Fuji-san

I would like to start with, we all (20 participants) returned back to Tsukuba at 19:30 hrs on 31st August.
We started our pilgrimage trip from the usual place, 7/11 near doho park at 7:00 am on 30th August in a special TWMC-Bus Because of bit traffic problems at Tokyo and Shinjuku we reached the Fifth station-Kawaguchiko at 12:30 hrs. It was nice to see the people there were waiting for us and we received warm welcome (from the restaurant people, where we reserved the lunch, ;)), after the lunch and a small break at the 5th Station, we started climbing Mt. Fuji at 13:30 hrs.

I was bit worried about the climate, it was bright and cloudy. Some time like in the flash of femtoseconds we could able to see beautiful sceneries around. Other wise walking on the rocks was really boring. We all were walking in the same pace and arrived the 8th station hut (Fuji-san Hotel) at 17:45 hrs. When I reached there I remembered Tadashi's words about the Fuji-san huts habby and expensive but we didn't have any choice because we planned to stay at the 8th Station. In the night the sky was clear, view of mars and night view of the kawaguchi-city from the 8th main station was really great.
In the midnight climate became heavy windy and it started raining a bit, As a optimistic person, I was dreaming about the beautiful dawn that I only observed in the pictures. As planned all members get ready for the second day hike at 2:45 hrs. We started for the summit at around 3:00 hrs. The speed of the wind and also the heavy rain doesn't make us desperate.

TWMC-Fujisan team move ahead, with the light seen from individuals head. Some time we danced in the tune of the wind, because the wind was blowing at the speed of 23 m/s. It was really unfortunate that none of us noticed the disappearance of one of our member from the group because of mountain sickness, discontinued the walk. He later joined us at the lunch time. We all went ahead slowly, but wind velocity and rain was
becoming bit heavier. At 4:45 am we reached the Fuji-san jinja at the top, it was glad to see the temple was opened and was nice shelter for us.

Suddenly temple people wake up, and were very angry with us. Then we understand that some body broke the temple door and get in to the temple in the early morning. From that place we all planned to come down because of the heavy rain and wind. We took the Kawaguchiko descending trail. Heavy wind troubled us in the descending time also, some time taking us with it and some time throwing the stones. We all reached back to the 5th station at around 8:45 am. After the onsen and lunch at Kawaguchiko we back to Tsukuba with nice memory of the Fuji-san annual pilgrimage trip 2003.