Every couple of hours or so, hikers are able to rest at these ramshackle hut complexes and recharge. These structures accommodate everyone, especially those who have reserved sleeping space with their travel agencies. For those of us who opted to go all night, these places were merely good spots to rest and, amazingly, be served hot miso soup or ramen noodles. Oh, Japan. This is where the love/hate aspect of the intense tourism culture comes into play. As much as you dislike the competition for space on the trail, when you are cold and weary, nothing soothes the soul like boiling broth. On less crowded mountains, you don't usually get this kind of service. You can bet these huts would not be quite so well-stocked if the trails were only frequented by regular, unshepherded hikers. I will sheepishly admit to buying three different kinds of soup in total. And a hot chocolate. A word of caution, however: oddly, there is not a single public garbage receptacle on the entire mountain. Whatever rubbish you bring or accumulate must remain on your person until you leave the vicinity of Mt. Fuji. At least, that is what a worker at the fifth station told me. Unfortunately, a lot of people seem to disregard this bizarre attempt at waste management and end up littering wherever they please. Jake has the constitution of an ox and doesn't care how much you load up his backpack, so a few extra pieces of trash made no difference to him.
Wednesday, July 22, 2009
Fuji for real? Pt. III
Every couple of hours or so, hikers are able to rest at these ramshackle hut complexes and recharge. These structures accommodate everyone, especially those who have reserved sleeping space with their travel agencies. For those of us who opted to go all night, these places were merely good spots to rest and, amazingly, be served hot miso soup or ramen noodles. Oh, Japan. This is where the love/hate aspect of the intense tourism culture comes into play. As much as you dislike the competition for space on the trail, when you are cold and weary, nothing soothes the soul like boiling broth. On less crowded mountains, you don't usually get this kind of service. You can bet these huts would not be quite so well-stocked if the trails were only frequented by regular, unshepherded hikers. I will sheepishly admit to buying three different kinds of soup in total. And a hot chocolate. A word of caution, however: oddly, there is not a single public garbage receptacle on the entire mountain. Whatever rubbish you bring or accumulate must remain on your person until you leave the vicinity of Mt. Fuji. At least, that is what a worker at the fifth station told me. Unfortunately, a lot of people seem to disregard this bizarre attempt at waste management and end up littering wherever they please. Jake has the constitution of an ox and doesn't care how much you load up his backpack, so a few extra pieces of trash made no difference to him.
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3 comments:
I'm so psyched Japan has turned you into a hiker. When you come stay this summer :-) we'll have to do all the trails in the LA area.
Have you ever watched Globe Trekker? One of the trekkers Ian went to Japan and climbed Fuji too. They had oxygen cans on sale for those feeling a little light. Did you see any?
I climbed Mt Fuji last weekend, and it's interesting how people can have such drastically different experiences based on the weather. Our climb was in nonstop rain, strong winds, and hail!
Because of that, there were fewer and fewer people nearing the summit, and I have to say I was so so grateful for those few rest spots to get a cup of soup! I heard about the guy who died of hypothermia before we did our climb, and wondered how that could possibly have happened with all the people and stations around, but after our experience, I can totally understand it...
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