My Climbs & Treks in 2013

     2013 changed my life.  From being monotonous, boring, robotic and uneventful, 2013 found me breathing in fresh alkaline air, sweating out in natural environment, meeting new friends, reaching altitudes I've never been to before, and rediscovering my old bundokera self.

    Here is a list of the mountains and places I've trekked in 2013.  

    1.  Mt. Pulag. Ambangeg Trail; Bokod, Benguet; 2922 MASL. January 26-27, 2013;  2 days, 1 night. Ascent-3 hours; Descent 2 hours. With Atty Jubil Surmieda and his group.  It was here where I met Sir Pareng Neil Bernas and Atty. and Mrs. Alvin Moraña and the other foster sons of Jubil for the first time. Rewards: Breathtaking moonset & sunrise, the overwhelming sight of the sea of clouds, new friends.  Challenges: freezing cold; wasn't able to sleep because of the freezing temperature; I didnt have my own tent then; no appropriate earth pads, thermal wear, sleeping bag. 

      2. Mt. Maculot. Cuenca, Batangas. 930 MASL.February 16-17, 2013.  2 days, 1 night.  Ascent 4 hours; Descent 3 hours.  With My Son Kyle, Papoy Ramores, Rogie Alba, Bokbok de Asis, Niño Reyes, Josie Asidao, Eayore Torres, Song Peralta.  Rewards: Scenic view atop the Rockies, Starry night; Cool evening breeze; Many among the group were first time climbers; Bokbok cooked crispy dilis, ang sarap!! Rogie the Clown was there so full of laughters!; Challenges: noisy neighboring campers; so many commercial establishments; new trail so very slippery.

     

       3. Mt. Manalmon, San Miguel, Bulacan. 196 MASL.  March 10, 2013.  Dayhike.  Ascent 2 hours; descent 1 hour. With Kyle, Meowchie, Eayore, and the comelekkerz. Rewards: A beautiful tree at the top of the rocky summit; it looked like a cherry blossom tree in autumn; perfect for dramatic photography; monkey bridge adventure; caves/spelunking !!; very nice and efficient guides!; accessible food source (stores); beautiful 360 degrees view of the Sierra Madre mountain range as well as Mt. Arayat; very near Manila; Challenges: none that I remember.

       4.  Mt. Banahaw, Zoologists' Trail somewhere along the north-eastern slopes. 2158 MASL but we only reached 1700 MASL. April 7, 2013.  Dayhike; Exploration Climb. Rewards: Virgin forest; pure air; evergreen surroundings; refreshing spring water; Challenges:  very difficult, slippery trails; thorny plants everywhere along the trail; Limatiks present; very long exhausting walk.

       
      5. Mauritius Treks (to be discussed in a separate blog.)

      6. Mt. Manalmon & Mt. Gola 49th Birthday Climb, June 1-2, 2013, San Miguel, Bulacan. With the Comelec Trekkers and my children.  Rewards: relaxed pace. it was more of a celebration than a climb.  We camped by the river (knowing that it was super summer and no rain forecast).  We did BMC 2 the ff day. Challenges: almost none.

        7. Mt. Daguldol, Laiya, San Juan, Batangas.  672 MASL; July 6-7, 2013;  2 days 1 night; Ascent 4-5 hours (puro kwentuhan at pahinga); Descent 3 hours.  BMC 3.  Rainy camping and descent.  With Atty. Shugar & Bang; Botetch Miranda, and the rest of the Comelec Trekkers there were about 20+; 4 teams with color-coded uniforms; 4 kitchens too with matching cookfest; Rewards: Actual BMC 3 (Camp Management); We experienced a stormy camping.  Challenges: Our tents became evacuation tents with 5 of us curling up in my two-person tent. Lesson learned: Invest on proper rain gear when trekking on rainy months.

       8.- 9. Mt. Batulao, Nasugbu, Batangas, July 21 and August 10-11, 2013; 811 MASL; Dayhike; Ascent: 4 hours; Descent 3 hours. With the comelec trekkerz. Rewards: Beautiful view, beautiful mountain! Challenges: too many registration fees; unsightly comfort rooms near campsite; too many vendors and stores; very muddy road before the mountain.

     

        10. Mt. Tapulao, Palauig, Zambales; 2037 MASL; August 24-25; 2 days 1 night; Ascent 12 hours; Descent 11 hours. With Sir Neil Bernas, Atty. Alvin Moraña, and their other friends; Meowchy, Gracey, Eayore Torres,.  It is here where we met Ryan Glen Aclore and his group. Rewards: Pulag-like features: sea of clouds; pine trees at higher altitudes; mystical summit with bonsai vegetation; very supportive comelec colleagues who welcomed us after the climb with food and accomodation fiesta-mode!; We were formally inducted by Atty. Alvin into the mountaineering circle during the Post-Climb Meeting yehey!!; Challenges: very long trek with monotonous environment (that very long rocky road that never ends); Limatiks along the way; rainy climb (well, if it didnt rain, it might have been more difficult because the trail is exposed); the night trek part was scary; some of us smelled different scary scents. One of our native guides almost fainted due to hunger and hypothermia.

      11. Mt. Manabu, Sto. Tomas, Batangas. 760 MASL; October 20, 2013.  Halfday Hike; With Bokbok de Asis, Meowchy and Song Peralta.  Ascent: 2 hours (we got lost for 15 minutes because it was very dark; that includes the Alamid Coffee stopover at the Nipa Hut of Ka Perying; it was nice chatting with him; we started at 4am; Descent: 1 hour.  Rewards: Easy climb; The Civet Cat Coffee of Ka Perying is beyond compare! not to mention his warm hospitality to all mountaineers passing by his hut; Nice view at the summit; Challenges: muddy trail; too many tourists you meet along the trail.

    

        12. Mt. Pulag, Ambangeg Trail (2nd climb), November 9-10, 2013. 2922 MASL; Bokod, Benguet.  2 days 1 night but it became a Dayhike because we were held at the Ranger Station and stayed there for the night in view of the wrath of Typhoon Yolanda which we didnt expect to be slamming far-reaching winds up north; Ascent: 4 hours; Descent 3 hours. We met and climbed with the Antipolo Nature Explorers Group and Malabon Rescuers for the first time: Sir Joel Cruz, Egay, Ricky, Popoy... My son Kyle was with us, Meowchy, Maiko, Josie, Pat Pareja Aquino... We almost lost hope that we could climb; Thankfully Maam Mering allowed us to do a dayhike the following day.  The wind was still strong. Rewards: A rainbow that followed us wherever we go and the never-fading eternal beauty of Mt. Pulag and its surrounding mountains; A dog named TelTel climbed with us and we were so amazed by her guiding capability; Challenges: very cold temperature because of the typhoon; (and severe hangover for those who drank to death the night before).

     13. Tinipak River, Daraitan, Tanay, Rizal.  (no climb; just river trek). November 17, 2013.  Dayhike.  With Sir Joel, Eayore, Jonalyn, my cousin Nelson Gonzales and my son Kyle.  This was the first time I saw Daraitan and I fell in love with the place.

        14.  Mt. Pulag, Ambangeg Trail (3rd Climb) December 6-7, 2013; with camping; 2 days 1 night; Ascent 3 hours; Descent 2 hours; With Aj Ramos, Eayore; Song Peralta. Rewards: Camp 2 was almost exclusively ours;  we discovered the advantages of climbing in very small group; unconditional support of Maam Gina Epe; Challenges: the scary monster habal-habal rides! 

        

    There you go, my 2013 treks!! I hope to be writing my longer and more detailed stories on each of the abovementioned climbs, work and time allowing.

    2014 and 2015 Treks forthcoming!! abangan po.

My Mountaineering Mentors

       "Behind a passionate mountaineer is a powerful mentor"

       Although I want to believe that I was "born to climb", I also think that there are powerful forces behind this drive!! Just who are these guys who reinforced my love for the mountains?

      Chededaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaan!!! 

      No. 1 Of course, my father: the late Teodoro Valeriano Aguila (1938-2005)

     Tatay raised and treated me like a "taong-bundok".  As soon as I could walk, he would bring me along in his hikes.  My fondest memories about him were our early morning walks along the ricefields of Nampicuan, Nueva Ecija where I grew up.  We would walk and walk together for miles, while he tells endless fairytales that would sometimes make me laugh but oftentimes would make me cry... :( 

      Tatay taught me not to be afraid to get wet in the rain.  He said that like plants, we need to get wet and be "watered" by the rain so we would also grow like the plants do.  Tatay taught me to walk fast, to move fast, not to cry when I'm dizzy, not to cry when I fall, and to immediately stand up when I fall.  

  

       It was Tatay who first introduced me to higher mountains when he brought me along to Baguio City when I was 9.  At Kennon Road, he pointed to me the mountain summit, and he said: "Do you see those trees on top of that highest mountain? It is there where we are heading for..."  It was difficult for a young mind to process that thought.  I thought he was joking until we reached Baguio City.  I was so happy! I was amazed to see that the soil was reddish, I was in so much awe to realize that human beings could reach such altitude!

     Tatay also taught me some details like how far is a kilometer, how high is a 5,600 ft above sea level... etc etc...  He introduced me to movies about adventure: The Swiss Family Robinson Crusoe and the like. And he would always tell me to be brave. That I can be brave. 

     When my younger siblings were eventually born (oh well, they happen to be both boys), and Tatay had to buy them toys; naturally, they had to be toy guns, toy cars, scooters .... Tatay bought me toy guns and scooters too.  In other words, Tatay raised me to be capable of doing what boys could physically do.

    I know that Tatay smiles down from heaven whenever he sees me climbing mountains.  Because that is the way he always wanted me to live my life: to the fullest.

    No. 2: Atty Jubil S. Surmieda.  The de facto (hehe) founder of the Comelec Trekkerz.  My BFF and my Idol. 

      This is the guy responsible for my present addiction to climbs.  It was Bong who invited me to climb Mt Pulag in January 2013 and since then, my life has changed.  The monotonous and boring Manila life that I had to endure since I transferred to Manila, became exciting, colorful, and meaningful.  The stress I gather from work would turn into dust whenever I climb mountains.  Thank you Bong !!! 

      No. 3 Sir Neil Bernas, my Kumpare, my Idol, and our BMC Mentor.

      When the Comelec Trekkerz members were increasing, and climb plans and schedules came one after the other like emerging mushrooms on a rainy season, Bong Surmieda advised us to undergo Basic Mountaineering Course.  We obliged.  So we chose an authority on mountaineering.  It had to be Sir Neil Bernas (who happens to be one of the many foster sons of Bong; they call Bong "Dad")

      Yielding to our persistent requests, Sir Neil had to drive to Intramuros all the way from his distant work location (then Asian Hospital) Alabang, Muntinlupa City just to be our Resource Person on BMCs 1 & 2.  He urged us to do BMC 3 in an actual situation so we underwent Camp Management Training in Mt. Daguldol (Laiya, Batangas) sometime in April of 2013.  As if the weather knew what we should learn from BMC 3, it gave us a heavy downpour complete with lightnings and thunders, so we may learn what kind of tent could withstand bad weather.  We learned our lessons. We learned the basic mountaineering principles and rules from Sir Neil.  We still apply them up to now, to the letter, whenever we climb.  Thank you Sir Pareng Neil..

       No. 4. Medel "Bokbok" de Asis

     This daredevil guy was the one who discovered and tapped that daring side of me.  He was the one who told me that "Ma'am, kaya mo yan... Kaya mong pumunta dito sa bangin."  He gave me total confidence and faith in myself, to the extent that I would go with him to the dangerous parts of rockies and monoliths, against which Bong Surmieda would always protest and scold us about.  Bokbok could sense that part of me that longs for adventure and thrills.

     It was also Bokbok who introduced me to Paeng, the Tumao of Majayjay and to many other mountaineering friends.  He also influenced me about being independent, self-contained, being able to cook by myself and not to always rely on others for my kitchen and food requirements during climbs.  He taught the Comelekkerz about many practicalities.  He would be pissed off whenever there are "maartes" among us.  He hates maartes.  He moves fast,  Bokbok is very strong.  He's a Halimaw.  

     One of his attributes that made him win our respect is his sincere care and concern about each of us in the group.  Whenever any one among us would be in an emergency situation, he would stay with that guy and never leave him until everything is OK.  Bokbok is the one who would decide when an E-camp is needed, when somebody who is sick should rest, and should be given medical attention and care.  Bokbok is a true leader, and in addition, he is also our nurse, our cook, our police (he hates reckless thrash disposal) and our very caring friend.

      No. 5: Atty. Alvin Moraña, our Idol and friend..

   

      Just like Sir Neil Bernas, Atty. Alvin is also one of Bong's many foster sons.  I also met him thru Bong Surmieda.  Atty. Alvin has also taught our group many unforgettable lessons about mountaineering.  Although he may not have formally been our BMC teacher, he IS our mentor in actual situations.  

      It was Atty. Alvin Moraña who "formally" inducted us to the mountaineering community after my newbie group joined his Mt. Tapulao August 2013 Climb.  It was during that climb when I saw and felt my weakest self, and the strongest version of someone who appeared to be the weakest.  Confusing? Atty. Alvin taught us that during very difficult situations in the mountains, when all of us are already exhausted, rain-drenched, hungry and weak, it is then when our true selves would surface.  

     Atty. Alvin gave us paracord bracelets during our Mt. Tapulao Post Climb Meeting, as a token and symbol that from then on, we could already consider ourselves as "true mountaineers".  I was so happy that day.  It was tantamount to a Law degree, and that simple paracord bracelet, to a diploma !

        

       Until now, I wear my bracelet whenever I climb. To remind myself of everything that Atty. Alvin taught us:  humility, patience, perseverance, discipline, respect for others and respect for nature.  

         For those I did not include in this blog, please don't feel sorry. You might be in another category. Hehe!  I'd soon be writing other articles like: My Favorite Mountain Buddies.  O diba, baka nandun kayo!

My Long Lost Passion: Mountaineering

    How do i begin this long story? 

    When I was in college, i used to climb mountains. Not really as an officially declared "mountaineer" but as just an ordinary girl who just loved to walk, hike, trek and enjoy fresh air and high altitude.  It was just like that before.

    However, my career and family life found me in .... of all places: Mindanao!! it was in Mindanao when my government career kangarood and had me land into a better position. I didnt expect to stay there, build my family there... grow old there in Mindanao. Unfortunately or fortunately, i did. Along with my career, i raised my kids there. and engaged my own personal self in fitness activities: gym, and bellydance. I didnt realize that i almost forgot mountainclimbing. In fact, for some time, I did.

    Who, in her right mind, would climb mountains in a place where the abusayyaf and the like would randomly kidnap just about anyone?? In other words, yes, i had to forget mountain climbing for the longest time because of safety. In the first place, one of the mountaineering rules is: "safety first", right?

    Time flies.... time flew.......... and i found myself back here in Luzon.  My youngest child and only daughter had to enroll in her preferred university here in Manila. So, the stage mom in me dictated that I had to be back here, despite my resentment against urban life.  

    As soon as we got settled here, a work colleague invited me to go with his mountaineering group to Mt. Pulag. My excitement was as tremendous as that of a child! I trained in the gym, I built my body strength, I invested in a good pair of trekking shoes and thermal jacket for a start......... and went with them to Pulag!!!

    After my reunion with the mountains, an old life came back.  I rediscovered it in Pulag and it decided to stay with me since then.  After my first official climb in January of 2013, I did two more Pulag climbs within the same year.

   One with my eldest child Kyle... and a new Comelec (work) group that i started to organize), ... and another climb with a smaller group... also coming from my work group.... 

   Within that year, I averaged one climb each month... and I promised to myself, that with the accessibility of "safe" mountains, I'd be climbing, and trekking for the rest of my life, until my legs could walk no more.

 

    I'm Helen, a grandma, a lawyer, a public servant, I am 51. Just call me Lola Bundokera.