You win this time Fuji san!

I just had a facial that I'm sure some would pay top dollar for. It consisted of the finest Japanese lava rock being blasted into my pores at 140 mph (my estimate).

Katie wanted to attempt Fuji, so I agreed to accompany her, for moral support. We came back down to the 5th station looking like armless monkeys had applied a very dark mascara all over our faces until we looked like a couple of Goth rockers on retreat. That lava dust is all-invasive! Word of caution, don't put on lip balm before facing the dust. It just sticks to your lips to turn them black.

Don't let this beautiful sunrise fool you. This mountain is dangerous when the wind blows!

A lot has changed on Mt. Fuji since I climbed it last year. This year I'm pretty sure they have added thousands of extra meters of vast nothingness and blister-inducing steps between stations 5 and 7.

We saw many people nearly fall over the edge. We were unable to summit due to the wind. There were several tour groups on the mountain when we were there. They were all turning around and heading back down. I was okay with that. I made it up the whole way last year. I must have been knocked in the head sometime between now and then. I forgot how much, umm, fun it is.