Climb of a Lifetime: My Mt. Apo Story
Mt.
Apo
Davao
del Sur and Cotabato
 |
| Mt. Apo's crater lake. |
I was never a mountain person. Perhaps, it’s
because I am required to hike mountains and ridges when I was in Exploration.
It’s all work for me. Hike a mountain, map outcrops and collect samples.
Repeat. I prefer going to the beach and
ride a swell. But gradually, my
perspective in mountain climbing shifted. A friend, Rovi, made me read Cheryl Strayed’s
Wild. It’s a memoir of self-discovery - from being lost to found, after hiking
1,100 miles alone along the Pacific Crest Trail. I was also inspired by Rovi
when she successfully summited Everest Base Camp (EBC) last year.
So, why not give it a try? Early this year,
around April, I inquired about Mt. Apo climb package to Engr. Albert Gabriel. At
that time, I was not really committed of hiking the highest mountain in the
country. It took me three months to
decide to go for it. Around July, Rovi and I finally booked for an
October climb. But because of ISO-EMS work commitment, my roster break got
adjusted. Hence, I rescheduled our climb to first week of November. The new
schedule will bring us to the summit on November 3rd, without me
knowing that it was also the anniversary date of Rovi’s EBC summit. Talk about
fate, and how the universe conspired to make it possible.
Now here’s the hilarious part. After booking
with Engr. Albert, he sent us list of things to bring during the hike. It’s so
amusing, no, more of distressing, because I don’t even own one item on that to-bring-list.
Worse, I don’t have hiking shoes to wear. But slowly, I acquired all the hiking
gears needed. First is my hiking shoes, a Columbia I got on sale, and the rest
just followed. Shout out to D who went all the way to Decathlon Alabang to get
me my pink trek pole, ultra light purple sleeping bag and bright pink fleece
jacket - just some of the purple/pink hiking items he got for me. With every
acquisition, I excitedly recounted it to Rovi, who in turn, advised me to
break-in my new shoes by going on day hikes. It took me three small mountains,
Magdiwata (August), Katayagan (September) and Capistrano (October) to prepare for
Mt. Apo.
Did I just lose my mind back when I decided
to climb Mt. Apo? I’m a newbie, with no formal hiking experience, yet my first
major hike would be the highest mountain in the country. Well, there’s no
turning back. I just have to prepare and train, because standing at 2,954masl,
Mt. Apo is considered the Roof and the Grand Father of all Philippine
mountains.
01
November 2017: The Day Before the Hike
Traveling from Agusan minesite to Davao, I
took a half-day leave in order to make it at 5pm for our pre-climb briefing. Our
guide will meet us at the hotel to brief us and to collect our medical
certificates. And that's my problem. I don’t have a med cert yet! I contacted our
guide to ask him if it's okay if I wouldn't be able to procure a med cert. The
answer is no. He is strict in imposing the
no med cert, no climb rule. That's why I requested Kuya Fredo (my bestfriend
driver), who drove me to Trento bus terminal, to stop at clinics along the way.
We stopped first in a little hospital in Bunawan. Unfortunately, all the doctors
were on a Halloween holiday. Next was in Trento, there’s a doctor on duty but she required me to have
an ECG. All right! As I was taking the ECG
test, I wondered if it can also detect the battle scars of my heart. But it
only showed my heart is beating normally. So aside from the ECG print-out, I
now have a med cert that states I am fit to hike. Yahoooo!!!
With my med cert inside my bag, I boarded a
Metro Shuttle bus (my first time to try it and found it to be cleaner and
faster than its rival Bachelor) to Davao. After 3 hours, I was already in
Buhangin. I hailed a cab to D’counter hotel where our guide booked us for the
night as part of the climb package. Upon arriving, Rovi was already waiting for
me in the lobby. At 5 pm, we met our guide Engr. Gabriel and he briefed us on
our climb. He also gave us Mt. Apo
souvenir shirts. The t-shirt is dri-fit and I loved its clean white color.
I went to UNIQLO Lanang afterwards to get
base layer leggings and additional fleece long sleeves. (Tip #1 - for affordable thermals, check out UNIQLO's range of heat
tech base layers. It's a lot cheaper compared to popular hiking brands.)
02 November 2017: Day 1 and The Heavy Jungle
Rain
It's the big day! I wasn't able to sleep well
because of excitement coupled with a bit of anxiety. But there's no backing out
now. It's now or never! To Mt. Apo we go.
Past 5am, we departed our hotel in a white
van and traveled to Kapatagan, Digos City. When we reached the city, we stopped
and grabbed some breakfast. We also bought our packed lunch. After, we had our
ride of a lifetime. Exciting times!!! We were divided into groups and assigned
one habal habal each. Habal habal is a
motorcycle common in Mindanao, it has an extended board at the rear to
accommodate more passengers. I was with Rovi and Kang and we couldn't help not
to get nervous with every bump in the
muddy and rocky road.
At around 9am, we reached the jump-off point.
Of course we couldn't pass for a "before pic" to show how fresh we
looked like before the 3-day hike. Excluding Engr. Gabriel and our porters,
there were six of us in this hike – me, Rovi, Kang (a 3rd yr med
student in La Salle), Shing and Bolan (from the petroleum industry) and V (a
beautiful Italian doing her master thesis in Davao). Bolan led us into a prayer
asking God to bless us with a safe hike and good weather. And then we started
climbing. We passed scenic farm trails of idyllic villages of Sitio Tumpis and Colan. The rolling plains
shrouded in fog were sprinkled with
carrot and cabbage farms. There were also horses and cute kids with Wonder
Woman head band.
After passing the villages, we entered a sub-tropical
trail characterized with tall talahib (weeds) and two creek crossings. The
trail was muddy and we weren't able to get a glimpse of Mt. Apo from this
location due to a thick fog envelop.
Next, we started our ascent to Mt. Apo via jungle
trail. I observed some yellow-orange flowers along the path although I forgot
to ask our guide if these flowers are prevalent only in Apo. Midway in the
jungle, we stopped by for lunch and continued our hike right after. Soon, we
encountered moss and lichens enveloping tree trunks. Engr. Gabriel explained
that lichens only develop in clean air, first they will appear as white sheets then
turn into brown after some time. These brown sheets/lichens will be the
breeding ground of moss. So, if a forest is mossy, it means there is no
pollution and the air is fresh.
Next stop is a rock formation for us to rest.
In here, Engr. Gabriel requested us to sit down in a specific spot and asked us
what do we see. We had different answers but for me I see a shy turtle deciding
whether to come out or not from its carapace. After that stop, it started to rain, like real hard, and it poured down in heavy
torrents soaking me and V to the bones even though we were in our raincoats. (Tip #2 - invest in a jacket/raincoat with
high waterproof and breathability rating, this is one of the hiking items you
should really spend on to keep you dry during hikes. Lesson learned for me and
V.)
We arrived Tinikaran Campsite 1 drenched from
head to toe (at least for me and V) at around 3 pm. Luckily, the rain went from
heavy to drizzle. Our porters started to set camp in the muddy camp grounds. After,
they boiled water and offered us hot milo and coffee. Our porter Nonoy (who we
fondly call Facundo sometimes Ricardo Dalisay) started to cook sinigang without
sinigang mix. Well, that's pretty common in Mindanao. After years of working in
this island, I observed that sinigang is not as sour compared to what we
normally cook in Luzon. Nevertheless, Facundo's sinigang still tasted sinigang,
but, he did not get a Michelin nod from me. Hahaha! After dinner, Bolan
concocted his Empe and Tanduay mix and between talks with the group, we
finished his brew. The group discussed mountains conquered. Some have gone to EBC,
Annapurna, Kota Kinabalo, Halcon, Sicapoo, and Alps. Me? Aha, I summited
Magdiwata (the watershed of Agusan). To be honest, I felt a little out of place
during the first night. I'm in the midst of seasoned mountaineers. And I felt like
I'm an applicant in her initiation rites.
We had it early for bedtime maybe around 8pm.
Rovi and I shared the same tent. I couldn't get my sleep. I was disturbed by
the sound of howling winds from the distance. Suddenly, Rovi (whom I thought
was already asleep) asked me if I have Decolgen. Yes, I have. So we took one tablet each, we
will be using its phenyleprine component to get us drowsy. (Tip #3 - always bring medicine and know which one gets you drowsy. For
me it's antihistamine, just a couple of secs and I'm off to dreamland. Sleep is
important in major hikes, the earlier you doze off, the better as it recharges
you for next day's hike.)
Rovi also inquired if my heart was beating
fast. Again, it's a yes. She explained that was me acclimatizing given the high
elevation. I put on adhesive foot pads on both my sole, those kind of pads
offering 5-6 hours of warm heat. The heat radiated from my sole to my legs, and
after a couple of minutes, I forgot the night was cold.
03 November 2017: Four Peaks Summit Assault
"Wake
up call! Gising na kayo!" At around 2:30 am, the piercing voice of Engr.
Gabriel stirred me from my light sleep. Hiking starts at 3am.
I woke up with an upset stomach and had no
choice but to heed to nature's call. In the midst of tall trees, it was a
success!!!
Facundo offered me hot Milo as we packed up our
things. Soon after, we started to hike in the dark and cold. I was wearing
three layers and every time I spoke, smoke comes out from my mouth. It's so
cold I can literally see my breath. A few hours, the morning sun broke out the
sky. It's our first Mt. Apo sunrise. Everything was golden. The mossy forest
was enchanting. We reached Tinikaran Campsite 2 and rested for a bit. The camp
sites were named Tinikaran because it's the name of the tall trees found in the
camp grounds. Tinikaran tree is also endemic and found only in Mt. Apo.
We continued our ascent and soon enough, the
trail shifted from jungle to rocky terrain. We found ourselves in the mouth of a
dry stream where a sign post states that we just entered the Boulder Face. Engr.
Gabriel informed us that the true start of the Boulder Face is located another
100m further up from the trail.
 |
| Sunrise inside Mt. Apo's mossy forest. This was taken in Tinakaran Camp Site 2. |
 |
| The Boulder Face, perhaps, the most technical part in this trail. |
Before long, the rotten smell of sulfur
enveloped the air. Solfataras emitting gaseous steam were observed. Plant life
is diminished and substituted by boulders after boulders of volcanic rock. The
Boulder Face clearly depicts the volcanic side of Mt. Apo.
 |
| Mt. Apo's sulfur vents. |
With a clear view of Kapatagan, we settled in
the boulders and had our breakfast of fried maling ang adobong veggies.
Breakfast with a view indeed! After, we continued the boulder trek for another 3
hrs. To break the weariness and to inject a little bit of fun, I taught V how
to Budots. This is a dance move I learned in Mindanao where you internalize
you're a worm and just squirm and wriggle (by bending the knees) while flaying
your arms around. Haha! (Engr. Gabriel took a video, edited it for the Taga-Asa
ka challenge and later posted in his FB page.)
 |
| Mt. Apo's crater lake. |
 |
| Lake Venado, Mt. Apo's largest lake. |
 |
| On top the highest peak in the Philippines. |
But that's not the end yet. We crossed the boundary
of Davao del Sur and North Cotabato for our third summit called the Kidapawan
Peak. It was also my first step on Cotabato soil (marking my 51st out of the 81
provinces in the country, a personal bucket list for me). In here, Engr.
Gabriel awarded us with Certificates of Completion for having successfully
climbed Mt. Apo - the highest peak in the Philippines. In a couple of minutes,
sunset was upon us, enveloping everything with a golden glow. Sea of white
clouds complement the sunset for an ethereal view. Below us, the PNOC-EDC
geothermal plant glistened to the sunset as well.
 |
| Mt. Apo's Kidapawan peak. |
 |
| We were awarded with Climb Certificates. |
 |
| Breathtaking sunrise. |
It was getting dark and we had to go to our
fourth summit - the Davao side peak. We got almost lost for Engr. Gabriel had
walked so fast we weren't able to cope up. We later learned that he had to go
quickly to be able to set up his camera for his long exposure shots. It was
night time when we reached Davao side. We were on top of the crater lake, with
the full moon hanging low, Davao City twinkling from afar with its night lights.
The view was just beyond romantic.
 |
| Hauntingly beautiful. |
We were feeling the cold so we set off for
our camp site. During the descent, our conversation shifted into medical consultancy
with our future doctor Kang. She encouraged everyone not to depend too much on
painkillers especially after the climb. Anyway, I vowed to climb with her again
in the future for I'll be asking her to provide me my medical certificate.
Hassle no more (for me)!!! Hahaha.
We arrived camp past 7pm. Dinner was served
courtesy of the ever reliable Facundo. Since our dish for the night was Italian
pasta (with parmesan cheese), we requested our Italian girl V to lead a
prayer...in Italian language. After dinner, we had our socials inside the
biggest tent. But first, we did the Samyang (black color) challenge. Everyone
had a taste of it and some had gone red due to the extra chiliness. Afterwards,
Engr. Gabriel taught us the 3, 6, 9 counting game. Losers will entertain everyone
by telling a joke, or sing, or dance. V
sang an Italian song. Shirleen and I were prepared, we had a lot of jokes to
tell. Engr. Gabriel, for his part, shared a new Republic Act (the right to
object in social media). I scolded Engr. Gabriel, for it was not a joke, it was
not funny, and we were not entertained. Hahahaha!!!! (Tip #4 - major hikes usually have socials, to prepare for it, magbaon
ng jokes. Just kidding! My tip is just be yourself and enjoy the company of old
and newfound friends.)
I had a better sleep than the first night
though my heart was still beating fast due to the high altitude. My soul and
eyes were filled that day. Mt. Apo has seven peaks and one center summit. We
conquered four. That's more than enough. Maybe I need to go back and conquer
the rest. But for now, sleep. Buona notte.
04 November 2017: The Descent
"Wake
up call!!! Sunrise view tayo." I'm getting used to
hearing Engr. Gabriel's pampagising voice, this time, at 4am.
I woke up again to an upset stomach and
behind the boulders, it was a success.
 |
| Epic sunrise shots. |
 |
| Layering up to beat the cold. |
 |
| Our camp site glistening to the sunrise. |
We had our brekky and tried the 'just add
water' trail food brought by Rovi from the US. It was a combination of
chicken breast and mashed potato, in which Engr. Gabriel inserted his potato
(puti to) joke. Again, he failed with his joke. There's really no future for
him in the entertainment industry. Hahahaha!!! Anyway, the corned beef with
diced potatoes by Facundo was very tasty. He's really the best (by the way, he
calls me Madamme!) Hahahaha!!!
After breakfast, we packed our things and
started our descent. Goodbye Mt. Apo. It's a bittersweet feeling to be honest.
As much as I want to go home and share this adventure to my loved ones, it's
hard to say goodbye to such beauty and wonder. I asked my group which is the most beautiful
mountain they have climbed so far. Rovi was torn between Ulap and Mt. Apo. For
Kang, it's Apo, with an explanation that the mountain has everything to offer -
from farm lands, to jungle and mossy forest, crater lakes, sulfur vents and
boulder face.
During the descent, Engr. Gabriel told me the
devastating story of Mt . Apo when it caught fire last 2016. He was one of the
key people during that time. Together with the porters, LGU's and BFP, they
created two fire lines to contain the fire. I have seen blackened portions of
Mt. Apo, but in between, young, short green shrubs are already growing. By the
way, these areas are off limits to hikers to allow the recovery of the
mountain.
Despite the stories, I could feel my knees
weakening due to our nonstop descent. (Tip
#6 - trek poles are very helpful especially during descent. It adds balance and
serves as the third feet. Engr. Gabriel started to use trek poles when his
doctor advised him to use one because it absorbs about 15% stress from the
knees and feet.)
At 330 pm we're back at the trail head. Guess
what we did first. The after-photos of course!!! Our bodies might be dead
tired, but we had those big grins plastered in our faces. We were more than
blessed of getting again clear skies during our third day. Bolan (who mostly
led our prayers) might be very close to the Lord. He heard all our prayers. Not
only we had the best weather, we were all safe and uninjured.
At past 7pm, we arrived in Davao City. Bolan
and Shing had a flight to catch, while me, Rovi and Kang stayed in the city for
the night. As we were about to sleep, I asked Rovi - "Why do you climb mountains?"
She paused for a while and answered me back. "Hiking reminds me of life. There are
times you think you are stuck with your troubles, but if you keep on going, little
by little, you surpass your problems. Every struggle is not forever, you just
have to persevere, soon enough you will reach the summit."
I laid in my bed and thought of my answer to
my own question. It's similar to what Rovi told me. Also, through hiking, I'm meeting
the most amazing people and together we're establishing life-long bonds. (I
miss you my Mt. Apo group.)
Right now, while writing this, I realized my
most important reason for climbing a mountain. Ever since, my life revolves
around my family, loved ones and career. Climbing a mountain gives me the space
and the much needed break. With the adventure and danger that comes with it, it
requires me to focus solely on my needs, without thinking of my
responsibilities. Hiking is my me time. It keeps me whole. It keeps me sane. It
enriches my soul.
Finally, I understood why the mountains are
calling and I must go.
 |
| Into the mountain I go. |
Climb
Date: November 2-4, 2017
Summit
Elevation: 2,954mASL
Difficulty
Rating: 7/9
Jump-off
Point: Sitio Baruring (Sibulan-Sta. Cruz
trail)
Exit
Point: same - back trail
Days
Required/Hours to Summit: 3 days/13
hours
Features:
Farmlands, jungle (mossy forest),
boulder face, solfataras, crater lake
Geology:
Volcanic flows, pyroclastics, andesitic
to dacitic plug
Guide/Contact
Person: Engr. Albert Gabriel of
www.mtapoadventures.com
Photo
Credits: Engr. Albert Gabriel
Comments
Post a Comment