Climbing Mt. Fuji with one ultralight bag

Wed Aug 30, 2017 · 5 min read

Mountain climbing isn’t in my usual repertoire, so it wasn’t very worthwhile to go drop hundreds of dollars at Montbell before the 20ish hour journey. So, not entirely on purpose, I ended up climbing my first mountain with a loadout I now understand to be considered “ultralight.” Whoda thunkit?

Here’s what I packed, how it went, and what I wish I did differently.

What I wore

• Loose sport racerback tank top
• Underarmour sports bra
• Uniqlo leggings
• Ankle-height sport socks
• Nike Metcons

What I brought

• 12L MEC Blitz Crag Daypack (my usual “office” with the sternum strap and hip belt attached)
• Flannel shirt
• REI Co-op Talusphere packable rain shell
• Columbia packable insulating layer
• Coal knit beanie
• Lightweight Merino Wool Buff
• Liner gloves
• Lightweight black jeans
• Extra pair of thick knee-height socks
• Personal first-aid kit (Adventure Medical Kits)
• 1L water
• snacks

How it went

Fuji San is not by any means a tough climb, as far as mountains go. At no point do you need rope or a harness. The most technical parts are akin to scrambling over a big pile of rocks.

A lot of the ascent is basically a tough, steep hike. The most challenging bits for me were where the ground was covered with very loose gravel, and for every step you took you slid back halfway. It’s more taxing than you might think because of the thin air at higher altitudes - it was necessary to stop every few minutes to catch my breath.

I was concerned about the cold at higher altitudes, but at the time of year I climbed (late August) it wasn’t really that bad when I was moving around. For most of it I only wore the gloves to protect my hands, and the buff to keep from breathing in too much dust. Around the start of the climb when you’re in the clouds, it’s a little cool. I wore my flannel.

You can rest (read: try to sleep) in the mountain huts overnight with reservations in advance. You get a sleeping bag, so it’s not too cold, but the accommodations are modest, without showers or much personal space. If, like me, you want to reach the summit by sunrise, you’ll only stay a few hours anyway.

The early morning ascent to the summit was crowded. What is supposedly a 2-3 hours trek turned into more like 4 hours on account of standing in line for the majority of the way there. Hundreds of people try to make it by sunrise, and the parts of the climb where it bottlenecks slows everyone to a halt. Standing still in line is the only reason I really felt cold during the whole trip! That said, some of the most fun climbing for me was just before the summit, where it’s more like rocky ladders.

Once you do reach the summit, it’s also super crowded. I did get to watch the sunrise though, over the heads of a few hundred cold people.

Once the sun did come up, it both warmed and prettied up considerably, though. I would’ve liked to have spent some more time at the summit (they sell hot cocoa up there!) but started heading down after about 20 minutes so as to avoid much of the lingering crowd.

The descent was without a doubt the most challenging part.

You wouldn’t think so at first glance - it’s basically a switchback all the way down, with moderate incline, and no rocky ladders. It’s the gravel and dust that really make it tough. Almost every step had me sliding, raising dust that gets absolutely everywhere, especially in your eyes, which doesn’t help watching your step. It’s really easy to fall and injure yourself, especially if you’re already tired from the ascent.

What I wish I did differently

There is a Japanese proverb: “A wise man will climb Mt Fuji once; a fool will climb Mt Fuji twice.” After doing it the once, I can totally understand. So, yes, I probably won’t be back.

If I did though, here’s what I’d do differently.

• Pack less clothing. I didn’t use the jeans or hat at all, and only used the insulating layer when I had to stand in line and froze from keeping still.
• Pack more water. Only a few of the mountain huts on the ascent sell bottled water - there’s no plumbing on Fuji, so all of the water used there gets trucked up at great expense. Expect to pay 3x the usual cost for bottled water, and more than that the higher up you go. You also won’t find taps to wash your hands at.
• Splurge for hiking boots, or at least heavy-tread shoes. They would’ve made a huge difference on all the slippery gravel I had to traverse. Other climbers with boots were practically strolling past me while I struggled and fell in my Metcons.
• Bring a better camera, and take more time. Both ascending and descending, the views were pretty spectacular. In hindsight I would’ve enjoyed it more if I’d stopped here and there, had a drink and snack, and took some pictures instead of just barrelling forward through it all.

Tl;dr

Even going ultralight, I felt I overpacked for my first mountain hiking/climbing journey. In hindsight, in temperatures that (at the time) didn’t go below zero, I would’ve traded being cold for having more water at hand. I also would’ve invested in a good pair of hiking boots, even though I only planned to use them the one time.