Love and Lots of Sugar

This is a view of the Yoshida Trail shortly before reaching the Fuji Subaru Line 5th Station (where most people’s hikes up Fuji begin and end.)  The thought that was going through my head when I took this picture was, “We’re back in The Shire!”  The top of Mt Fuji is, as I’d expect most volcanic mountains are, a wasteland of red and black volcanic rock - very much like Mount Doom.  In fact, the thought that got me through the hardest parts of the climb, when all I wanted to do was lie down and go to sleep, was “If Frodo and Sam can walk all the way to Mordor AND THEN climb Mount Doom, then I can do this.”  YES THEY’RE FICTIONAL CHARACTERS.  SO WHAT.