This is a photograph taken near the 5th Station of Mount Fuji. I took it on July 3rd, 2003, on my way down from the summit. Mount Fuji sits well above the clouds and it is a fairly arduous climb. To accommodate the thousands of people that take the hike, there are a series of ten stations, with the tenth at the top. Since the fifth station is accessible by bus and car, most people (myself and my Mother included) start there.

This photograph was taken nearly at the end of the return, passing through the fog of the clouds. The trail is very surreal in this area, as the trees grow in all directions out of the deep ravine that is the trail. As my Mother and I came back down, we took a brief rest. While sitting in the Tolkienesque mist, this rider happened to pass by, and I waited until he had nearly passed to take this one picture, the last that my digital camera could fit.

The image has not been modified at all - this is exactly how it came out on the digital camera.