The 7th station felt like major progress since we'd been so confused as to whether we'd actually passed 5 and 6 and where. We had a reservation for dinner and sleeping time at an inn a bit above the 8th station. Up to this point, we'd been debating whether we were actually going to make it before the end of dinner (7pm) or if we were going to have to stop before then. Since we were supposed to meeting team 2 (Jaclyn, Danielle, and Sara) there, and I really was looking forward to the substantial break... I wanted to keep going. After studying the map and looking at the buildings (huts) stacked up along the zig-zagging trail above us (and inhaling half a Snickers bar each), we decided to push for it and see if we could make it. The trail was a bit more difficult, at times actually requiring some climbing over boulders and ledges. At was hard work and we were already over 2000 meters, so I was really getting tired.

We reached the 8th station and could see our inn just hovering above our heads. After guzzling some water and giving each other pep talks, we went for the last leg just as we were both starting to really feel pooped. Half-way between the two stops we hiked through a JTB (Japan Travel Bureau.. one of the most well known tour companies here) group which we overheard would also be staying at our inn. We also overheard their tourguide talking about the curry rice awaiting them (and us!) at the inn. We inched closer and closer... my legs letting me know with each lunge that I'd been hiking all day. At the base of the stairs leading towards the inn's outside platform (its hard to even describe the huts), Tom just stopped. "I'm done". This in fact turned out to be the last bit of motivation to get me to the door: if he could be that tired, then it was ok for me to feel completely trashed. We got there together at 6:45 and practically collapsed trying to take off our hiking boots (for of course, it being Japan, you can't wear them inside a building!). Around this time we got the message from team 2 that they had arrived at the bottom and were starting to hike in the rain (from the 5th station).

The inn employees (who were college-student age and I would guess live on the mountain for the entire hiking season, 7/1-8/26) took our bags and showed us to our "spot". The sleeping room was built so that it had one massive bunk bed. The top level was filled with already sleeping hikers... probably 15 heads as we walked by them. Each hiker had one sleeping bag and one pillow. Tom and I were given spots in the middle of the bottom level, complete with pillow and numbered sleeping bag. On Tom's left were a father and his very young (I would guess maybe 6 or 7!) daughter, and on my right were a couple in their 50s. The instant the employee left we both sprawled on our backs in our space. It felt great. About this time it started to rain, and we smiled knowing looks at each other to be inside of it and knowing the other group was going to be climbing up into it and through the dark. We stretched and just laid with our feet against the top bunk to recover a bit. Then we changed into dry clothing which also felt terrific. There was no separate room for changing so we took turns holding a jacket-curtain up for the other to change behind. Of course, everyone on the top bunk was asleep, so we didn't have too much conscious company.

Back downstairs, we enjoyed our curry rice for dinner and finished just as the JTB folks filed in for their dinner and pep talk from their leader. I could have eaten another 3 servings... but they unfortunately weren't offered and I was very aware of how difficult it must be to get supplies up the mountain to the assorted huts. We trekked out to the bathrooms (a separate hut from the inn with no running water, just tanks upside down for a tiny bit of hand-washing water). The next stop was sleep! We crawled into our bags, slid out of our hiking pants (really hoping they'd be dry by the time we woke up), and tried to go to sleep in the middle of 30 other people. After a half hour, they turned out the lights, which helped, but it was still a massive slumber party and a very hard floor. We went to "sleep" around 8:00.

I woke up around 10:30, squeezed out from between Tom and the lady next to me, and headed out to use the bathroom again. It was still raining and there were hikers resting at the bench outside the door. The inns people were keeping everyone outside quiet so the guests could sleep, but they were allowed to sit for a while. I opened my cell phone to check on team 2's status and there weren't any messages. I was a bit worried they'd bagged it... but at this point I also noticed the phone was practically dead from sending out messages all day. I went back to the sleeping room and crawled back into my bag. Eventually I fell back to sleep, although for the rest of the night people were getting up and out to re-start the hike. Tom and I woke up around 1 am to the sound of pouring rain. We looked at each other and ticked off the pros and cons of starting the hike or sleeping in (the original plan was to be at the top for 4:30 sunrise). Having already experienced one Fuji ascent in the rain to be greeted with a non-sunrise, I wasn't too thrilled with our situation. But part of me was worried that if we slept in it would be worse in the morning and we'd never find the other girls. I also just wanted to finish the whole thing, and I had a stomach ache that could have been due to the altitude (the inn also provided buckets for mountain sickness issues) or just from the curry. In the end, with a "this is what we hiked all this way for" from Tom, we decided to go for it. After suiting up with rain suits and head lamps, we left the dry warmth of the inn for the windy, wet side of the top of Fuji.