My BACKPACKS

The first thing you gotta have when backpacking is, of course, your backpack. You can bring any backpack or any pack that you want as long as it can carry the stuff that you need. You may use your Dickies or Jansport packs but for optimum performance you need certain features that may not be present in school bags. If you’re thinking of bringing a tent, a cookset, and a stove, you may put away those ‘turtle-y’ Jansport and Dickies packs. They won’t leave any more room for your other stuff. If you’re expecting to carry heavy loads, you’ll need padded straps to cushion the strain on your shoulders. Needless to say, the type of pack that you’ll need depends on the type of activity you’re embarking on. Such is the reason why I have collected five backpacks.

Shop and Climb

my camping stuff

Mountain climbing is not a very cheap recreation. If you really want to take it seriously, you have to be financially ready. The prices of mountaineering backpacks, shoes and clothes may get you culture-shocked. But just like how mountain climbers wait for Piso Fare to deal with expensive airfares, there is always a way to get around the price tag. The following list of shops might help you make the most out of your cash. In this article, I hope to be of some help especially to those who are planning to do some splurging this money season. Below is a list of the shops I have gone to and intend to go to.

MT IGCURON

Valderrama, Antique

October 29-30, 2011

At the shoulder of Mt Igcuron

Mt Igcuron is a rock wall presiding over the town of Valderrama in Antique. Unfortunately, for any mountain in Valderrama, no matter how inviting it is, it always ends up being relegated either as a plan B or a side trip to the mystical Mt Baloy that dominates the horizon beyond Valderrama.  At least to the zealous adventurer! That is the sad story of a mountain whose beauty surpasses that of most mountains around Manila.

MT TIMBAK - MT PULAG Over The Weekend

Kabayan Cantral

Stats

Covered Distance on foot	38.1km
Moving Time	10 hrs 38mins
Total Ascent / Elevation Gain	9117 feet
Max elevation	9633 fasl
Pacing	Moderate to Fast
Load	Day pack

For the third time this year, I traversed the route from Akiki to Ambangeg. This was supposed to be our training for the Skyrace on November 26 (which has been moved to February next year). The skyrun is supposed to be a 33-km out-and-back trek and run in Mt Ugo. The longest I had run was 21-km and the two had an 11-km under their belts. The initial plan was a Luzon 3-2-1 (Timbak-Tabayoc-Pulag) expedition but with limited budget and time we settled for a Mt Timbak- Mt Pulag expedition.

It was the first time my two buddies Kevin and (Daniel) Buyco would be able to set foot on Baguio and the famous Mt Pulag so they were both excited. They were so excited that they opposed my proposal to just put off the training climb since the race had been moved to a later date. They said they had been preparing for the climb and that they might spend their budget on other stuff if the climb should be postponed. So we headed for Benguet.

Mt Batulao

Nasugbu, Batangas

N 14˚02.398’ E 120˚48.143’

2648 fasl

the boulder formations near the summit

The impression I had the first time I saw Mt Batulao on an online photo was ‘Wow! Carstensz Pyramid!’. Since then I started dreaming of getting there. But then, it was not easy to get logistical information about mountains. So it remained a dream for quite a while. Until on a whim, in December 2007, aboard the bus to Mt Talamitan, me and my buddies changed our destination to Mt Batulao and decided to alight at Evercrest Golf Club Resort.