After a hard climb up Fuji, the family and I decided to tackle the second highest climb in Japan. What we did know is the second highest climb is also allot harder then then Fuji. After a long bus ride to the base of the mountain. We started our journey. We cross over a long suspension bridge. We started the climb up. The trail run a long finger that seams to go on forever, the lower half of the climb you are climbing in a forest. You have to step on roots to climb over the trails. The local club has done a great job adding log steps on sections that are to hard to climb with out a knotted rope to pull you self up. The day was nice till about 4pm then the weather started setting in. We got to the first cabin around 7 pm it was dark and raining. The camp fee was ¥500 the cabin had a place for a bathroom and sever dinner. I set my tent up on the highest ground that I could find. After we got all the gear inside the tent I set up the stove and started cooking dinner.

The tent that I am carrying is a Sierra Design Omega CD 2 man 4 season tent that weight 6 pounds. I had my wife and my teenager in this tent. We were cramped. Now I know what company's mean by three person for emergency. The rain finally stop in the middle of the night.

Day 2- with very little sleep. Cause, my wife took up all the space in tent, I had my face pressed up against the tent wall. The climb was steep, two-thirds up the mountain the trees disappear and you are surrounded by shrubs. This part of the climb you are no longer on the finger of the mountain, you are in a large bowl area. We made it over the bowl area and now we are heading on the ridge line. Stop for a few minutes to catch my breath at the second hut. The top is full of large boulders that you can easily climb over. The trail is marked with a pant. Just keep your eyes open it is easy to miss the trail. After climbing for five hours we hit the top. It was overcast so I did not get a very good view. We came back the same way we went up, it was allot fast then going up. Made it back to tent, and the hut was serving curry. Best curry I have ever eaten.
The that night the sky open up and the rains did not stop. Everything that I had was wet, glad I was getting off the mountain in the morning. The next morning I put on my gore-Tex just so I could stay warm, and we headed down the mountain. When we made it back to the bus stop we were wet and miserable and did we smell. All in all it was a good climb, I would do it again.