Profile Picture

Namiss ko lang bigla ang ma-excite gumamit ng profile pic na may sea of clouds.

Before I knew it, I'm way over it na pala. I know...wala pala akong Facebook. Pero if I should make a new account, sea of clouds wouldn't be a big factor in choosing a profile picture.

In one world a sea of clouds profile pic would say 'astig ka'. In another it would say 'you're a newbie'. Whatever it is, your profile picture somehow summarizes who you are in social media. In fact, nung nag-oorganize pa ako ng treks, I would quickly reject applicants whose profile picture is Mt Maculot. Sorry na. Judgmental lang talaga.

Pero your time will come. Pagsasawaan mo rin yang Mt Kinabalu profile pic mo. Sa ngayon, namnamin mo lang muna kung ano ka.

THE MOUNTAINEER, THE TRAIL RUNNER, AND THE ELEPHANT

As a man was passing by a group of elephants, he noticed that one of the elephants was leashed to a small stake on the ground using a flimsy rope tied around one of its legs. Surprisingly, however, it wouldn't attempt to break away even though it could pull out the stake with just a budge of its huge legs. Filled with wonder, he asked the trainer why it was so. The trainer told him that, when those elephants were younger, they were restrained using the same set-up. A few times  they tried to get away but they were still too young and too weak to break the leash. And they grew up conditioned to believe that they could not break loose.

Top Ten and one Hiking Stuff I No Longer Include on my Top Ten Hiking Stuff List

1. Bag Tags

Our climb ID during the first Lagataw Invitational Climb

I used to think climb bag tags were cool. We called them 'climb ID' . They were considered a validation for one’s being a ‘mountaineer’. I had two—one during my first Mt Pulag Climb in 2006 and another from the Mt Pulag invitational climb I organized in 2011. But these days, I see them as an indicator for hikers who have not outgrown their newbie fervor. I wonder if the likes of Romi Garduce still rave about bag tags. But bag tags are not solely for pormahan. They serve other meaningful purposes for others.

The Lagataw Difference

Some of the destinations we take our friends to. (photo by Josh Pasia)

When I was kid I was the only child in the family who had roamed beyond the two-block radius around our home before reaching the age of six. In fourth grade, while everyone was using saw dust to show creativity in our map project, I used crushed egg shells for my map of Leyte. I have always had this thirst for uniqueness and discovery; to do what others do differently. And I’ve taken this principle even in my treks. Here are some of the things that make Lagataw treks different.

HIKING DAW PO HINDI MOUNTAINEERING

What's the plural form of 'neck'?

Sobrang dami na po natin ngayon at unti-unting nag-eevolve ang terminology sa larangan ng pag- akyat ng bundok. Mukhang kailangan na ng panibagong Bundokipedia para sa mga bagong kataga na ginagamit ngayon ng karamihan.

Tampok sa post na ito ang pagbabago sa wika ng mga umaakyat hindi lang ang mga common mountaineering misnomers and misspellings kundi pati na rin ang mga bagong usbong na mga kataga at paggamit ng mga ito.

Ultralight Backpacking and Minimalism

We’ve been hearing a lot of fuss about ultralight backpacking lately. And I am a bit annoyed when the weight of each item in your pack is detailed to the last 0.001 gram. But that’s just me.

However, I just want to point out that I am concerned that the focus of the naive audience may be confined in the issue of weight alone. It’s not totally bad. I go for minimum weight myself. But minimal weight is not really an end in itself. In my case, it is just a by-product of an ultimate goal. And my ultimate goal is MINIMALISM. Minimalism should not be confused with ultralight backpacking. Minimalism is the pursuit of achieving something with minimum or zero aid. The ultimate goal really is to rely on your body alone. It wouldn’t be minimalism to carry a proud 5-kg load that includes an ultralight sleeping pad, an ultralight camping chair, and an ultralight power bank.

Some say I was irresponsible trekking for ninety days on my own without safety equipment such as a rope, a first-aid kit, or even a compass. But I was just being me. And [ME]= [my body, wits and spirit] not my compass and other gear. 

This recent fuss about ultralight backpacking seems to be shifting the goal to how smart you could get at improvising stuff or how rich you are by being able to buy expensive ultralight gear. I'm sure this is not the intention of the proponents of ultralight backpacking but the admonition to be FIT and EXPERIENCED has been accidentally relegated.

Again, it’s not wrong to pursue minimal weight on the load you carry. I just suggest that on top of your mission to keep the weight of your load to the minimum, it would be great to keep training—to keep honing your skills—to reach the maximum potential of your body—so that ultimately, you won’t have to rely on a lot of gear, so that in the end you can rightfully say ‘I did it!’ and not ‘My ultralight gear did it!’

Yuji Hirayama, a three-time record holder for the fastest ascent on El Capitan's The Nose, echoes two of my main guiding principles in trekking:

1. Rely on your body more than your gear.
2. Travel only with thy betters or thy equals. If there are none, travel alone.

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MOUNTAINEERING, HIKING and TREKKING

Many of us have been wondering what the difference is among the terms HIKING, MOUNTAINEERING and TREKKING. I was in the dark for quite a while. I simplistically thought that because the name of the destination has the word 'Mount / Mt' in it, then it is already mountaineering. I later realized that many of the journeys we consider as 'mountaineering' in the Philippines are hikes. Many alpinists might probably not consider any journey in the Philippines as 'mountaineering'.

Many have wanted to establish the delineation among these terms but decided not to put it in writing either for fear of criticism or because of the confusing nature of some journeys that could be considered both mountaineering and hiking; or trekking and mountaineering; or all three of them.

The eagerness to criticize a certain set of standards or definitions usually springs from ego. Many Filipino outdoor enthusiasts have come to regard mountaineering as a superior activity to hiking and trekking (even before knowing the meaning of the terms). So when someone tells us that our 'Mt Maculot climb is a hike and not mountaineering', we often volunteer to hear 'It's JUST a hike' and we feel less 'astig'.  The truth is, they are apples and oranges. Would you think basketball is superior to baseball?

With that note, I hope the readers keep both a critical and an open mind, when reading my own definitions of HIKING, MOUNTAINEERING and TREKKING.

All three (HIKING, TREKKING and MOUNTAINEERING) are done outdoors and all three are done as a sport or a recreation. This means that a local, even if he traverses three peaks just to get to his home, is still not trekking or doing mountaineering. He's just going home or he has just bought some soy sauce.

Hiking is a journey amid beautiful scenery.

Trekking is a long* journey amid beautiful scenery.

Mountaineering is a quest for the summit.

*One may ask 'How long is long?'. Well, that would be at least 2 days under normal conditions.

** One might say, 'I struggled at the roped segment in Mt Batulao, is that a quest?' NO. Try Mt Halcon or Mt Baloy, you'll know what I mean by 'quest'. A quest for the summit (in the Philippines) should involve extreme physical struggle. You may be journeying for days in rugged conditions, with occasional rock scrambling, bush whacking, roped ascent/descent, river crossings, rattan spikes, and no guarantee for beautiful scenery or abundant water. The summit itself doesn't have to be picturesque. What's to be photographed at the summit of Mt Baloy or Alto Peak? All you have in mind is to get to the summit.

In both trekking and hiking, the goal is beautiful scenery. In mountaineering, the goal is the summit. With this difference, we can easily remove those journeys that don't involve the quest for the summit from the 'mountaineering' list.

Be warned, however, that not all journeys that involve summits are mountaineering. Treks and hikes can include summits as long as there is beautiful scenery in the journey.

In like manner, a mountaineering activity can also include beautiful scenery but it is not the goal, it is just a bonus.

Immersion is typically involved in a trek

While hiking and trekking seem similar, they differ in some elements other than the distance and the physical demand of the activity (which are vague parameters). One of these elements is that trekking typically involves immersion in remote communities and learning about their culture and practices. Another factor is that if the journey can be done comfortably within a day, it is not a trek, it is a hike. But a hike can also be a two-day journey. It just doesn't have to involve immersion.

With this simplistic set of definitions and differentiation, we can now classify many popular journeys accordingly. But, of course, there are still gray areas.

The list will always be subjective. You can make the list longer.

HIKES

Pulag (Amba-Amba)

Ulap

Osmena Peak

Mt Batulao
Mt Maculot
Pico de Loro
Mt Romelo 

Basically all climbable hills in the Calabarzon and Bulacan area except, Banahaw, Makiling and Cristobal

TREKS

Batad-Pula-Cambulo-Banaue

Kibungan Cross-country
Amburayan to Camp Utopia

MOUNTAINEERING

Mt Guiting-Guiting

Mt Mantalingajan

Mt Halcon

Mt Apo

Mt Namandiraan

Mt Sicapoo
Mt Baloy
Mt Madja-as
Mt Mt Nangtud

GRAY AREA

Mt Makiling

Mt Mariveles

Mt Tapulao

Mt Cristobal

Mt Ugo

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Happiness is real when it is ORGANIC

Some people profess ‘I climb because I love the mountains’ or ‘I climb because I wanna achieve peace of mind’. But it appears these are all empty clauses that they have gathered from the many hours they have spent loitering on Facebook pages and groups.

The Devolution of Philippine Mountaineering

The year 2006 will remain an important milestone in Philippine mountaineering history. That year, the battle cry of the First Philippine Mount Everest Expedition "Kaya ng Pinoy!" reverberated across the country when Leo Oracion set foot on the roof of the world saying "Kung kaya ng Pinoy umakyat ng Mt Everest, kaya ng Pinoy magbago"! Indeed one faction of the Philippine society changed. With that feat and the social media, more and more Pinoys have become inclined with the outdoors. The only difference is that it's much easier now! With just one click, one can already be a part of Wave 76 of a Mt Pulag eco tour! I remember a time when climb itineraries were still hunted printouts. That was also the time when mountaineering clubs were scrambling for the few remaining meteorological terms like hamog, unos, ulap and bagyo which had not yet been used by other groups to name their club. These days, those clubs are starting to find competition in the growing number of tour operators catering to backpacking and climbing. And that's the rule of the game now! You only need to be a member of a Facebook group and wait for a PTP Admin post and you are one step away from your first legit climb! No more training climbs, no more BMC; just your non-refundable reservation deposit!

LAGATAW'S Shoestring Travel Essentials

When traveling in the Philippines, you won’t have to ask questions if you do a RESEARCH of the destination before travelling. But if you are like me who randomly hops on a bus and gets off at some anonymous place, you may want to consider the following.

1. KNOW WHO TO ASK
A stranger is most often recognized by touts.  A SMART TRAVELER SHOULD ALSO KNOW HOW TO IDENTIFY A TOUT. A tout often throws in the first question. The tout will pace with you. Politely give him the cold shoulder by walking in a way that tells him either that somebody’s gonna pick you up or that you've been to the place ten times. Tinkering with your phone usually does the trick. But if you fear that your phone might be snatched, a smile will do.

Golden Rule when travelling to a charted destination: They don’t ask you QUESTIONS. You do. And you should know who to ask. Ask those who are busy doing what they do on their ordinary day. An old woman is usually my first pick for a source of information. In case no meek-looking person is available, don’t accept answers such as ‘Tara, sakay ka lang sa motor ko’ or ‘Sunod ka lang sa akin!’

When they ask you too many ‘Where are you going?’ and ‘What are you doing here?’ questions, your answer shouldn't be a derivative of ‘I am a splurging tourist’ or “I am a commie doing some covert operation”.

2. TRAVEL ON A FINE DAY

3. Bring a HAMMOCK or a SLEEPING BAG and a TARP. 

In case your unplanned destination doesn’t have available accommodation and either you are too shy to ask for one or the locals are not very welcoming, you can still have a good night’s sleep.

4. Put on some MUSIC and/or bring a BOOK. 
Most often they make better companions than your friends.

5. DON’T STARVE YOURSELF. 
Pineapple tidbits in an easy open can or in a foil pack is a convenient emergency food. It could be a snack or a meal complete with sugar and fluid.

6. Whatever happens, WATER MEANS LIFE!

7. DROPPING NAMES often helps.
You may get these names from the locals themselves. 

During my first visit in Mt Lanaya, the locals, who never saw strangers in their little sitio, kept asking me about the purpose of my visit.

(This conversation has been translated from Cebuano to Filipino)
‘Ano sadya mo dito?’

‘Check ko lang yung pinaaalagaang baka ng tita ko.’

‘Kanino pinaalagaan?’

‘Nakalimutan ko yung name e…pero siya yung may ari nung huling bahay bago umahon sa burol.’

‘A si Manong Danny’

‘Yownh! Kay Manong Danny!’

And that’s how my fictitious aunt story got the locals to ask me questions which they never expected would give me the essential information about their place. Yes, not only answers give information. When the next household asked me the same question, I only had to drop the name Manong Danny and I was allowed a peaceful passage. Oh, by the way, don’t be so naïve as to think Manong Danny is his real name. I don’t disclose that kind of information.


8. EVERY PLACE IS JUST AS GOOD AS YOUR TARGET DESTINATION. 

Never ‘overglorify’ your target destination. So never worry if you fail to get to your destination. Just appreciate the place where you got stranded. Very often, you fail to see the unique beauty of a particular place because you’re too busy expecting a picture of a specific destination.


9. NEVER GIVE A TIP! 

Don’t pay more than the standard price even if your reason is to return a stranger’s kindness. KINDNESS should be returned not in monetary form or gift. This will just start a culture of extortion among the locals. And take it from a Philosophy freak like me, GIVING is not really selfless. GIVING is one of the most selfish acts available to the vainest person.

10. Finally, DON'T ASK; DON'T TELL.

If you see a photo of a good place, don’t ask where it is. Just find another one. And if you find an undiscovered little paradise, post pictures but don’t tell people how to get there. Otherwise, it will cease to be a paradise in no time.

Jesus Was Born a Camper

Just like the manger where Jesus was born, a tent symbolizes humility and survival. It is a testimony that wherever we may be and however hard a condition we are subjected to, a true green camper will get by.

Camping is having fun outdoors. But we must not forget that camping also means surviving without a home and a toilet over a night or three.

Camping could mean a chance to go wild and dirty on a four-by-four. But very often, camping involves trekking that could require twenty-four hours and twenty-four hundred meters above sea level.

Camping could mean a chance to flirt with someone in a group of two hundred. But sometimes it could mean finding someone you could trust your life with because you are going into the wild with just two individuals or at times, just yourself.

Camping could mean your personal exhibit showcasing the top-of-the-line shoes from The North Face and the most expensive tent from Eureka. But camping could sometimes be as primeval as making fire out of twigs and cooking rice in a bamboo shaft.

So you can go ahead and tag your wicked boss in a photo shouting you survived Mt Halcon or you could put your survival skills to the test by actually quitting that job you have regularly bitched about on your wall.

It’s really totally up to you. You could think of camping as picking the best view for a selfie and the vainest of lines to caption it. Or you could consider it an opportunity to picture your real self. It is a chance to find out whether you may survive even if another Yolanda levels your house to rubbles.  It is a chance to experience letting go and having the least and a chance to find happiness in the midst of destitution. After all, life is all about definitions.

Camping is Living!

So, Merry Camping and a Happy Living!

Buying a Tent

tents @ Mt Madja-as

Trekking and camping ordinarily involve the use of tents. Your tent is your shelter when you’re out there. And just like any shelter, it should protect you from the elements. Shopping for a tent is like buying a premade house. Houses should be user-and-environment-specific. Before you buy your tent you may want to go through this first.

MT PULAG (Ambangeg-Ambangeg)

MT PULAG (2922masl; ~9600fasl)

(Ambangeg-Ambangeg route)

Overview:

Mt Pulag is the highest mountain in Luzon and the third in the Philippines. The word pulog in that part of the Cordilleras means bald. And so is the summit of Mt Pulag!

The highlights of the climb are the mossy forests in the Ambangeg and Akiki trails, the dwarf bamboos at the summit and the majestic sea of clouds that blanket the surroundings of Mt Pulag from sunup ‘till noon.

Four trails lead to the summit—Tawangan (in Ballay), Ambangeg (in Bokod), Akiki (in Duacan) and Ambaguio in Nueva Vizcaya. Of the four, Akiki is the most feared earning the epithet ‘the killer trail’. Tawangan trail is thick in vegetation and infested with limatik (leeches). The Ambaguio trail which is probably just as long as the Tawangan trail will remind you of the Hobbiton in The Lord of the Rings! The Ambangeg trail, on the other hand is the easiest and attracts more visitors than the others!

The main threats in Mt Pulag are the near-freezing temperatures from December to February. Some first-timers also suffer from dizziness due to a change in altitude.

IT IS COMPULSORY THAT ALL VISITORS GO THROUGH ORIENTATION AND BRIEFING BY THE PARK SUPERINTENDENT Emerita Tamiray at the DENR Visitors’ Center in Bokod.

ITINERARY

Day 0 (Friday)
1000hrs	Assembly @ Victory Liner Terminal (Pasay); for cheaper fares, you may take Dagupan Transit in Cubao and Genesis in Pasay and Cubao (but check their schedules)
1055hrs	ETD for Baguio City
Day 1 (Saturday)
0430hrs	ETA Baguio City Breakfast: There are 7-Eleven convenience stores along Session Rd. and one right across from Victory Liner Terminal. I always have my Tapsilog @ 456 Restaurant (open 24-hrs) also along Session Rd. Good Taste Restaurant at Dangwa terminal offers hearty meals from P60-P100 24/7 but they have really slow service. If you think it’s a little too early, there are some stopovers on the way to Mt Pulag Visitors’ Center. One meal costs P60-P80. You may also do some grocery shopping. Although there are stores at the Mt Pulag Visitors’ Center. Meet the driver of the chartered monster jeep. Sometimes Ma’am Emerita Tamiray hitches a ride.
0530hrs	ETD for Visitors’ Center (Ambangeg)
0730hrs	ETA @ Visitors’ Center Register Orientation
0930hrs	ETD for Mt Pulag Park Ranger Station. This is where the chartered monster jeepney stops. This is also the pick-up point on the way back to Baguio City. Fill up trail water bottles.
1000hrs	Start trek
1045hrs	Camp 1
1200hrs	Camp 2 Lunch Fill up water bottles. This is the last water source. You may wish to camp here.
1400hrs	Resume trek
1530hrs	ETA Summit Pictures
1600hrs	Start descent to Saddle Camp site
1630hrs	ETA Saddle Camp site Pitch Tents
1700hrs	Head back to the summit or to Mini-Pulag for sunset pictures. Don’t forget to bring with you your headlamps!
1800hrs	Prepare Dinner Dinner Socials (minimize noise)
2200hrs	Lights out
Day 2 (Sunday)
0400hrs	Quick breakfast (noodles; coffee)
0430hrs	Head for the summit Wait for the sunrise Take pictures
0630hrs	Start descent to camp site
0700hrs	Prepare breakfast. Breakfast
0800hrs	Break camp
0830hrs	Start descent
1000hrs	Camp 2
1045hrs	Camp 1
1115hrs	Park Ranger Station Prepare Lunch Lunch Wash up
1300hrs	Board the monster jeep
1430hrs	Visitors’ Center Buy souvenir shirts Print certificate. (P35) Log out Some trekkers have their lunch and wash-up here.
1500hrs	ETD for Baguio City
1700hrs	ETA Baguio City
1800hrs	ETD for Manila

Expenses

Manila-Baguio v.v. (P455 x 2)	P910
Monster Jeep (16pax)      P8000 / 16pax (0919 816 9234) (0920 553 8758)	P500
Green fee + Entrance + Camping fee	P200
Guide fee  P500 / 1-5pax…+P100/ excess head	P100
Porter fee P300/day (15kg max)	*
Total	P1710
Safe budget Manila-Pulag-Manila	P2500

Please contact the Park Superintendent beforehand. The park could be fully-loaded at times and you could also verify up-to-date rates of fees with her!

Mt Pulag PaSu Emerita Tamiray 09196315402

SER!

With Ser Mijan and Ser Carl (of CDO) in Mt Dulang-Dulang during my Mindanao 1-2-3 exped in 2008

The first time I heard it, I was all like SAY WUH?! I mean why would they call me Sir, I hadn’t even met them? I know you felt the same way too…or something like it! My climb mentor knew I was a bit irked by the sound. But he told me to just address male mountaineers as Ser and the females, Mam. So, on the trails of Mt Romelo in Laguna, I learned my ‘Good Morning Ser!’ and ‘Good Morning Mam!’ It took me about five climbs to finally get myself to say Ser and Mam without internal friction.

The terms Ser (Sir) and Mam (Ma’am) are widely used by mountaineers in Luzon and their guides (particularly those in Mts Apo, Pulag and Kanlaon). To me, the term ser betokens respect, regard, and brotherhood! With it, comes the emotion of familiarity which is quite distinct from the emotion elicited by the terms tol or bro. It’s like when someone addresses me ser, it makes me feel like I am qualified to be his/her friend. It makes me feel like I am ‘somebody’. But to each individual Pinoy mountaineer, the connotation of this term evolves. From the trying-hard-to-belong type, it transforms into i-respect-you-elibs-ako-sa’yo then it metamorphoses into para-na-kitang-kapatid and to the opposite sex it could transform into pwede-ba-kitang-mahalin? Whichever order the evolution takes, the flavor of camaraderie is never lost.

When I take this term with me to Mindanao and Visayas, most mountaineers refuse to be addressed as such. They say it’s a little bit too ‘heavy’. They say they don’t deserve to be called sir or mam. But either out of impulse or instinct, I still say Ser (and Mam). Some get converted and start imbibing the culture. But some still struggle and others just can’t embrace the practice. But at times, I feel like I’m the one who has been converted by mountaineers in the south. I like the way Abyan sounds. Bai and Miga have always been in my system. And in Benguet, I address the elderly guys who give me trekking tips as Apo. I guess, it’s a matter of how you articulate the term. If the feeling is genuine, then the second person learns to appreciate it.

But there are cases in which your regard for the person evolves and gets confused with other connotations. Some of my long-time climbing buddies have become really close to me that we now call each other on a first-name basis. Some become more of a brother to me and we now call each other bro, tol, tsong,  brod or brader. But there are also some of my city friends that I half-consciously address as Ser. This happens when I’m having this cool socials-type conversation with them. They just get surprised when I blurt out SER in the middle of the conversation.

I don’t know how the culture started or who started it! But I thank the person who coined the terms SER and MAM!  It created an identity among mountaineers (in Luzon at least). This term is a mark of the fraternal bond between two or more Pinoy mountaineers (both old school and newbie). It is a passport for the novice to rub shoulders with the oldies. And this comradeship can never exist on the beach or the country club! So if you wanna experience this unique culture, CLIMB!

 Akyat tau Ser/Mam! Saklang kita Padi! Katkat/Saka ta Bai! Taklad ta Abyan!