Tag Archives: Rick Freeman

Mt. Fuji, July 2005

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Mt. Fuji
Date: July 18, 2005
Difficulty: 7 out of 10
Distance: Not sure
Elevation Gain: 5,200′ (from station 5)
Time: 7 to 10 hours
Location: Honshu, Toyko
Users Group: Hikers Only
Permits: No Permits Required for July & August
Hiking with: Yuichuro Kanagawa & Toyama Norikazu

In 2005, I decided to climb Mt. Baker, Mt. Fuji and Mt. Rainier all in July.  My friend Yuichuro Kanagawa from Japan was out to Seattle earlier in the year and he too is an avid hiker.  So, I kindly asked him if he would take me up Mt. Fuji if I flew to Japan.  Mt. Fuji is the most recognizable landmark in Japan and is their most sacred mountain.  This is not a difficult climb, in fact over 200,000 people will attempt to climb the mountain and 30% of these people are from Western countries.  Most people will try to summit to see the sunrise. 

We started off at station 5 around 8:00 p.m. on the Kawaguchiko route.  There are 5 routes to the summit and most of the routes will start at station 5.   The elevation at station 5 is around 7,000′ for all routes.  When referring to stations, these are actually very large huts that can sleep 25 to 250 hikers.  We stopped at station 8 (10,500′) for a 5 hour rest; for 7,000 yen ($70) you get about 18” width of floor to sleep on.  Everyone sleeps shoulder to shoulder, packed like a can of sardines.  Since I just flew from Seattle a day before, the hard floor and cramped spot was welcomed.  We reached the summit of 12,388′ around 7:00 a.m.; the clouds and mist was so thick, there was no views to be had…there was no sunrise for us this day.  After taking a bunch of pictures of each other, we decided to descend.  There are a couple of one-way routes down and we chose the straight-line route that is actually bull-dozed.  There is no traversing, just straight down in the 8″ to 12″ thick ash; you had to keep your gators on to keep the mountain ash out of your boots.  We were leaning back and running down in a skidding formation, which took us only 2 hours to get back to station 5 where we started yesterday.  After we loaded everything back in the cars, we headed for the iron rich thermal waters (hot springs) near Mt. Fuji.

Eagle Peak, September 2009

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Eagle Peak
Date: September 20, 2009
Difficulty: 6 out of 10
Distance: 7.2 miles roundtrip
Elevation Gain: 2,955
Time: 4 to 5 hours
Location: Near Longmire, Washington
Users Group: Hikers Only
Permits: $10 per car access fee
Hiking with: Linna Freeman, Patricia Chow & Garth Heuchert

After finishing an easy hike yesterday (Comet Falls) and today was going to be sunny warm day, we needed a hike with a colossal view; this is where Eagle Peak comes in.  This hike should only be done on a sunny day, the Mt. Rainier views are to die for.  This hike also deserves a little picnic on top so you spend time resting and absorbing the enormous views.

Mt. Teneriffe, December, 2010

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Mt. Teneriffe (via service road)

Date:  December 17, 2010

Difficulty: 7 out of 10

Distance: 14 miles roundtrip

Elevation Gain; 3,838

Time: 5 to 6 hours

Location: Near North Bend, Washington

Users Group: Hikers & Dogs Only

Permits: None Required

Trail Conditions: Wet to thick snow.

Hiking With: Myself

I wanted to do some snowshoeing early Friday morning, but most of my friends were either working or busy doing other things.  Since I was by myself, I chose to hike up/snowshoe the Mt. Tenerife service road versus the shorter steeper route via Kamikaze Falls. 

I was the first one in the parking lot…well, except for the elk that were lurking around, one of the elks had a collar or tag around the neck.  The trail or road was pretty wet for the first 1 1/2 miles and then the snow slowing started to build-up.  I put on my snowshoes at the 2 mile mark and started to make fresh tracks…which is one of the reasons I like to start early.  I love to be the first one on a fresh snow trail.  Many people will follow the first trail started, so….you actually get to determine where the trails goes.  Of course, since I was only snowshoeing the service road, there is not much variation creation. 

It was a perfect day, sunny and warm enough that I didn’t have to wear a coat or a jacket.  My MSR’s were sinking down about 6 to 8 inches in the thick snow.  It got deeper the further I went and about the 5 mile mark, I had enough fun for one day and turned around.  The service road is great for a large group of people, but….the 7 mile trek to the Mt. Tenerife summit will eat your time up.  I only saw one other person on my way down….another reason to love this trail.