Mount Fuji

….saath me baas Shree Ram

I heard from someone when I was in Tokyo, Japanese believes, if you climb over mount Fuji and observe the first sun rise of the world, you will live for 100 years. I can proudly proclaim, I earned that diploma.

My experience to visit Mt. Fuji is one of a kind memory. Then it was more than a month , I’ve already spent at Tokyo, but didn’t see much of Japan other than few places in the Tokyo city. So on one Friday morning, when I heard, Isa, one of the founder member of Triniti Corporation, who was working on the same project with us, planning to organize an week end trip to Mt. Fuji and 5-6 more guys are joining him, I decided I’ll also take this opportunity and team up with them, without any prior plan and preparation.

When I finally got a chance to gather myself, I realize I am sitting in a bus which crossed the the city limit of Tokyo and started traveling through small villages, hilly roads passing by beautiful lakes and woods. I always enjoy rides through scenic, peace full and shrine locations. The place has nothing common with the world where I am from, but appears like, so much known to me.

Finally bus took us at the terminus of a small town, from there we have to catch another bus towards Mt. Fuji. The peaceful presence of the small town in that scenic location gave a feel good affect to all of us. But after reaching there we understand none of the team member has a clear idea about the trip plan, everybody is thinking others might have gathered information. So after struggling little bit we could find the right bus which can take us to the starting point for the Mt. Fuji hiking and lost valuable day light time in the search process.

Once we reach the town where from we need to start hiking, we decided to have our dinner before start hiking and also gather some more information. We found some local people are selling wooden stick, they hardly can speak English, but from others we realize for climbing it will be easier if we hold a stick in hand. Not knowing much what is laying ahead we all decided to buy for each one. Infact we didn’t have clear idea how far will be the hike ahead.

After walking ½ hr through the jungle we realize its not an easy tourist hiking its much more intense than this. Slowly we realize all are definitely not moving with same pace and we scattered into small group of 2-3 each, thought we’ll regroup reaching destination. In our group we have Sudip, Myself and Sriram. At one point we three just lie down beside the trail track, we all appreciate the sky above, its not very common experience to lay down on a rock in a remote place of an unknown country and look at the midnight sky. Sudip san check his mobile phone and realize it is catching some signal. So we all make calls at our home, calling from track of Mt. Fuji !

By that time we realized its much tougher adventure than we were prepared for. At one place we all three lay down on rock and tried to gain some energy, suddenly we found an array of Japanese arm-forces pass by just like jogging on the road. Seeing that we tell ourselves if they can climb it by running, we can’t even walk! so get up Caraivati…

After gaining some more altitude, we started realizing atmosphere is started becoming quite different than the tree covered foot hill below. Its becoming colder and colder, over and above the chilling wind makes it tougher to walk, we could see some snow flakes also flying. By that time we lost all contacts of the other members its only three of us myself, Sriram and Sudip. We lost the cell phone signals too. But there were flow of other tourists walking along with us, so didn’t feel scared or unsafe. Other than the out side tourists, there were Japanese people of all ages walking with us. Somewhere Sudip san gathered information climbing mount Fuji is a religious kind of activities for local people. So people climb it as a pilgrimage than merry adventure.

Around midnight we realize it won’t be worth to move further up tonight. Along the way they formed stages where small restaurant kind of facilities were available, with some snack and water and sitting place. But that level had a dormitory kind of night halting facility. We were so tired and so uncertain what we’ll get further up, we decided to halt the night over there, though it was very expensive, it was a big room, with a sleeping arrangement of about 50 people on floor with a given blanket by them. But it was a heated room and that was so much comforting after walking in cold for hours, we slept like a baby. When we wake up felt quite rejuvenated.  We went outside and observe, the first sunrise of the world. That dormitory had some small toilets also, but no water to fresh up. My friend Sriram used the very costly drinking water bottle we purchased night before, for that purpose.

After having some snack at that place we decided, when we have already spent so much money to halt the night over here, we won’t return without seeing the top of mount fuji. So started climbing again. But  the more we climb the more stiffer and rockier the track started to felt, after all this tracking and thin air we were started getting exhausted soon and started taking break more often. In between we have some food with typical Japanese soup and rice. After a time consuming exhaustive climb, myself and Sriram made on the top of Fuji mountain. We look down the crater from different side. That was first time I have seen a crater and that’s after such adventurous and laborious tracking, with very little knowledge what’s ahead of us. It was really an achievement for us that day.

On the top there were couple of restaurants and motel kind of cottages, it gives a feeling of small western town on the top of the mountain. Its an amazing example what tourism money can make in an odd location on earth. In that process we missed Sudip, we thought most likely he met some other team member on the top and started taking descent path.

Arround 2 -3 pm myself and Sriram decided we’ll follow path towards down walking with other tourists and after reaching some town at the bottom ask somebody the way to return to Tokyo. Descending down was quite easier and effortless comparing the hardship of climbing up. On the way we have seen how a military tank like vehicle carrying food drinks and other resources for tourists on the top and various levels. We were telling each other with this speed very soon we’ll be on our bed in Hilton Hotel. But adventures was not end, soon we’ll realize.

At some point we realize we are not finding any tourist for some time and the track doesn’t look as very commonly used one, quite wild and rarely touched track. And at that point neither of us had courage to move up and check exactly where we got diverted. Rather than looking at the top of cottages at different levels trying to figure out how we can converge with the right track by going down. But all our intelligent guesses were turning wrong and slowly slowly we were in an abundant area. Suddenly we found a very stiff down hill and no other way to go. And we started getting panic. Then check our cell phones, just in case if it starts catching  signal, we can at least get connected to the outside world. But absolutely no connection as expected. The amount of walk we already made, if we start walking up we have to spend night on mount Fuji.

And it will get dark soon so walking up in this difficult terrine will be impossible for us, and we already experienced how cold it get on up at night. So we realize we are in real danger. So we realize the only option for us is keep climbing down. We were in hurry anxious and in spiff hill, soon I realize, I am rushing down with little control over my speed the ground was a mixture of soft soil and rock but if I fall down on this I’ll be badly injured and won’t be able to walk even. So with quick thinking I feel only way I can stop with least possibility of getting injured is sat on ground and get dragged for some distance and that’s what I did, fortunately I stopped with out any injury. Finally we come down at an heights where no more stiff  track, it was full of woods. Buts its dark already and no sign of any human presence, not even identifying any track which can lead us to a local village or a place where we may ask for some help. We started shouting for help but as expected no response. We were getting more more helpless, not being able to decide what to do, how can we spend the night safely or just keep walking after all these we were fully exhausted. In utter frustration Sriram started shouting in Hindi at the foothill wood of Mt. Fuji for help. We were getting really desperate.

Finally like a music to our ear, we hear some people talking in Japanese. At that time how much soothing the Japanese language appear to us you can’t just imagine. They were a team of 3-4 members, fortunately one of them could speak little English, and he explained they are also lost here but one of them had taken this track long time back, he is trying to find out an way to a near by small village. We didn’t have any other choice but join with them, so we kept walking through dense woods with them. We were scared too, if they try to harm us in this isolated place, we had no defence. But we have no option other than leaving our faith on their hand. After walking for some time Sriram got panic and stated  asking question how long it will take, how far we are and that guy got angry, he told if you want, you may come if don’t, take your own, don’t bother us. But did we have any path of our own ?

Finally we reached that village it was already 9pm, but in that small village its mid-night. All shops, restaurants were  closed. Our cell phones are still not catching signal. No idea how to go Tokyo from there. Finally we found a restaurant door is open though the business was closed, and fortunate enough one leady over there could speak good English. We explained our situation to her. She told there is no bus this time to connect us with Tokyo going train, the only possibility is calling a cab from near by town and reach a connecting railway station, which is about 45 mins ride. She made a call to cab from the restaurant phone, one cab agreed to come but at that time he asked for to and fro charge. We have ½ hr in our hand before the cab arrives so we asked can we get some food this time. Though the restaurant was closed she managed some food for us. Finally cab arrived and took us to the civilization. When we reached station my cell phone rang up, one of our director Chakra, called up and tell, they were started getting very anxious about us and trying to contact us for some time, I just said we were anxious too. What an experience !

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