Mt Fuji Rules in Japan

 
I went with 8 other men from the chapel on a retreat to the Tokyo area and to climb Mt Fuji. Apparently if one does not climb Fuji then you get reassigned back in Japan as evidence by 2 of the 9 of us that were here before but did not climb it. Anyways, we spent the day traveling by bullet train, subway, & van to get to the base of the mountain at around 9 PM. You then actually drive up through the trees for the first 4 stations and arrive at the 5th station were you park and can get some supplies and souvenirs at some shops and a restaurant area.
I bought my Fuji climbing stick for 1200 Yen and was ready to go. I also had lots of gear on the climb to include boots, several layers of clothing, hats, gloves, headlamp, and a large backpack. In my pack I carried climbing food, batteries, first aid stuff, hand warmers, 2 liters of H2O, and many other things I cant remember.
 
I thought the trail would be sort of easy like the State parks back home. As you can see above, Rob Morgan is making his way up the steep rocky path.
 
By this point in the hike I'm starting to realize this is a much harder hike then expected. The lack of oxygen was not an issue yet at 2300 Meters but we did take several breaks along the way making our way to each hut.
 
May Peace Prevail on Earth...