This is the first time I'm posting something that I did not write.
This is an entry in the recently concluded open writing contest in a Facebook mountaineering group where I am one of the administrators. The author, Christian Kalaw, is a friend of mine. He joined me in The Second Lagataw Invitational Climb (Bakun Trio) in 2011. He is now making a living in Australia and in this write-up, he is sharing to us how mountaineering has changed his life and how it has helped him survive each day here in the Philippines and overseas!
It’s been six months since my last climb. I’d be a fool if I
said I’m not missing it.
It all began a few years ago when I had this feeling of
excitement as I packed my stuff for my very first climb. A small day pack, bulky
jug of water, paper plates and plastic spoons plus my casual clothes. When I set
my first foot on my first summit I said to myself “kakari-reen ko to”.. And I
did…somehow up to now. It changed my life and it taught me how to survive no
matter where I am and under whatever circumstances. It improved everything like
the simple organization of my clothes in my drawer and in my bag. It taught me
how to be responsible enough to put even the smallest piece of trash into where
it should belong. And when there’s no gas, my mother has even learned how to
operate my camping stove. Those are just a few basic things that we do on the
mountains that have a large impact on how we live our normal lives down below.
For me, there’s no difference between living in a tent and in a house with a
comfy sofa or a bedroom or a nice kitchen. We still can have the same dreams, the
same meals and the same happiness or even more. It’s just a matter of
appreciation—learning how to deal with what you have and make do with it.
Communing with different people on the mountains is also a training for us to
be more sensitive with whomever we meet every day. ‘Sir’ or ‘mam’ is a nice
start and maybe you’ll find that ‘kiliti sa bawat isa’. Respecting others even
in the city earns you respect in return.
Right now I’m living far away from the mountains, and it
still feels like every day is going to be a climb for me. I have to be strong
and attentive to be safe at work even if I have to stand up all day to do my
job,’sa bundok nga maghapon pa naglalakad’. At night I have to cook for myself
because no one will do that for me, ‘sa bundok nga kahit naulan nakakapag luto
ako sa maliit na tarp sa labas’. And just before I sleep I have this sleeping
bag to give me warmth on cold nights. I realized that I’m fortunate enough to
have been tested under these conditions. At the end of each day I’m grateful
because I survived another day. In the summit we just have this small space to
step on for a great view. For me this small space is enough to see what trails
I have passed by or let’s just say the problems I have solved. So that when I
come back and encounter the same problem again I will now know what to do. Life
is a matter of going to the top of everything. You just have to be strong and
focused to achieve your goals. It’s not how fast we climb to the top, rather
it’s about living it and learning from it at a slowly-but- surely pace. Right
execution and a calm spirit will surely get you to the summit and back down and
call it a successful one.
Mountaineering isn’t just about climbing the summit. It’s
also about getting to the peak of our lives, that in the end you can proudly
say ‘I’ve been tested by nature, challenged by time, scarred by circumstances,
yet I still managed to get to the top’.