Putting Your Life On The Line For Those Moments

Time spent with the one you love...

Camaraderie and friendship!

The VIEW!

Mt. Lanaya...Conquered!

It was an answered prayer - climbing without the rains and winds on our feet. The 4th climb with BRB and yet a first fair weathered climb. Yay! No sleeping wet experienced at Osmeña Peak. Cold winds and slippery trek in both Talinis and Canlaon climbs.

Group picture just before the ascent sans Jame, Pong and Flo2x!

The day started with Migo and I in a rather tiresome argument. The call time was 6:00 AM yet we were still having our breakfast by then. He must have been so pissed because it was the first time that I witnessed him snap and raised his voice when I kept reminding him that we're ALREADY super late.  The thought of not going crossed my mind.

When we joined the group at South Bus Terminal, I was not in my usual jolly self. I know I needed the time to calm myself so I wanted to be separated with the group. Like an answered prayer, when we board the bus bound to Alegria, most seats were occupied.

The trip took about 4 hours. The sleep must have taken my angst away because on the bus stop in Barili, I was feeling more like myself.

The Stop Over

The initial plan was to have our stop at Alegria Plaza for lunch. But for an unknown reason, it was later changed to Stop Over bakeshop. 

At the stop over. While the others are busy on other things, I had Migo took my picture. 

We waited about an hour for Pong to joined the group. When he arrived, we then proceeded to Nanay Lucing's house to meet with the guide and have our names listed on the mountain's log book. We had our lunch there. They were so nice to offer us free "humba" and "ginamos". 

Photo with Nanay Lucing and family!

Ascension

Then the suffering...the journey rather...started. :P The first 15 minutes was so-so. The next few minutes was

literally hell. I felt so hot. It was like my body is burning. I had to stop every 5 minutes of walking. I pity those who walked after me. They had to stop because I hold the line. :| I was a little shy I had to do that to them...just little though because I know in the next few minutes, my body would adjust and I wouldn't be that slow anymore. 

For me the whole ascension trail was divided into three parts. First is the path to the house that has a captivating view. Then the endless climb in rocky, leaves-laden, loose soiled path with too much ants. And finally, the plain path where Charry got bitten by bees. 

The hardest part was the 2nd. I feared for my life twice on it. The soil was so loose and a little bare. No roots to hold on to. I had to use my knees to get me through it. I actually crawled. It was a first! And before reaching that life-and-breath-taking path, we had to endure the the constant nuisance of ants. We can't rest in a place too long because ants' would get in our shoes and bite. The only consolation I had on that was the view when I reached the top. It was so beautiful it makes you forget all the hardships in getting there. 

On the 1st part with Gliana, Charry, Dave and Banky.

July, Ali, Florence, Dea and Dave (nibalhin dayon ug sides. Hmph)

Me and my pack.

And this is the beauty that awed us in the first part. 

The Actual Climb

The hardest part was the 2nd. I feared for my life twice on it. The soil was so loose and a little bare. No roots to hold on to. I had to use my knees to get me through it. I actually crawled. It was a first! And before reaching that life-and-breath-taking path, we had to endure the the constant nuisance of ants. We can't rest in a place too long because ants' would get in our shoes and bite. The only consolation I had on that was the view when I reached the top. It was so beautiful it makes you forget all the hardships in getting there. 

Resting time!

Saka na pud!

Na-injured si Banky! Mukaon lage ug saging! Hmph!

The Camp

Up Next: The Summit + Descension

Hello Mt. Lanaya...3 days to go!

Photo from PinoyMountaineer.

When I caught the Climbing fever last year, I eagerly list the mountains to climb in Cebu. Lanaya is on the list. There was no date as to when I could climb this mountain. Not this time. Yay! Finally have a date. :) Weeeeeeee!

Lanaya, here I come.
Hope you'll be kinder than Canlaon.
Aja!

Almost Canlaon Day 1

It took me a while to finally decide to write about our adventures in Mt. Canlaon. So  much has happened that I thought it would be better to just keep it in memory. But then...is there any better way of keeping a memory than write about it? Hmmm! I figured people will stick to what they know best.

September 21, 2012
Call time at Citilink was 4:00 AM. Congratulations to the boyfie (and I) for being early...I must say, super early. The van left the terminal around 5:00 AM, as planned. The trip was fast that we reached Toledo earlier than expected. So far...everything was GOOD.

At terminal while waiting...

Just before the ride!

Ohhhh! We look like turtles, carrying our home in the backpack. :D 

The trip to San Carlos City was once again good. The sky was clear. It's as if the gods were in our favor. Yay! Considering the "super me" weather, I didn't forget to say my usual prayers.

It was scorching hot when we reached our destination. Our first stop was the nearest mall of which I forgot the name. Haha! We reached it by "trisikad*". After leaving our backpack  on the counter, we had brunch. After the meal, the grocery followed. Then off we went to the terminal bound to Canlaon.

Hmmm!

The terminal was crowded. No bus bound to Canlaon. We had to wait 30 minutes. When it arrived, people got busier. I figured I must put an extra effort if I want to find a perfect spot on the bus. And of course...I found the perfect spot. I was tired so I opt to doze off instead of sightseeing. 

When we reached our stop in Canlaon, Kuya Cocoy, completed the group. He picked us at the Canlaon Terminal then off we went to the office of Canlaon Nature Park. We waited for a while there for the Russian joiner to arrive. The Russian didn't arrived on the target time so we started the journey without him.

The drop off point was still 30 minutes away from the office. On the middle of the ride to the drop off, it drizzled. Then comes the rain. Fortunately, the rain left when we reached  our destination. Yay!

Team Complete!
From Left: Musni, Florence, Dea, Cocoy, Pong, Glian, Mwah, Boyfie, Alistair, Dave

And the boyfie had to ask Pong to take this pic. And yes...I was surprise. @_@

And the journey started!

Up...up..UPPPPPP!

The view.

The starting trek was on a field. The view was captivating. Unfortunately, it was so steep, I had to stop every 5 minutes. And my new bag is killing me. I had a hard time breathing on the heart strap. Then my head started to ache. My knees trembled. All I could think is how near the drop off point was. I wanted to go back and stop. Even asked myself, what on earth I was doing there?! Then the monologues in my mind started. Blamed myself for not jogging, for eating to much "pungko-pungko" and all the laziness and indulgence I had.  I figured it was payback! And even if I wanted to back out, I can't. There's no going back. I don't want any of my companion to hate me if I did. So I persevered. I thought of how nice it would be if we reached the campsite. Keep thinking it's just 2 hours away. I've survived Talinis. There's no way I wouldn't survived the 2 hours. All I have to do is to keep thinking I can do it. And of course...my will power never fails me. Every damn time! :)

Our tent. I was inside changing my clothes and settling down. I was so tired I forgot about pictures.

The campsite ached my heart. It kept reminding me about our lost Camera. 

The Leech Saga

I hurt my foot while descending the summit but I had no time to dwell on the misery. To  keep me sane, I just put on my battle self...meaning the edgy, maldita and moody me. Well, that's my definition of battle! We left the magical Nailig at around 12:30. We just entered the forest again when I realized that my glasses was missing. There was no way I'm going to leave without it so I told them I had to go back. Pong accompany me. There was a tricky cross to the campsite so Pong offered to get the glasses. I'm happy he found it...unfortunately, it was broken. I don't know who did but I'm convinced the boyfriend unknowingly broke it. :| I was pretty pissed with the broken glasses that I focused myself on the path. No pictures were taken until about an hour of walking. 

Description from right to left. That's the view of the Sulfuric River - our target destination. The pissed me. Our first longer stop. The boyfriend posed for the camera..pretty pissed too.

After about 3 hours of walking from Lake Nailig, we reached Sulfuric River. The smell was awful but the view was magnificent. The guide told us we should never take long because we were super behind our schedule.

The Sulfuric River Photo Shoot. See my attire? I was told that after the sulfuric river, the leech saga will start. I'm pretty afraid of leech so I make an ULTRA effort not to expose any of my precious skin. :P

After 15 minutes of walking, we finally reach the half of the trail - the Rancho at 4:30 PM. The first thing I did was to check if I have "alimatok" on my clothes. I was pretty paranoid. Yay! I was leech-free!  On our schedule, we were supposed to reach Rancho earlier for our lunch. While everyone settled thinking of a quick rest and lunch, the guide disrupt the peace by saying we might need to camp there. I was like..."ooooohhhh no!".



We still have an estimated 5 hours trail to conquer. It's already 4:30 PM. We didn't have our lunch yet. Given the preparation and lunch, the estimated time we could leave the Rancho is after an hour...add it to 5 hours, we  were expected to reach the city at 10:30 PM. The guide discussed the perils of night trekking especially that not all of us have headlights. The group discussed and reached a consensus...we have to stay for another night. But we have a problem...we don't have any food left. How do we survive the dinner and the breakfast the next day?!

Because it's nearing dinner already, we decided that we won't eat lunch. Our lunch will be our dinner. Then for breakfast, fortunately some of us brought extras. Yay! When the decision was finalized, the guide told us to set up our camp immediately if we want to visit Twin Falls. Everyone was quite delighted upon hearing the revelation. Finally, we can have our bath for the day.

Twin Falls. To reach twin falls, we have to brave a 15-minute steep and slippery path. But after seeing the raw beauty of the falls all of our angst turned to glory. We didn't stay long though because we don't want the dark impaired our path on the way back.

My tent mates seemed to have a consensus to sleep early that night while others we're busy playing cards right beside our tent. The noise didn't affect our dreamland time at all.

The next day, we woke up and prepare early ready for the final leg. And after continuous walk, we reached the final stop around 4 PM. =)

From Evernote:

The Summit

The summit was breathtaking. You could see the campsite, Lake Nailig and another lake. The guide told us it was Lake Danao. Unlike the other summit I've been (Osmeña Peak), Mt. Talinis summit is so cramped. There was no space where we could have our group picture so we just content ourselves in batches.

I've never been afraid of heights or anything except snakes...but I let the chance to climb the summit tree pass. Maybe, next time. Besides only a few have tried. I don't want to appear as if I was braving death by doing so. 

We gathered our pack before climbing the summit, ready for pickup after. It was an hour climb...an ultra uphill battle. The ground was wet and slippery. I can't remember the number of times I stopped to catch my breath. Each time hoping, the steep terrain would stop.But it never did. Climb...climb..and more climb!

When finally the guide announce that we're almost there, I was exhilarated. Finally!!! 

We didn't stay at the summit long. After some shots, we decided to descend. We had our group shot at the camp site at around 12:30 PM. 

And..it was bye-bye Lake Nailig.

Up Next: The Leech Saga

From Evernote:

The Climb: Next 4 Hours To Paradise

After the well-appreciated rest and lunch break, we were back on the trail at 15 minutes to 3 PM. This time, we were in hurried steps considering our almost 3 hours schedule lag. Despite that, the boyfriend and I still managed to document our way. 

Then we had our first major stop after an hour of continuous walking, climbing and crawling. It was definitely a leap to our previous 30-minute pace. I fondly remembered that place as the "porn site". It actually took me a while to realize what they were smiling about. Haha! See the hole in my picture above, we had to go through that to reach the porn site. 

The guide give us about 5 minutes to rest then we continued. The path this time is covered with roots. It was too risky that the boyfriend didn't have the chance to take a picture. After 15 minutes the path ended with a beautiful tree and a scenery. Well, time for photo shoot again! :D

The 80-degree descent came after. We were told to give each other a meter distance because the path was so steep. Kuyacoy offered to take our picture. Yay! 

Kuyacoy kept the camera for the rest of the trail so the boyfriend (and I) wasn't able to take a picture along the way. After about one and a half hour, we reached Lake Nailig at around 6 PM. 

The lake was so magnificent. It took all my pains away. Upon reaching the camp grounds, I then picked a place for our tent. The others wasted no time too. Work while the sun is still up! 

Dinner was served at 8 PM, as always courtesy of the BRB guys. Because I can't cook, I volunteered to do the dish washing with Banky and the boyfriend as supports. They fetch water from the lake. I was too late to realize that the lake is mostly rain water so it's unlike ordinary water. I was puzzled why despite my efforts to scrub the utensils with detergent, they're still slippery.

After dinner, some had fun dancing to Momo's music. I was too tired to join. Then, the rain came. That was my last record. I don't know what happens to the others after.

Up Next: 

The Summit

The Climb: First 4 Hours

Our host was already at the port waiting, when we arrived at Dumaguete around 2 AM. We were told to rest until 5:30 AM. I didn't get rest though. I was so excited I dragged the time.  When the alarm sounds, I quickly gather my clothes and took a bath. As I was putting on my face powder, thunder and rain came. I was hoping not to hear from them. 

Oh well, this is it. Rain or shine, we must proceed.

While waiting...pictures2x!

While waiting for the others to get ready, I proceeded to my favorite activity - picture taking! Haha! And because I was so amazed at how my getup turn-out, I pissed the boyfriend with my annoying getup pictures again. :D

Minimal skin exposure! =D

Then the Jeepney arrived. We had breakfast at "Connies Silog Meals". I'm glad they served foods other than "-silog". I had "nilat-ang baka". 

Breakfast at Connie's!

Then we're good to go. We reached Dauin, the starting point at around 8:45 AM. It was raining. After some preparations and a prayer, we started the long journey towards our lunch stop - Lake Yagumyum. It was expected that we would reach there in 4 hours. We started our journey at around 9:00 AM.

Let the hunger games begin!

I expected a long walk not a long climb. Exhaustion weeps over me after 10 minutes of braving the muddy uphill battle. But seeing everyone struggling to move despite the heavy breathing, I kept my pace. Another 10 minutes...then another 10...and we had our first stop.

First stop!
The boyfriend had an aberration!

I can't remember how many times I stopped to catch my breath. Each time, I asked myself how on earth did I get there. What was I thinking?! And if only I could go back...I amused myself by taking pictures. I make it a point to take a picture every time we stop. I want to remember the place, the time, the number of stops we had and everything about the journey. It may be annoying to most, but it's only in pictures that I cannot forget.

2nd Stop!
Banky is still alive, awake, enthusiastic!

Just after our 2nd major stop (see picture above), Banky had muscle cramps so we had to stop at a rock on the edge of a ravine. 

Waiting for Banky Stop!

I got bored waiting so I went back some meters away from the ravine just so I could take Banky's souvenir pose. :P

Kaya mo yan, Banky!!!

When Banky was able to stand, we were back on track. Adrian (the guide) opt to carry Banky's back-up so as not to strain his injured foot. I offered to carry our cloth tent. After almost 20 minutes, we reach an amazing point - the ridge (I mispronounced it as rej). We took pictures and admire the view. Banky's foot got crampy again.

Simply...WOW!

After the ridge, we had some minor stops. Found a water source and had our water bottles refilled. Then finally, we reached Lake Yagumyum! Lunch at last. =)

Nature Spring Water!

The boyfriend was super hungry that when I asked him to take a picture, he nagged. :( I wasn't able to take a picture of our lunch. Anyways, at this point in time, food is so much better than pictures so  I oblige. I just had my fill of memories after my stomach is filled.

Fooooooooddddddd!

Up Next...

The Climb: Next 4 Hours To Paradise