So, my birthday is officially done and it was the first one I had in the States...in a very long time. I think the last time I had one in the States was back when I was 17, all other years were in Tokyo, Saudi Arabia, Europe, or Pakistan.
Looking back, I think the birthday that will never leave my head is the one I spent climbing Mt. Fuji in the damn hail. Keep in mind, I had no plans to do it in hail, and it just randomly happened during the trip.
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The pictures on the top were on the train to get to Mt. Fuji, which alone is a feat of it's own. That's me many years ago, still a kid...I think I was a junior back in Business School then. The train is one of those steamy "choo-choo" trains, and it gives you a pretty nice few of the country side of Japan. Keep in mind, I'm a city guy, and I dislike anything that's green.
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When you get to the location from train, you need to take a bus to the 5th Station of Mt. Fuji, and there's 10 or 8 Stations all together. The 5th Station is the highest the bus will take you, and the rest you need to climb. I heard you can climb up to the 5th Station but it takes a couple days, and requires legit camping gear with buddies to truely enjoy. This is was a trip for myself on my Birthday, so I couldn't do that. The 5th station is crowded with merchants, fog, people screaming, horses, and whatnot. It's a nice calm before the storm, and a nice peace knowing of all the people who tried or will be trying to climb Mt. Fuji.
The Entrance, Warning Signs, and A Message of Hope For Those Who Enter Yup, that's the last warning sign to let people know checkpoints from here on out are sparse, and should have proper food and water if you plan to go higher and higher. Most people just take the smaller route that can be finished in an hour and then walk back, it's nice and romantic. Sadly, it wasn't meant for me...there were other things planned, things I had to do alone.
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This was the path I tooked, it was already foggy, and few people willing to take the road I was taking. Yet I knew I had to do it, something in my heart was burning for it, and my soul knew it had to connect with the heart. My heart was racing, I was really doing it...I was really starting the climb. I was scared, but at the same time, something in my body was pushing for me to go...like I was meant to make it to the top on that very day.
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Moving on up, not yet above the clouds, yet I was about to be embraced by them. The cold, the oh so very cold on a hot summer day. A guy climbing asked if I was Japanese, and I told him no. He told me I was the first "gaijin" to climb that he had seen, which took me back a bit. He asked to take my picture and I said sure why not. I don't remember the full details now, but I do remember I told him it was my birthday, and he laughed and said that "kami" would have a surprise for me.
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Moving up higher, and higher. Finally being able to touch the clouds. There was no turning back now, I spent a few hours already walking it, I couldn't give up. I kept moving, I kept believing in myself that I could do it. This was a hard hill to climb.
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I took a break at a high up station, I think it was the 7th. I stopped for some corn soup, and met with some workers who lived on Mt. Fuji, and some other hikers. They were singing songs, and talking, and some stared at me. They asked what I guy like me was doing climbing Fuji-Sama, I just told them I had to. Something was calling for it. The workers liked the story so much, they didn't charge for the soup. Things weren't this good though, and it would get a lot worse.
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It started to hail, and I had to keep walking. This was also the time my iPhone started to lose it's charge due to me dropping it in the hail (had to change tracks to pump me up). So I was stuck without music, and a dying phone. So I can't show how the path leads on, but let me tell you...it's hard and you need that walking stick I had.
Oh, this was the last thing I ate that day. Rice, fish, miso-soup, and salad. Was it worth it? All this climbing? What would I gain from it? Would I better myself as a person, or would I just ignore it like any other day?
Before I show you the climax, I want to ask you...what drives you to do something. For me, I just randomly decided to climb it, and I was faced with storms of hail, a bitter cold, and friends I could only meet once...but ones I would remember forever. Is the climax worth all this? Here I was, a kid, unknown to the world, climbing the biggest mountain in Japan...in the bitter cold hell.
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I saw a sunrise, the most beautiful sunrise in my life. During the sunrise, I saw something even more grand. I saw a bird flying off in the distance. I know what I saw, and I know I'm mocked by friends and family about it...but in my heart, I know it to be the truest of truths. I was above the heavens for the first time in my life, I was higher than clouds, and could feel the warmth of the sun. I wasn't shivering anymore...I was so resolved. Sorry about the picture being upside down, for some reason...the iPhone started to screw up when I got to the top.
That's my story of my best birthday, ever. It's something that everyone has to try, and it's worth it. It's a lot of pain, a lot of suffering, and a lot of hardships.
Many years ago, people used to climb Fuji-Sama to clean their sins from the ashes. To clean their hearts from evils, and to give them a second chance.
EDIT: Oh, I had to climb that bastard back down too! >.>
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