Mount Fuji.... Again?!?

So, I am apparently a glutton for punishment and decided to hike Mount Fuji again, hoping against all hope I would have a better weather experience! My friend, Alicia, really wanted to go, thus I decided it would be a fun, girls' trip to squeeze in before Joel and I left for Okinawa, so go we did!

We took three Bullet and a couple of JR trains for nearly 5 hours to the Fujiyoshida area.

This was our view the next day as we walked to the bus station to hitch a ride up to the 5th station (where the hike begins)! It truly is a stunning mountain.

Still looking so fresh and energized - getting ready to hop on the bus!

Here we are at the 5th Station about to begin! At this point, the weather was SO MUCH BETTER than what Joel and I faced last summer.

It's still an active volcano so the landscape reflects that lava look.

This trail may not look like much, but it is steep and it is treacherous... and this was the easiest part.

As you can see, it started getting foggier and foggier the higher we climbed. 

Alicia was AMAZING. This girl has energy and endurance like I've never seen. She must be half mountain goat because I found myself really struggling with the lack of oxygen and had a lot of muscle cramping, but I don't believe she even felt winded!

We made it to the top! Alas, I had NO VIEW AGAIN this year, but we could feel the altitude and the cold too, as evidenced by our layers of clothing at this point.

Bottom line, we made it up in 3.5 hours and down in 2.5. Really good time, but Alicia's would have been better if she hadn't had to wait on me. :) I am SO glad we made time to accomplish this! What a fun, adventurous trip! We OWN Mount Fuji!!!