A few weeks back, I climbed Mt. Fuji with my class at school. We started up it on a Saturday afternoon and finished the ascent before dawn on Sunday morning, after staying over at a little rest-house right on the side of the mountain. When climbing on Sunday morning, the line to get to the top was horrendous. As frustrating as it was to have to move at the pace of a three-toed sloth, the slow rate of the procession gave me a chance to peer down the mountainside. A trail of tiny lights snaked its way down the slope. The sheer length of it was impressive. Then, I turned my gaze up a little and out towards the horizon. What I saw at that moment will be forever etched into my memory. The sleeping town of Fujiyoshida lay spread out before me, its street lights glittering in the darkness. The faintest hint of dawn was visible just over the horizon. In the cloudless sky, I could clearly make out constellations like Orion and the Big Dipper. It was truly a spectacular view. When the sun rose, the scene from the peak was beautiful, but it just couldn't compete with what I had seen earlier.
Last weekend, my family and I went up to our country house by Yamanaka-ko (one of the Fuji Go Ko, the five lakes surrounding Mt. Fuji). For the first time since my hike, I had a chance to admire the mountain. I'm sure I've seen Mt. Fuji a thousand times, in person and in pictures, but this time felt different. Having climbed the mountain and having stood at its summit really seemed to have changed my perception of it. Every time I looked out the window of our house and at Mt. Fuji I thought to my self, 'Hey, I climbed that!' This in itself was extremely satisfying.
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