Monday, June 28, 2004 - 5:26 PM KDT

I suffer from Cerebral Palsy and a few recent incidents (a aggravated burglary and a mugging) and the resultant stress related impact on my disability caused me to consult the SCOPE website (www.scope.org.uk) which provides information, contacts and support. SCOPE (formerly the Spastics Society) is the charity supporting families and individuals with Cerebral Palsy.

From their website I learned that SCOPE (with unique support for this year only from All Nippon Airways) is organising a sponsored trek to Mt Fuji in Japan in August/September of this year. The Mt Fuji Trek is a 6 day trek, involving ascents on the first three days higher than Ben Nevis; and the final 2 day ascent of Mt Fuji (3,776m - 12,385 ft) which is higher than the Three Peaks combined - details below.


Trek Day..Hrs Trek...Height (Max)........Summits

1...........5-6........1,786m.(5,947 ft)....Mitsutoge
2...........7-9........1,792m.(5,967 ft)....Mt Osakayama + Mt Kurodake + Mt Awazu
3...........7-8........1,738m.(5,787 ft)....Oishitoge + Onigatake
4............4...........Small hill................Aokighara Forest + Lake Shoji
5...........9-11.......c2,000m.(6,600 ft)..Mt Fuji 5th Station
6...........9-12........3,776m.(12,385 ft).Mt Fuji

Further details about the trek can be found on the SCOPE Website www.scope.org.uk/adventures

http://www.lincolnshire.gov.uk/section.asp?docId=31441&catId=5388&pageTitle=Top+of+the+world

Monday, June 28, 2004 - 6:04 PM KDT

Dear Adam

I stumbled across your story on the Net
and was intrigued.

I’ve climbed it on crutches and and I’m an L-1/C-5 parapeglic who has lived in Japan more than 20 years.
I refer to the climb of "Fuji-san" that is The honorable Mr. Fuji or Mount Fuji on my newsblog two times.
See:
“What kind of gimp gaijin tries to climb Mount Fuji 3 times?”
https://www.angelfire.com/trek/taro/funtokyo/index.blog?entry_id=198458
“Official climbing season for Mount Fuji”
https://www.angelfire.com/trek/taro/funtokyo/index.blog?entry_id=177451

I see that you’re figuring on a “long version” of the climb.

1...........5-6........1,786m.(5,947 ft)....Mitsutoge
2...........7-9........1,792m.(5,967 ft)....Mt Osakayama + Mt Kurodake + Mt Awazu
3...........7-8........1,738m.(5,787 ft)....Oishitoge + Onigatake
4............4...........Small hill................Aokighara Forest + Lake Shoji
5...........9-11.......c2,000m.(6,600 ft)..Mt Fuji 5th Station
6...........9-12........3,776m.(12,385 ft).Mt Fuji


The standard climb most people make is from the 5th Station. What ever you do, please don’t make the mistake of starting from the Station 1 in the gray concrete city of Gotemba. This would be like starting at Nairobi Kenya to climb Kilimanjaro in the manner of first Westerners to do it the German geographer Hans Meyer and Austrian mountain climber Ludwig Purtscheller in 1889---- It’s the “traditional start” but you will spend too much time in the outer slums of Kenya.

Sane Japanese people don’t start at Station 1 and you shouldn’t either. If you looking to make it a “challenge”, start hiking at the beginning of the national forest for Pete’s Sake.

Just want you to have a reasonably good time.

Yours truly,

“Taro”

Tuesday, June 29, 2004 - 10:26 AM KDT

Subject: Re: "Fuji-san" advice from a gaijin gimp

Dear Taro,

Many thanks for the info - and well done on your achievement I am very impressed. Although I suffer from Cerebral Palsy myself it is fairly mild and only really affects my speech and coordination slightly and affects me more in social contexts rather than physical terms.

As the article mentioned I am fundraising for the Cerebral Palsy charity SCOPE and further details lof the charity and their fundraising activities can be found on their Website www.scope.org.uk. You can also donate to SCOPE via my website www.justgiving.com/adamfujitrek

I think the route and itinerary we are following suggest we are climbing Mt Fuji from the National Forest side - having walked around the five lakes for the previous 4 days. I have also done a 42 mile walk with some work colleagues across North Yorkshire moors in England and I attach a copy of an article I have written about the challenge.

Best wishes

Adam

Adam Hillman

Saturday, July 10, 2004 - 8:59 PM KDT

Researchers link altitude sickness to dementia
(Mainichi Shimbun, Japan, July 10, 2004)
People who suffer from altitude sickness are prone to developing dementia due to a lack of oxygen in the brain, a researchers group has found.....
"Middle-aged people who have suffered respiratory diseases are likely to fall into dementia when reaching high altitudes too quickly," said Chie Usui, doctor at the university....more...