The Elements

Growing up, I had bad allergies and a few bad sunburns that resulted in my parents and doctors telling me I shouldn't be outside without long sleeves, pants, a hat, sunglasses and plenty of high octane sunscreen. This led me to really not want to be outside at all. I missed out on a lot of activities that other kids could participate in.

As an adult, I relaxed my attitude about it and decided to reconnect to nature. I would do one thing with each of the four elements, challenging myself at the same time:

• for Water, I went SCUBA diving with reef sharks circling around me in the Bahamas.

• for Air, I went hang gliding off of a mountain just north of San Francisco.

• for Fire, I performed on stage as a fire dancer in Union Square.

Well, tomorrow I leave bright and early to face my Earth challenge: I'm climbing Mount Fuji. Standing at 12,388 ft (3,776 meters) high, it's the tallest mountain in Japan and is actually a dormant volcano. I hear it's very difficult for many, and I need to bring clothes for the heat and humidity at the bottom, rain on the way up, and freezing temperatures and low air pressure at the top. I will be gone two full days for the trip to the base, the climb up to see the sunset and then the descent and trip back home.

Wish me luck (and stay tuned for photos)!