up to the sun Hiking Mount Fuji

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up to the sunHiking Mount Fuji
LIBR 500 Foundations of Information
Technology Roseanne Hinmueller
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the hikers
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• Me RoRo (Roseanne)
• teaching English in Miyazaki
• avid cyclist, surfer, and reader
• rarely a hiker
• will try anything once
• very, very unprepared for hike
• very very excited

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the hikers
2

• Derek, my boyfriend
• on Vacation visiting me
• loves everything outdoors
• especially hiking
• always prepared
• packed enough stuff for both of us
• very very excited

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the mountain

• BIG BAD MOUNT FUJI
• 3776 m tall
• last eruption 1707
• over 200,000 people climb it every year
• women not allowed to climb until 1867
• climbing season July-August
• iconic symbol of Japan
• very rarely viewable due to constant cloud
  coverage

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the hike

• there are 10 stations in total
• most people begin the hike from the 5th stations
• faster easier
• we start at Kawaguchi 5th station
• elevation 2300 m
• most popular station to begin the hike

Okay enough chit chat. Lets get started!
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900 pm

• 2 ways to get to Kawaguchi station
• bus 800 yen (7.50 CAD)
• taxi 12000 yen (112CAD)

Bad news last bus leaves at 400pm
Good news the cab fair is worth it
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1000pm

• We arrive
• start our ascent
• its dark
• its cold
• its walking blind
• up into the unknown
• its EXHILERATING!

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throughout the night

• Keep a steady pace stop at all the rest stops
• meet hikers from Japan, Australia, Spain, Germany
  USA
• Derek tests out his barometer watch
• I continually remove volcanic rocks from my shoes

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300am

• We reach the summit
• eeeeeeeeeeee!
• we make it in 5 hours
• sunrise is forecasted for 400am
• its cold very cold its freezing
• nothing to do but sit, huddle for warmth and wait
• wait
• wait

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Imagine being on top of the sky when ever so
slowly the clouds part and ever so very slowly
you and the hundred or so other people from all
over the world, freezing their pants off, become
part of the sunrise.
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400am
The sun is up
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we did it
Yatta! We made it.
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a long way down

• A spiritual place

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the summit

• The summit
• we take in as much
• as possible before
• starting our descent

crater
pilgrims
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a long way down

• Descent 6.5 hours
• the terrain is a slippery slope of volcanic rock
• takes more effort
• going down
• then up

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Owari, the end
All images are provided by myself, Derek, or
Powerpoint
Thanks for watching
Good night.