Mountaineering Log – Expedition Nihon – May 2015

May 26, 2015 (Japan)
Latitude = 35˚ 21’ 39” North (Kita)
Longitude = 138˚ 43’ 39” East (Higashi)

Dear Odyssey Community Members,

Today was an epic day! Former Odyssey sensei, Hiroshi, and 2 of his students joined the Odyssey Mountaineering Team and our combined troupe of 18 spent the entire day ascending Mt. Fuji. The weather was near perfect with cool temperatures, moderate winds, and a mostly sunny sky. At the 8,500-foot level we encountered some snow and a brisk wind. At 9,000 feet we crossed the snowfield and began to haul ourselves up some long and steep rock pitches. The mountain was well appointed with fixed climbing ropes and chains anchored into rock so we used this system to aid our ascent. At 1:45 PM we reached the highest point of last year’s climb – the 9,725-foot elevation mark. Whereas 5 students reached this zenith point last year, 10 members of Odyssey’s class of 2015 lined up for a group photo this year. The other 2 members of the class could be seen heroically moving up the switchbacks at a comfortable pace near the 9,000-foot mark, just a few pitches below us, accompanied by Madeleine, Hiroshi, and his 2 young charges. What a wonderful achievement for our Odyssey students on the Mt. Fuji climb!

We still had some time remaining before our official “turn around time” so 5 students pressed on and climbed for another 40 minutes before reaching the elevation of 10,000 feet – a new Odyssey record. We motored up an additional 50 vertical feet to take a group photograph. We were above the cloud line so dark, ominous clouds and more fierce winds swept across the mountain face, reducing the visibility to 60 feet. At that point we began to descend the steep slope in order to catch the last bus down the mountain from station 5. After almost 7 hours of climbing, we reached the bus terminal with a few minutes to spare. We enjoyed our celebratory banquet dinner in town and reconvened at the inn for the expedition’s final closure meeting. During the ‘go-around” portion of the gathering, students expressed gratitude to their classmates for making Odyssey the special school that it is. All in all, the members of the class of 2015 represented themselves, their families, and their school with honor and integrity during Expedition Nihon. They compartmentalized their pains and fears and kept pushing onward and upward – during the year, on the expedition, and on the final mountain climb. There are manifold life-lessons that can be absorbed while climbing to the upper heights and I think that today’s phenomenal effort represented the best that Odyssey School can offer its students. Our experiential lesson in an outdoor classroom almost 6,000 miles from San Mateo delivered the important message that success comes from hard work, strategic planning, endurance of pain, and a “can do” attitude while in the topographical space of extreme challenge. Most likely, students will remember the magic of this capstone event and the alchemy of the success that they enjoyed as individuals and team members. These memories will echo for many years into the future in the minds of the individual participants as well as around the halls of Odyssey School. Our team is fatigued and all members look forward to being reunited with their families on Wednesday. Enjoy the pictures below.

It’s Happening Right Now: Climb On!

Namaste,

Steveo                                 Doug Sensei              Madeleine Sensei

Climbing Sirdar                Lead Guide               Lead Guide

Odyssey Sempai Mountaineering Team – Daniel, Jared, Madeleine, Mack, Quinn, Dylan, Harrison, Ryan, Addison, Mina, Taran, and Madison

Final closure meeting – after our banquet dinner

Ten students with homemade ice axes at 9,725 feet – last year’s record

Five Students at 10,050 feet – a new Odyssey record