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We leave for the train-station at 7:30, to take the bus to the 5th station of Mt Fuji. Saleem wakes up at 5:00, so I am at least not too late.
Luke sacrifices himself to queue for bustickets, while the rest of us enjoys a nice breakfast .
The drive to the 5th station still takes 1,5 hours, including a short photo-break at a Shinto shrine. From here the mountain is clearly visible and we see that the top is covered in clouds: we all hope it doesn't rain! When we arrive at the 5th station we see that it rains !
At least we have a one hour break to acclimitize to the altitude before we start the climb, so we all secretly wish that the rain passes! I guess we are very lucky, because the rain really does stop, and we start the climb under the cover of the clouds! This is very convenient as the clouds shield us from the sun, so that the climb is a bit more comfortable.
At the 6th station Laurence, Helen and I continue ahead of the rest of the group, and reach the 8th station exactly according to planning, including smalll breaks to eat, drink and take pictures. It is at the 8th station that we will spend the night, so we take our time to enjoy the view, relax and wait for the others to arrive, which isn't until 1,5 - 2 hours later!
Finally everyone arrives without too much problems, although some are seriously affected by the altitude (Suzie, Luke, Becksy). A quick meal of beef curry helped us replenish a bit of our energy and we went to sleep early. Afterall sunrise would be around 6:00, so we had to get up at 4:00!!
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