Mount Fuji: Going up

So we left the safety of Station 5 and headed out into the night, around 9:30. We left king of in 3 groups, the leaders, the middle pack and the sweepers bringing up the rear. I set off at a reasonable pace, most of the start was down hill, which was a bit weird but that was not to last too long. There were plenty of huts on the way up selling refreshments or 'brands' for the walking sticks you can buy. Personally I was a bit disappointed with the sticks on offer and chose not to part with 1200 yen. Basically, every time you get to an official level you can get your stick branded as proof you made it that far. The huts were great resting points - physically and mentally. I was getting very hot as I was carrying most of my clothes and 2 litres of water in high humidity. After the first couple of stations I think I lost the equivalent of the 2 litres I was carrying.

I submit the photo as 'the anti-blog photo' - though it is equally as staged!