cold weather gear? What type of pack to bring? Ice axe? Crampons?
I know the answers...
An ice axe and crampons will not be needed.
All of the trails to the summit are well-marked.
The hike should take 8 hours roundtrip at most.
I would like to start around midnight, but there are other options to enjoy the mountain. We got two days. Might as well enjoy.
I feel it would be sufficient enough just to bring the fleece wear as well as essential gear in case of inclement weather.
The Camelbak pack should be enough for all of our gear.
We will begin the pre-stage of our trip this weekend. We will take some of the items and place them in the wheeled duffel. I will be maintaining a checklist and double-checking it.
Sherpa me.
