#33 Mt. Fuji - Climb & Ski Descent

We've done some pretty neat adventures in our lives but this one was truly unique and super cool.  Visiting Japan and climbing Mt. Fuji had been high on our list for a very long time, but dealing with the huge crowds was always a deterrent. Considered a sacred place by the Japanese, well over 200,000 people make the journey up Fujisan every year, the vast majority in July and August when the mountain is actually "open" for hiking. In order to avoid sharing the trails with hoards of 3,000+ people per day (and to have some fun skiing on the way down) we decided to go in May before the official season begins and the very best month of the year for this kind of endeavor. The timing needs to be just right and having the proper gear is a must.  Japan also had an excellent snow year this winter so everything was shaping up quite nicely for a longer than usual ski descent.

6:15 AM at trailhead ~7,800' with Kenichi Minegishi

We found a terrific ski/mountain guide named Kenichi Minegishi who speaks very good 'Engrish' and whom we highly recommend (Instagram: @guide_kintoun and email: coastmountain72@gmail.com). Kenichi picked us up at our hotel in Hakone Gora (a beautiful mountain resort area only ~2 hours from Tokyo by train including a bullet train segment) at 4:30 AM and we drove 90 minutes to the trailhead of the Fujinomiya Route. We parked at about 7,800' and after getting our skis strapped onto our packs, we started hiking at 6:15.  The weather was perfect with clear skies, mild Spring temps and low winds. Kenichi had attempted to summit Fuji twice this season but in both cases he was turned around by harsh conditions.  Just three days prior to our attempt, he encountered a snowstorm and 75+ mph winds and only got about halfway up.

We were grateful for our ideal conditions, and after an hour and a half and about 1,000 vertical feet of hiking, the trail became steeper and now entirely covered in snow.  At this point we swapped our trail shoes for ski boots and crampons and continued up.  Along the way we saw the various mountain "stations" which were all closed and partially buried in snow.  At these outposts you can buy hot ramen and stay overnight in July and August when the mountain is technically open.

Torii gate just below the crater rim ~12:30 PM

After about 4 1/2 hours of climbing from our boot/crampon spot, we reached the iconic torii gate just below the crater rim.  Climbing for another 15 mins and about 200 vertical feet to 12,389', we reached the summit of Mt. Fuji!

It was now 12:45, time for a small sandwich, photos, and the super fun part - clicking into our bindings for the ski descent!  Kenichi is an excellent skier and guide in Hokkaido and the Japan Alps for powder hounds seeking the famous JAPOW in January and February.  He has also climbed and skied a surprisingly long list of the same mountains around the world that we have climbed and/or skied as well (Denali, Elbrus, Kilimanjaro and skiing in Switzerland, Chamonix, Whistler & Utah to name a few).

...back to the top of Mt. Fuji, the conditions were ripe so I knew Kenichi would be up for doing something I thought would make an already unique experience even more extraordinary- skiing down INTO the crater of Mt. Fuji!  The last time this volcano erupted was 318 years ago, so we should be good I figured.  Kenichi needed absolutely no convincing.  The drop in from the crater rim near the summit was steeper than I'm used to skiing at Powder Mountain, and falling would be suboptimal, but it was too good of an opportunity to pass up.  Luckily there were no mishaps and I didn't even mind the extra climbing required to get back up and out of the crater.  It was already a long day with over 4,500 vertical feet of climbing, so we didn't ski all the way down into the depths of the crater.  But we did ski enough turns to crank up the Fuji fun factor. It was well worth it and Kenichi was stoked too. 

Me and Kenichi getting psyched up to drop into the crater!

Then we hiked back up to the crater rim and completed the requisite fist bump. Now it was time for the true reward for hauling all of our gear to the top of Mt. Fuji.  A 3,000+ vertical foot descent on skis taking a fraction of the time and effort required to hike back down. We still had to hike down the last ~1,000 or so vertical feet carrying our skis and we returned to the trailhead around 4:30, only ~10 hours round trip.  With thanks to Kenichi and the weather gods, a bucket list adventure to climb and ski Mt. Fuji, while reaching our 33rd country high-point, is now complete.

#32 Pico de Orizaba, Mexico High Point

The third highest peak in North America is Mexico's highest at 18,491 feet - the volcano Pico de Orizaba or Citlaltépetl meaning Star Mountain.  It's also the highest peak I have ever climbed on my birthday, and doing so seemed like a good way to commemorate another year marker.  ...although I think there are plenty of more relaxing options to celebrate a birthday than this one! 😜 

Before tackling Orizaba, my 32nd country high point climbed so far, we hiked the 14,636 foot La Malinche volcano, in order to acclimate to the high altitude.  La Malinche is located just over 2 1/2 hours east of Mexico City, north of the town of Puebla.  Fun fact, on May 5, 1862 the Pueblan's defeated a French invasion of the town and Cinco de Mayo is now celebrated in recognition of this occasion.  

I celebrated on the summit of Malinche after climbing 4,400 vertical feet in about 4 hours 45 minutes, to an altitude higher than Mt. Whitney, the highest point in the contiguous U.S.  Most importantly, I managed well at that altitude without any notable effects. 

We descended to the trailhead at just above 10,000 feet, and made our way by car to the tiny mountain town of San Miguel Zoapan for the night.  Our guide Lalo Mora Prieto, who I highly recommend @lalomoraprieto, is from this town on the slopes of Orizaba, and lives around the corner from the Orizaba Mountain Guides hostel and base. The next morning on Nov. 20th, we organized our gear making sure we had all of the necessary safety equipment including crampons, ice axes, harness and helmet, and made our way up by a 4WD truck to our base camp near the Piedre Grande hut at 14,000 feet.  After dinner and a few hours of 'attempted' sleep, the alarm sounded at midnight.  My tent mates all wished me a happy birthday, we ate breakfast, got ready, and started climbing in the dark at 1:20 AM.  Unfortunately it was raining lightly when we began so we got a bit damp, which wasn't the best way to start out a cold birthday climb to high altitude.  Luckily as we gained altitude and temperatures dropped, the rain and heavy mist turned to a light snow and eventually we climbed our way up and above the clouds.  

2:52 AM clouds clear and reveal route above

Nov. 21st at 6:23 AM nearing crater rim

It was a long and physically taxing day, but after just over 7 hours of climbing, mostly in the dark, at around 8:30 AM we reached the summit!  Luckily Lalo and I, along with 25 year-old  Christoph from Germany who is half my age, were fast and fit enough to pass all of the other rope teams on the mountain in order to be the very first group on the top.  The wind had died down almost completely and the sunshine was warming our bodies.  Looking across the horizon with the cloud cover below us, we enjoyed a surreal quiet and calm summit experience all to ourselves.  It gave me an opportunity to reflect and appreciate life and my ability to do something unique and physically demanding like this.  Through the meaningful work of the Challenged Athletes Foundation and Ogden Valley Adaptive Sports, my birthday wish from the top of Orizaba, is to help remove as many barriers as possible for those with disabilities so they can also enjoy outdoor sports and recreation opportunities and live life to the fullest! 

#31 Volcán Tajumulco, Guatemala High Point

At 13,845 feet tall, Tajumulco is not only the highest mountain in Guatemala but also the highest in all of Central America. Because if its remote location near the the country's western border with Mexico, lack of tourist infrastructure, and perhaps State Department advisories warning against travel to the San Marcos District of Guatemala due to crime, relatively few people climb Tajumulco. On the contrary we felt very safe and welcomed by every local we crossed paths with on our journey and experienced a level of courtesy and outwardly warm and friendly greetings on streets unlike in most places in the U.S. This was true of our entire time spent in both Guatemala and short time earlier in El Salvador. Nonetheless we prearranged a local guide for the hike to have some extra reassurance and to eliminate any need for route finding along the way. Wilman De Leòn Pèrez came recommended to us and his lack of English gave us a good opportunity to practice our Spanish during our seven-hour round trip hike from the trailhead to the summit and back. 

After a not-so-much fun hour-long drive on dark winding mountain roads from the town of San Marcos to our meeting point with Wilman (we love Google Maps but don't enjoy yet again being re-routed onto barely navigable and closed roads) we safely parked at the trailhead at 6 AM. Here at an elevation of ~10,000 feet, strong winds attempted to rip the doors off our rental car as we greeted the cold, cloudy and wet conditions we were about to subject ourselves to. The beginning part of the trail is a steep mountain road leading to a handful of ramshackle farmers' dwellings where a pack of aggressive dogs charged us, snarled and showed their teeth but we kept them at bay with our trekking poles until we exited their territory. 

 

Not long thereafter we entered a protected reserve and enjoyed lots of greenery as the vegetation changed from tropical to alpine forest as we ascended higher. Above the tree line the foggy cloud cover remained as we encountered a series of Catholic monuments depicting Jesus bearing the weight of a cross. They were emblematic of the arduous pilgrimage to the top and also served nicely as trail markers.

As we climbed higher nearing the crater rim around 9:30 AM, as if by divine intervention, the clouds parted and blue skies and bright sunshine emerged. The wind was powerful but we were happy to have a clear view atop Tajumulco the highest point in Central America. 

Tajumulco Summit 13,845' Nov. 12 ~10AM

 

Volcán Acatenango, Guatemala

After our short visit to the top of El Salvador, we retraced our route along the potholed mountain roads back into Guatemala. After 9 hours of driving we arrived in Antigua, the prior capital of Guatemala until the city was largely destroyed by an earthquake in 1773. Guatemala City is the current capital but Antigua (Spanish for old or ancient) has now been restored to a picturesque World Heritage site surrounded by three volcanoes. 

Arco de Santa Catalina, Antigua w/Volcan Agua

One of those volcanoes, 13,045 foot high Acatenango was our next objective. Its popularity among adventure seekers is due to its close proximity to the adjoined neighboring Volcán de Fuego which is extremely active and was erupting every 30-45 minutes during our stay. Our trip was inspired by our good friend Dan O'Brien who did this same hike two and a half years ago, and at his recommendation we opted to camp overnight with Ox Expeditions. Their campsite at 11,600 feet on the slopes of Acatenango (also an active volcano) has an impressive vantage point of Fuego to safely watch the volcano's stunning molten rock explosions and lava displays that are even more impressive at night. Each time it happened, while eating dinner or watching from our tent, it was equally exciting and a phenomenal display. 

 

Finally we decided to go to sleep after watching "just one more" eruption as we knew we had an early morning ahead. The alarm woke us up at 3:30 AM and our group was on our way towards the summit shortly after 4:00 to catch the sunrise at the top. We had some strong winds and surprisingly cold conditions (for Central America) and arrived at the crater rim a little before 5:45 AM. The sunrise was a magnificent display of color illuminating the continuing "Strombolian" eruptions of Fuego and the warmth of those sun rays was welcomed by all. 

 

Denise and I separated from the rest of our group in order to hike the short additional stretch around the volcano rim to reach the true summit. Although Acatenango is not the highest peak in Guatemala (it's the third) a picture at the very top was still warranted. From this spot we were able to see a stark outline of the volcano's own shadow cast in the background alongside some of Guatemala's other volcanoes. The highest of which is next on the agenda. But first we had to hike back down more than 5,000 vertical feet to the trailhead and get back to Antigua for a well-deserved massage! 

Acatenango Summit Nov. 10 ~6AM

 

#30 El Pital, El Salvador High Point

After being grounded from international travel while my passport renewal was being processed this summer, we are free to travel again and began our Central American adventure on Nov. 6th. 

Cerro El Pital is one of those remote and unique places that we would never get to experience had we not decided to climb the highest mountains in as many countries as possible - this was #30. On the rugged border between El Salvador and Honduras, the hike begins from a tiny village at 7,300 feet called Rio Chiquito which of course is muy fun to say! Just getting to Rio Chiquito (see isn't that fun) was more of a challenge than the short 5-mile round trip hike itself. We arrived into Guatemala City early in the morning, I got my first stamp in my new passport, we grabbed a rental car and headed southeast towards the El Salvador border. After battling traffic, poor Guatemalan roads, slow and pollution spewing trucks and "chicken busses" on windy mountain roads laden with enormous potholes, three hours later I received my second passport stamp at the El Salvador border control.

The dirt poor towns we passed through and occasional military vehicle (or Toyota pickup truck with soldiers in the back) were clear reminders we weren't in the U.S. anymore. Another four hours of driving later taking in the sights, we reached a small village called San Ignacio where we began ascending one of the steepest roads we have ever driven! Our manual drive rental car was barely crawling in first gear up and around the hairpin switchback turns that felt steeper than a black diamond ski run. With relief we finally reached our little mountain cabin for some needed rest before our uneventful hike early the next morning. 

 

The hike was less than 1,700 feet in elevation gain and us took less than three hours round trip. Since it is still early season, we had the place entirely to ourselves and didn't need a guide or much navigation help as a rough four-wheel drive road leads almost all the way to the top. The summit marker at 8,957 feet is stamped with 'El Salvador' on one side and 'Honduras' on the other, so we decided to take a short jaunt into Honduras (since we could) before heading back down to Rio Chiquito! ...which remember is always fun to say! After bidding adios to the high point of El Salvador and the Cabañas Vasquez, we headed back to the border of Guatemala and on to the next adventure...

 

#29 Hvannadalshnúkur, Iceland High Point

Our current adventure was born from a comment at a dinner party two months ago when an old ski instructor friend Chris Fellows mentioned; "We're going to Iceland this Spring to ski remote fjords near the Arctic Circle from a small fishing boat."  "What?" I said, "How cool, do you have any space left on the boat?"  

So here we find ourselves in Iceland with tales of our climb of the country's highest peak, Hvannadalshnúkur.  It is located on the southeastern part of the island, a difficult name to pronounce but thanks to the tips and experience of our seasoned guide, Einar Sigurosson, not unusually difficult to climb.  And since we climbed this volcanic peak on skis (with climbing skins affixed to the bases for the ascent) it made the decent fun and fast!  It was a long day (10 1/2 hours total up and down covering over 13 miles) but a special treat to spend it with Einar whose great grandfather in 1891 was the very first person to summit the 6,920 foot peak.  Einar also holds the record for the most successful summits of the mountain, now at 324!  When I baited the question of which of all of these times over the years was his favorite, of course he obligingly said this summit with our group!  We invited our very good friend Helga Hengge from Munich to join us on this adventure, and she is a super strong climber, not to mention witty and fun so Einar's response may not have been too far from the truth.  

We are now in the far northwestern corner of Iceland in a small village called Isafjordur where we are about to board a renovated fishing boat called the Örkin for our six day ski touring adventure in the Hornstrandir Nature Reserve.  

#28 Rysy, Poland High Point

Back from our Eastern Europe adventure and reporting on the third high point in three countries reached: Rysy - at 2,499 m / 8,199 feet, the highest peak in Poland. After a long but rewarding day on Gerlach we refueled with some traditional Slovakian food (and Czech beer) and headed west. As the crow flies over the High Tatras the summit of Rysy is less than three miles from the summit of Gerlach, however the best access point to the route on the Slovak side is near the ski resort town of Štrbské Pleso. From there we parked our car and hiked a little more than an hour to reach the Horsky Hotel at Popradské Pleso, set in a picture perfect scene overlooking a stunning alpine lake. 

Views along the hike to Popradské Pleso

Accommodations for two nights at Horsky Hotel at 4,900 feet

Great views of the lake and Fall colors from our room

Fortunately the weather improved for us and the forecast rain/snow and 30 mph winds did not materialize. So we left our simple but comfortable room shortly after 7:00 the next morning and made our way up the scenic trail along the valley floor. Denise endured the rocky terrain and persevered despite having tremendous ankle pain from a crampon spike scrape inflicted while climbing Gerlach two days prior. We weren't sure if she could manage the extreme discomfort throughout another long day of climbing, but her strong Polish genes and mindset from her dad's side prevailed on this Poland high point. We carefully navigated the steeper snow covered slopes high up, and appreciated the panoramas that were revealed at the ridge delineating the Slovakia / Poland border. It was less than an hour later that we found ourselves at the summit of Poland's highest peak and now our 28th country high point raising the Challenged Athletes Foundation banner. 

Combination Slovak humor and safety warning

Summit of Rysy, Poland high point on Oct. 16, 2022

...until the next adventure, all the best!

-Paul & Denise