Monday, 8th September

Well Hola everyone..I hope you're all genki and not as spaced out and achey as I am.

On Fridaynight 5th September, me and about 19 other ALTs gathered around Mt. Fuji and began our long overnight climb. The weather was brilliant - dry and clear. We started around 9pm and stepped carefully up the rocky paths guided by our flashlights. We took oxygen canisters with us but there were no nauseous casualties!

Although we started together, by the end most of us had split in to little groups, climbing in pairs and congregating at the various stations or huts along the top. Luckily, me and a few others enjoyed the rests at these huts and timed our ascent well, as we reached summit at 4am..about 7hrs after starting. Other adventurous lots got to the top by 1.30am but froze cold under Mars [very visible and red here Japan] the Moon, and the millions of stars I have never seen before in my life! Hundreds and thousands shimmering in all sorts of patterns! When we reached the top, we stood around gathered anxiously by the edge of the Mountain brim in wait for Sunrise.

Looking very angry, the sky blazed a bright fiery orange at first, then a cool purple blue and finally a pretty lilac pink! It warmed up quickly as the sky changed colours.

At around about 5.30 am we explored the huge crater where fresh lava is expected to erupt in the next few years, and took lots of photos that you would normally expect to find on postcards.

Then down. How mundane and dirty. Boring zig-zagging down, down, down yet never reaching the bottom. So monotonous. Red sand spraying as we skidded and stumbled along.

By 9.30 we reached Station 5 again where we collapsed and baked in the contrasting heat and longed for showers and sleep.

Now I ache.