Monday, November 30, 2009

Danger Lurks

Extreme sports excite because they take away the monotony and humdrum of routine living. New experiences and situations show up unexpectedly catching one by surprise. One can not really prepare for them but one can maintain composure and presence of mind to cope with them.

Looking back, I recall several encounters which only now after watching National Geographic and Discovery Channels I have accepted as life threatening.

While Trekking in the forested trail in Batanes, green thin long snake landed at the backpack of the lead a few meters in front of me. Fortunately it drifted away swiftly and I kept on walking quietly.

On my return back from the Halcon peak to Lantuyan, tired and exhausted, I had to cross a wall that got eroded that drops to a rocky surface about 50 meters down. The rocks I was holding on to were slipping and I was getting ready to fall preferably at the back using my backpack as support. Suddenly, as if a miracle happened, I recalled someone lifting me up to the landed platform a few meters away. I took it nonchalantly and proceeded to meet up with my friends TJ and Mitch on the other side.

In the 80’s when Pico de Loro was still not that popular as Mt. Maculot, I joined a PALMC group for an overnight climb. We camped at the slopes accessible to the staging point of the peak. That night, I was awakened by a hissing sound which turned out to be snakes outside the tent. I kept still, thinking it would go away in a while to which they did. I never discussed it the following day but got a validation that snakes do abound in the slopes.

One of my most memorable and difficult climbs was the Tawangan-Pulag traverse of PALMC with the Loyola Mountaineers. It was a long and cold climb as somewhere midway, it was raining non stop. Cold wind was blowing hard where the temperature dropped slightly above 5 degrees C while trekking. Due to exhaustion, the energy needed to fuel a strenuous trek was slowly getting depleted. Somehow, the technical outfits and a handful of candy bars kept us going until we reached the campsite to recharge and to raise our body temperatures.

Man vs. Man. There was a potential threat to life not by nature but with guns and ideology. Our climb to Mt. Natib was timed with the ASEAN meet at Subic Bay where Heads of States including US President Bill Clinbton would attend. Apparently, there was a military clean up at the Bataan mountain noted as a lair of friendly forces. In a ridge, we were unexpectedly entrapped by rebels. We were given a quick lecture on their cause and eventually released safe and sound. We continued with our socials that night as if nothing happened.  A similar incident happened while we were about to climb Mt. Tapulao the 2nd time around.  Our ascent was deferred for several hours pending clearance from the Barangay as allegedly there was an ongoing operations in the area.  There is wisdom this time around for prevention.

When we were just starting, we were hot on unexplored expeditions relying only on topical maps for destinations. An attractive target for us was Mt. Silangan in Bataan known for waterfalls and sharp drops. Novice as we were, our group, composed of young climbers got lost in place which could be a potential habitat of unknown forces. Relying on our instincts, we were eventually led to a ledge which was one of the most awesome sites we have ever discovered.

A similar situation is a solo climb in Caliraya to meet up friends at the waterfalls which is only less than 20 minutes away from the Japanese garden. By stroke of luck, I ended up circling around the area from early afternoon to sunrise going nowhere with no one to ask directions from. I eventually found the asphalted road the next morning but missed the company of friends. What could explain this? Folklore they say just like what lost trekkers experience in Banahaw and San Cristobal.

There are minor incidences. Such as tripping in the rice terraces in a Cordillera traverse breaking my favorite lightweight high tech umbrella at the rice field. In the same region, sometime in December, our trek was welcomed by large and hard hailstones while trekking. Without protective helmets, to get hit in the head can be fatal.  Poison ivy and leeches when not handled well can be hazardous to one's health.  Getting trapped in Mt. Talinis' quicksand has no escape.

The worst is surviving socials in a company of heavy drinkers and senior climbers especially with people one is not comfortable with. But with the passing of the night, fellow climbers tone down too.

Danger lurks in unfamiliar territories and situations. As I look back and recall about the danger trekking lurks, I am reminded of what St. Augustine wrote about adventure “People travel to wonder at the height of mountains, at the huge waves of the sea, at the long courses of rivers, at the vast compass of the ocean, at the circular motion of the stars; and they pass by themselves without wondering.”

Indeed now, I wonder how I managed. I believe that while there are forces that threaten, there too are strong and good forces that protect. I am thankful that I overcame them because I have been guarded. Be careful. Happy Thanksgiving.

Sunday, November 22, 2009

Customer Ecstasy

I  learned from an ISO workshop (International Organization for Standards, a quality management system) that the ultimate measure of success is customer satisfaction. Customers, in the end are either satisfied or dissatisfied.

Satisfaction is a never ending quest. Initially, its final test is winning customer loyalty. It then progresses to customer obsession. Now it is customer ecstasy.

Just like climbing. Why I talk favorably about the recreation is due to the loyalty it earned from my participation. When we leave everything including work days and urban friends for a climb is a manifestation of obsession. When nothing else comes in between daily chores and the outdoors maybe due to the ecstasy derived from the activity that we cannot live without. The natural high starts to build up from the packing days or hours before the assembly escalating during the bus ride. It peaks upon reaching the summit and tapers down at the socials.

Have you ever asked why we keep on coming back to Pulag or our favorite trekking destination?

Saturday, November 14, 2009

Link me up

Got these leads.  Link me up.

Site Under Development http://geocityposts.palmc.net
Posted by Adminat September 11, 2009

This space will serve as the holding domain of the Philippine Airlines Mountaineering Club (PALMC) website and blogs of members around the world.

Heartfelt thanks to Mitch Soria and Chito Razon for their online work in documenting PALMC activities and events at http://www.geocities.com/TheTropics/Shores/4033/

There are lots of To-Do’s for this site including:
- compile all posts, articles and information from PALMC Geocities site.
- concurrent with building up the site structure, contact PALMC elders for copies of trail notes, preferably in PDF format to be uploaded to site for posterity.
- upload different themes for free blogs/sites for PALMC Members only
- set up social networking capabilities of main site and subsites within the website and including external site connections to club and individual Facebook and Twitter accounts, among others
- set up site-wide guides or instructions on getting account with http://PALMC.net/
- get PALMC board approval

— Merci, 09-11-09

----------------------------------------------

UPDATE: 10-24-09
1. Guestbook in Tripod has been copied for file – from the first message by Mitch Soria in 05-05-1997 to latest post dated 09-22-2009 by jing cano.
2. Finished copying all posts/articles and available photos archived in PALMC Geocities website

Note: Some articles’ posted dates need to be confirmed with respective authors. Dates of some articles were extrapolated when such information in the article were non-existent.

UPDATE: 10-25-09
Mashable Announces Geocities to Close 10-26-09 – http://mashable.com/2009/10/25/geocities-closes-2/
UPDATE: 10-27-09
As of 5:10 AM. Pacific Standard Time (Los Angeles), the PALMC Geocities site is still available and accessible.

Monday, November 02, 2009

GG Icon of Mountaineering

Geocities/TheTropics/Shores/4033 is gone.  This is the material I have for now on Guiting-Guiting. Anyone who copied the articles?

Guiting-Guiting, Icon of Mountaineering

Apr 12 1998, 3:00 pm

We are back after 6 days from Sibuyan Island, an island of the Romblon province and 12-16 hours by a slow Viva boat from Batangas City. Island is isolated and has maintained its undeveloped state mainly due to the difficulty of transport and the economic condition. Showcase of the island is Mt. Guiting-Guiting (2,058 meters above sea level ASL, 17 degrees Celsius, strong winds, and cloudy skies.) It is considered a tough climb.
For a regular climber, G2 can be considered a culmination climb reminding you of Banahaw de Tayabas at first as you approach the foot of the mountain; Banahaw de Dolores and Makiling during the ascend, Apo, Hibok-hibok, Batulao, Durungawan at Mayo's Peak and distinctly Guiting-Guiting at the gorge. To reach the summit, one climbs a 9-hour trek on the first day from 0 ASL and a 6-hour assault to the True Peak passing through gorges most of the way. It requires some rock climbing to cross boulders.

G2 is a mountain of courage and bravery, power and humility. It demands courage, guts, determination, visualization and a strong faith. Once completed, the climb teaches one to be humble and to be powerful. It blesses one with a thought that in our day to day reality, the power of Mt. Guiting-Guiting is right behind us to push the limits of our humanity making our dreams and undertakings happen for us. Thus the power is not to be abused and to taken with utmost meekness. For to abuse it means losing the power temporarily given us.

Our group has been so blessed that our True Source allowed us to experience this moment made available only to a few.

With this Easter climb, we climbers are to dedicate all our undertakings to greater causes. Or else the grandeur that is of Guiting-Guiting may just be put to waste.
Happy Easter!

With us were EL Vincent Balagot, Dom Gaduco, Ding Cailipan, and Mayan Gutierrez, Malou Cabrera, Carlo Magno, Mike Pulido, Darius Jorjen, Mitch Soria, Mannix Moya, Ching-I-Wang, CBR and guides Bobet Tansiongco and Parson.

In the other group, which reached the Mayo's Campsite Thursday, were EL Christine Medina, Resil, Orly Amolar, Jonathan Almedilia, Lloyd Alcaraz, Marlon Paguila and Gilbert Lim guided by Bulod, Parson's father.
Click on the manuscript for detailed prints.

Jun Feliciano's Nepal

Architect Jun Feliciano chronicles his Trekking in Nepal in the December 1996 issue of PALMC's Trail Notes.

Click on the image to read the prints.

Tere's Siargao

Way back in 1977, a colleague from PALMC Tere Collantes has written about Siargao.

Surigao 1997 Highlights of Tere’s Trip
• Took a PAL direct flight to Surigao City

• Stayed at Tavern Hotel in Surigao @ P170/ night
• 7 and 7:30 AM boat schedules to Dapa @ P40.
• Mobility in the island via a motorbike
• Union in General Luna, 1st stop. Stay at Latitude 9 @ P50/night single
• Del Carmen stop for crocodile farm, Tagaktak Falls for power supply
• Magpupungko Pilar for rock formation, Pansukian for Cloud 9
• Overnight at Dapa at Marimar Lodge @ P75/person
• Return to Surigao via Dapa for the 7:00AM and 7:30 AM schedule



Way back then, we were already toying around with surfing.

Sunday, November 01, 2009

My Siargao

Images from an expedition in the South over land, water and air covering Davao del Sur to Davao del Norte, Agusan del Sul to Agusan del Norte landing in Metro Manila hovering over Pasig River.