Footnotes On My First Traverse...

Sharing the blog I had made after climbing my first mountain in Mt. Malipunyo in Batangas On October 6-7, 2007.

Summit Camp of Mt. Malipunyo

Summit of Mt. Malipunyo with the view of other surrounding mountains

Traverse to Barangay Atisan. Susong Dalaga on the background

Neophyte's Testimony - Mall Shoes all soaked in mud

It has been a long time dream that someday I would be able to clamber a mountain and appreciate the beauty of Mother Nature from the top. That trance was turned into a veracity last weekend when I joined a group of friends(Olay) on their training climb for a major climb slated on the last week of October.

The week prior to the climb , I was hopeful that the Man above would bless us a good weather over the weekend so that the climb would push through and also it would be safe for us to explore the wilderness of the mountain while on our way to the summit.

Saturday came. Straight from shift, I went home first to pack my things, headed to SM Manila where I met my friend Yhuan so I can borrow the digital camera to capture my memoirs on the top and then back to Ayala Station in Makati where I should meet Kenya who should supposedly join the climb but later backed out on the last minute because she said her sister didnt allow her to went out since she needs to accompany her sister on Billy Crawford's Concert (hmmm). She wanted to make it up to me so she accompanied me to Alabang where we have to meet the rest of the group and brought the tent which I can borrow but later she brought it back home with her since there were more than enough tents from the group and bringing it will just add up to the load on our bags.

We arrived at around noontime in Batangas then we started to ascend at around 1:30 PM. I must say that ascend means really pushing your way up amidst the slippery trails, exigent rocks and prickly plants along the way. I have slipped several times (with poise of course) but the thought of reaching to the top keeps me going. We have to cross 2 summits first before reaching the third one where we have to camp out overnight. We arrived at the third summit around 5 PM. After pitching the tents, we prepared for dinner and had an early lights out at 8 PM. I need to catch some sleep considering I went straight ahead from my shift and all my energy was drained from trekking.

We woke up at around 6 AM and thanked God for the good weather and for clear skies for I was able see picturesque views and the trail would be less slippery when we descend. The breakfast was sumptuous! Who said that you can’t have sumptuous food on the mountains. With the a chef around us, Macky, all our meals were splendid - from sinigang for dinner to adobo for our lunch.

On our way down to Atisan, there were more scenic views and more slippery roads. For a while, I forgot I was a human for I was able get passed those trails that horses pass as well. With each step I made, the more mud accumulate on my shoes. The shoes that I wore was not a trekking shoes but luckily it was able to sustain me until I reached civilization in a small community in Atisan, San Pablo, Laguna.

For a weak soul, one would really give up along the way especially in the most trying moments along the road but for me this traverse was an adventure I would never forget, a testimony to my long time dream and a kickoff for more mountains to conquer.