Sara Backer's Blog, page 27

Death on Mt. Fuji

After I finished posting my special Mt. Fuji/Moon Landing Anniversary series, I read in the L. A. Times that an American man working in Tokyo and his Japanese friend died, probably of hypothermia, during their climb up Mt. Fuji on July 24, 2009. The police officer is reported to have said Mt. Fuji is not a mountain to be underestimated, meaning it's a steeper mountain and tougher climb than people think. Every year, climbers die on Mt. Fuji, and it always saddens me, having had such a vivid ex

Fedexercise

Yesterday must have been National Package Delivery Day. The Fedex truck made many trips to my house, each time managing to leave corrugated boxes on my stoop between bursts of heavy rain. One box for my order of beautiful Hiroshige postcards, another for my contact lens, and two boxes--two separate trips--to bring me the first copies of the new American Fuji. The new edition is stunning: vermillion letters on a pale yellow tatami background. It looks brighter and has more visual depth than t

Ajisai (Hydrangea)

Shizuoka is the hydrangea capital of Japan. In the U. S., you mostly see the mophead varieties in foundation plantings around houses. In Japan, lacecap varieties grow in huge wild hedges. I hadn't appreciated the beauty of hydrangea before moving to Japan but they soon became my favorite flower. In Ch. 5, I mention a hydrangea hedge on Gaby's running route: "White herons gathered in the river, upstream from laundry suds pouring out of a city grate, and hydrangeas bloomed on the banks, dropp

How Is a Tree Like a Mountain?

Mt. Fuji is a Shinto shrine, and so is this tree. This one was just one block off my bicycle route from my apartment to the university. I would check in on it now and again, to say hello or make a wish. It's quite a bit larger than the typical tree in Japan. (Size matters?)

Tetrapot

Here is the tetrapot at the Shizuoka coast as described in Chapter 7 of American Fuji. This is a favorite spot for college girls to set off fireworks.

Mt. Fuji/Moon Landing Anniversary Special

Honorable and welcome newcomers to this blog: The 13 plus 3 posts for the anniversary of my hike up Mt. Fuji that coincided with the anniversary of the moon landing begin July 16 and continue through July 22. The complete hike (through Alex's eyes) is described in Chapters 38 and 39 of American Fuji. A final note: the novel itself also made the hike to the summit! This particular book now resides with friends in Santa Cruz.

The View from Miho Beach

Mt. Fuji looks different after you've climbed it.

A Japanese saying--very roughly translated-- says you are a fool if you never climb Fuji once in your life, but more of a fool if you climb Fuji more than once. I wish, for my one ascent, I had not been so intent on following Japanese tradition. I missed a lot by climbing at night: too dark to see, too tired to observe. My advice would be to start early in the morning, arrive at the summit in the afternoon (when it is also far less crowded), an

Daruma Chain

The day after the night hike of Mt. Fuji my friends and I went to the beach at Miho (sandier than Shizuoka's gravel and tetrapot, although the sand was black) and soaked our sore muscles in warm ocean water. We even found a place that served soft ice cream. Eric was happy. That day, July 21, we called ourselves the Dharma Chain Gang.

Thank you for visiting this Mt. Fuji/Moon Landing anniversary sequence. We now return to our regular blogging. (Coming up: a view of what we climbed from Miho

On My Bottom Below the Bottom

The hike ended where it began, back at the trailhead at 10:00 AM on July 20th. I was exhausted to the point of hallucinating, but I had earned my bragging rights. And, in daylight, I could now read the sign.

This is the 13th post of the official Fuji Anniversary series, but post-hike posts continue Tuesday, July 21, when we sought the antidote for altitude at ground zero.

Many thanks to Eric and Veronica for taking several of these photos and letting me use them in my blog. The hon is mine.

The Grateful Dead at Level 5

I don't remember why Eric and I both brought our Grateful Dead t-shirts on this hike, but here's proof that we did. I was, at that point, grateful NOT to be dead. There was no fire on the mountain, the rain was not in a box, and of all the stations on Mt. Fuji I found no Terrapin Station. I was, however, a bit dizzy with eternity.

Picture a bright blue ball,
Just spinnin', spinnin' free.
Dizzy with the possibilities.
Ashes, ashes, all fall down.
(Ashes, ashes, all fall down.)

Throwing Stones -The G