My top 3 insights:
- To see both the sunset and the sunrise from the summit means that you’d need to summit twice, as you are not allowed to stay overnight at the summit.
- The obvious option is to start from Fuji Station 5 at midday and summit for sunset, and sleep over in a mountain lodge at Station 8 or 8.5. Expect to start the night climb at about 2-3am for the sunrise, as the trail is often packed with climbers.
- It was very stuffy to sleep in a mountain lodge. I had problems breathing, due to the sheer number of people in the lodge, and the thinner air. Therefore the night resting time was not effective. The night summit climb felt like the body had not rested for two days. If I were to climb Mt. Fuji again, I’d try to avoid the mountain lodges if I could.
The above is some remaining footage on the GoPro. My iPhone was fried, so all of my sunrise photos were lost. I did not bring the Canon on this trip.
© Duc Do dophotography.co