After sunrise on the summit, we return to the eighth stage and take breakfast. After that, we pack our gear for the descent. The descending course follows a different route than the ascent, and at the seventh stage we reach the Suna-bashiri, the "Sand Run". This is a very steep area on the upper slopes of Mt. Fuji that is covered with a thick layer of dark, coarse-grained sand. There is no path here, only a thin rope demarcating the way. This part of the descent is very quick: each step down the sandy slope carries us three or four steps down mountain. Our feet sink deep into the ground, and spats are necessary to prevent our shoes filling up with sand -- a few good-sized pebbles in our shoes would make walking impossible. We move with incredible speed down the mountainside. The distance it took us five or six hours to climb we now descend in a mere two hours. The feeling is intensely exhilirating. We race down the mountain as fast as the wind, and into the thick layers of clouds which wrap the slope... |
