The Descent

It was an OK horror film. I don't like horror films in general, but this one wasn't too bad. But about climbing down Mt. Fuji... On the way up there were about 12 mtn huts at various stations. The way down was a LONG switchback trail full of loose rock and dust. They had to make a path wide enough for tractors to bring supplies up. This was the exciting route down. That explains why we saw so many people returning on the ascent route. There were some cool moments with clouds rolling past us. Anyway, we stuck with it but had some problems with slipping. Everyone fell at least once except me. I credit my hiking boots. Took a few hours to get down the mtn. The path up didn't cause my muscles to get as sore as when hiking down. About a mile from the bottom, Heather decided to fight Mt Fuji...and lost. She slipped on turn and fell the wrong way. I knew it was bad from how painful her ankle was. As a wilderness EMT, I really should have more than just bandaids with me. Would have come in handy to have an ace wrap or SAM splint. And evacuating someone is easier when you are in the class and have all the right materials to make splints and slings. Gifford was amazing and ran down for help...then ran back up with a policeman. Incredible that he didn't injure himself. They found a horse to bring her down to an ambulance. In the meantime, a Japanese hiker had given us some first aid supplies so I could make a half-ass wrap to support. Giff and I helped Heather to the horse a bit further down the mtn. As someone who works on an ambulance, I got a kick out of the Japanese system. Smaller ambulance than the new ones that I bitch about at work. 3 guys, all wearing surgical masks, jumped out and had her lay on her stomach on the stretcher and strapped her in. None of us could figure out how that was better than on her back. (But she explained later that it made it easier for them to splint her ankle. ) Of course I took pictures. What the doc told her was that it was a partially torn Achilles tendon. That means crutches which are not fun longer term. (If you are reading this and know Heather, please wait to mention it. I am not sure who else she has told.)

A new plan had to be created for the rest of the trip. Heather had to go back to Marian and Giff's and Brian went back to rest for a couple days. Me, I jumped off the train halfway back for my own adventure. All my reservations were shot so I am traveling with a Japanese phrasebook, my Lonely Planet, and my fingers crossed. I can figure things out that are written in Romanji--Kanji, however, I can forget that. Can't read one character from the next. It has been an adventure...