Catching Regie

Proudly pointing his name in a tribute made by his trekking agency

While roaming around Thamel in Katmandu, we met Regie Pablo who just recently descended from his Mt. Everest Summit climb via Tibet.

Regie shared with with us the difficulty and loneliness of technical climbing at the roof the world alone. He joined a group of international climbers with him as the only Filipino.

Climbing on a personal capacity, he wanted to prove he can summit. There were moments of life and death situations for him and his sherpa. Driven by a strong motivation (and anger too) to succeed at all cost, even at the expense of going beyond financial and physical limits, from his own account he said, "I barely made it."

Having achieved his target which he set for over 10 years, I heard him say, "Ito lang pala (ang pakiramdam). I should have devoted my priorities to my family and career." His statement needed validation. As we return back to Manila, there will be other perspectives and stories on his climbing which incurred for him huge payables as a result of his personal feat.

Cover of Jamling's book

Jamling Tenzing Norgay, son of sherpa Tenzing wrote in his book, "Touching My Father's Soul," "My father climbed Everest so his sons need not climb it." Jamling did climb Everest after all to fill in the gap left by his absentee and dead father. After Jamling's successful climb, he declared that "I climbed so my own sons need not climb it."

Regie's climb was lonely and difficult. We, his friends thank him for his completion so we need not go through the same ordeal. As he has climbed the roof of the world and survived it.

One enjoyable lunch at Rum Doodle in Thamel, Katmandu courtesy of Dom

All ears on the Philippines 7th summiteer

To the next journey ahead