A Mountain Wheelchair, and a Forecast of "C"

Adventurer Gota Miura suggested a HIPPO, a special off-road wheelchair built for mountain trails, and the group made several test climbs before the real attempt. Then the forecast came in. For the days around the climb, Fuji was rated "C" — the worst of three grades: strong wind and rain, unsuitable for climbing. Sugita did the one thing he could. In the car, he hung a teru-teru-bozu, the paper doll Japanese children make to wish for good weather.