Sagada 2.0

For my 25th birthday, I decided to head back to one of the few places I totally fell in love with. I first visited Sagada in 2012, and I have wanted to visit it again since then. Thankfully, I was finally able to do so partly due to the Pope’s 5-day visit in the Philippines […]

The Talomo-Apo FKT Challenge

“All set. In 30 minutes, larga na.” It was near midnight last Saturday when Pat sent us this message. He was about to run the length of the Talomo-Apo trail and set the fastest known time (FKT) or what he also likes to call FaRT or Fastest Recorded Time. A little over 13 hours later, […]

Achievement (yet to be) Unlocked: Trail Running

I have not written anything since my account of my most recent major hike, The Talomo-Apo Megatraverse. Since then, I have scaled two more mountains: Mt. Palay-Palay in Cavite and Mt. Balagbag in Rizal. Both were minor hikes and both were mountains I have been to before. So, upon returning, I made sure to add […]

The Talomo-Apo Megatraverse

“Megatraverse.” When you put it that way it sounds like this grand endeavor only those in the ranks of great kings and fearless warriors would ever accomplish. It is not. But is is a worthy adventure, nonetheless. The Talomo-Apo traverse – or “megatraverse,” as some would call it – takes hikers brave enough to take on […]

There and Back Again

Just this February, I was able to hike up Mt. Apo, the Philippines’ tallest mountain. It was an unforgettable experience and one of the best I’ve had in relation to mountaineering. (You can read about the hike here.) For a month, I’ve been tuning up myself for yet another go at climbing Mt. Apo. This […]

Greatest Hits… So Far (Part 2)

I had to get me some sleep so I wasn’t able to finish my list in one post. 😛 Let’s spring into action, shall we? Here are my five favorite hikes so far: 5. Mt. Ugo Traverse Nueva Vizcaya and Benguet LLA: 16.31916°N, 120.80166°E, 2130 MASL Days required / hours to summit: 2-3 days, […]

Greatest Hits… So Far

We are already halfway through 2014. I started writing this post in January. It was supposed to list ten of my favorite hikes from the previous year. A lot of things happened since then and sadly, I never got to really finish my post. The Daily Post’s writing challenge this week asks us to “shake […]

“Thank you!”

It’s the 1st of July and my blog’s 3 months now! And to commemorate three months of blogging, I am taking a look back on 3 of my favorite posts. First, there’s FAQ, in which I try to answer the perpetual question every mountaineer must have been asked at one point: “Why climb mountains?” Next is a […]

Ballin’ Baller

There’s always room for more adventure! Two fun-filled days, that’s what we got from our recent Baler trip. We hiked up a mountain, we bathed in a river, we camped beside a pool, we got drunk, we surfed, we rappelled down a waterfall, and we went inside a 600-year-old tree. Not convinced yet? Maybe some […]

Taking on the Trails and Riding the Rapids

I’ve been away from my blog for almost a week now. Let me fill you in on what’s been going on… I was down south for 5 straight days. We were supposed to climb the second and fourth highest mountains in the Philippines: Mt. Dulang-Dulang and Mt. Kitanglad. However, on the night of our flight, we […]

Surviving Mt. Pulag’s Akiki Trail

This was originally posted a few months back as a note on my Facebook account. Back then, I still wasn’t convinced I could start and maintain a blog. I’m putting this here because it is where it should be. Here is a link to my original post. Twenty One The Akiki trail is definitely one of the best […]

Another Dream Come True

I am in the airport waiting to board a plane that would take me to Cagayan de Oro. Once there, we would climb Mts. Dulang-Dulang and Kitanglad. Mt. Dulang-Dulang, at 9,649 feet, is the Philippines’ second tallest mountain, while Mt. Kitanglad’s height of 9,511 feet puts it at 4th place. These two mountains are part of the Kitanglad Mountain […]

Surviving Mt. Makiling or My First Failed Summit Attempt (not!)

Here’s something I wrote back when I first climbed Mt. Makiling: I may not have reached the summit, but I survived the mountain. 😉 No, I was not able to reach Mt. Makiling’s summit. But I can’t say that I did not survive it. We were very close to summiting (we were near the […]

Mt. Ugo Traverse (National Mountain Cleanup Day)

All this happened, more or less. And so it goes… Ignore the awful times, and concentrate on the good ones. Everything was beautiful and nothing hurt. And so on to infinity… The text/quotes used in this post are all from Kurt Vonnegut’s novel “Slaughterhouse-Five.” For more photos: Mt. Ugo Traverse + Cleanup Photos For the […]

#mtncleanup2014 – Mt. Ugo

This is a video documentary of our recent cleanup hike in Mt. Ugo. Credit: Mykehl Angelo Hanopol Casem of Myktography

The Day My Mother Climbed a Mountain

After climbing my first mountain, I promised myself two things: that I will continue to hike for as long as I can and that I will take as many people as I can outdoors. Of course, I want to be able to share the experience with my closest friends. More importantly, I want to be […]

In Retrospect: Being a First-time Mountaineer

It was February last year when I had my first taste of mountaineering. Before then, climbing a mountain was only something I had always wanted to do but not actually try, let alone carry out. Let’s just say that there are a lot of things that should have kept me from climbing mountains. (There are doctors […]

At Last, an Adventure!

“I’m a person of the mountains and the open paddocks and the big empty sky, that’s me, and I knew if I spent too long away from all that I’d die; I don’t know what of, I just knew I’d die.” ― John Marsden, A Killing Frost Finally, after a 9-week hiatus from hiking, I’ll be […]

It’s not about adrenaline

The First Annual National Mountain Cleanup Day

On May 10 this year, a common drive will unite mountaineers and outdoor enthusiasts all over the Philippines – a drive to clean up the country’s many mountains. Of course, regular cleanup climbs are organized throughout the year. However, starting this year and through the efforts of Mr. Gideon Lasco (of pinoymountaineer.com fame) and other like-minded hikers, […]

FAQ

On the summit of Mt. Apo, the Philippines’ highest peak “Why do you climb mountains?” I guess it is an age-old question and one that I am often asked as well. People (non-hikers, mostly) almost always seem fascinated by the fact that there are those like me who go to great lengths just to reach a mountaintop. And […]

A Journey to the Top

A journey to the top of the world Philippines… At 9,692 feet, Mt. Apo stands tall above all other Philippine mountains. Along with 11 other hikers, I climbed Mt. Apo last February 11-13. It was a Valentine event of sorts and the mountain was my date. It was glorious. Our Mt. Apo climb… The team: Different landmarks […]

Taking the Monster Jeep to Mt. Pulag

Going to Mt. Pulag, the highest mountain in Luzon and the third highest in the Philippines, often requires travelers to take what has become known to mountaineers as the “monster jeepney.” These monsters of a vehicle go around the Cordillera region and are aptly named for their engines and tires that can withstand long hours of […]

Of Mountains and Goals

Another continuing theme of this blog will be mountaineering. It is perhaps the one thing I am most passionate about. Mountaineering for me is not just a sport or a recreation, it is a way of life, an expression of self, and a practice of faith and devotion. Here is a list of my top […]