Miyerkules, Enero 20, 2016

Mt. Damas, The Mountain that Painfully Reminded me How Small I Am



My YearStarter Climb: 
Mt. Purgatory, este, Mt. Damas



2016 came by so uneventfully and boringly for me.  Even my December last year was surprisingly "climb-less"! Expectedly, my body was almost idle for two months and it almost forgot how to tread broken paths.

When field co-worker Desiree Balaoing, a new but very energetic mountaineer and civic outreach advocate invited me to climb Mt. Damas, I did not hesitate to say yes.  I invited my favorite climb buddies, but unfortunately, they wanted Mt. Ugo to be their January climb.  So, I had to overcome my shyness and grope my way thru the company of a new group, a new place, new everything.

I read many many blogs about Mt. Damas. They said only one thing: never underestimate Mt. Damas; despite its low altitude, 685 MASL, it is a major climb and it is formidably difficult.

I was afraid for many valid reasons: I was not physically ready for a major climb; there was no clear itinerary from the group despite my request; I would be climbing with "hardcores" (two of the guys I'd climb with just summitted the 9/9 Mt. Sicapoo), not to mention that they are much younger than I am (as always);  It was going to be very hot and I was aware that hot terrains are my waterloo.

So before the climb, I bombarded Ms. Desiree with many many questions like: Where will be our jump-off? What time? Where will we camp? Will we take the Papaac Trail or the old Dueg trail? Will it be a traverse, or back-trail or circuit? Will we pass thru Ubod Falls? Understandably, Desiree could not give me complete answers because she too is a firsttimer.  It would be her first major climb, and first climb to Damas, even if she's from San Clemente.  So I had to endure many uncertainties; something that was not easy for me because I got used to clear expectations and well-planned itineraries before each of my climbs.

The First Day

We set off for Sitio Dueg at 1pm.  Luckily, another kind-hearted colleague, Ma'am Edna Garcia (Ande BisDak) drove us to the Kanding junction where we started hiking thru the sporadically cemented road that leads to the Dueg Settlement Area. (740 MASL)


At 2PM, we started our hike thru the 8km road to Dueg.  It took us 2 and a half hours. The road was reminiscent of Mt. Tapulao, because at some point, it became annoyingly monotonous and repetitious. (nakakaumay!!!)  




At past 4PM, we found ourselves in the midst of a friendly community of Ilocanos and Aetas harmoniously co-existing with one another.  At some vantage points along the way and at Dueg, Mt. Damas could be seen.  From where I was seeing it, I told myself this climb is going to be difficult gauging it from its far distance from where we were.





We camped at an area they call "Pugon" because of the presence of what looks like an old structure with a chimney. 


 The place appeared to be a community center with unfinished constructions. The campsite gave us a clear and unobstructed view of our destination the following day.  There, we chanced upon Aeta kids innocently scrambling thru a sandhill along the building near our camp.  It was a refreshing and heartwarming sight...



We were blessed with fair weather, moonlit skies, windy and moderately cold night and a happy getting-to-know-you "socials" ..


 I couldnt resist the "empe lites" offered by my new friends, so even if I knew that for several times the said brandy caused me terrible stomach trouble I obliged and had about 5 "shots" of the notorious drink.  Sooner than I expected, my belly began to rumble and suffer a very grim consequence.  I started to worry.  Miong Carmen, a WSar rescuer and Balikatan guy gave me a tablet that promised relief.  I also took another tablet from my medicine kit.  I was able to sleep well, but the "empe lites" fiercely invaded my gastric defenses that even at dawn, I had to do some "dehydration runs".


Day 2

The show must go on.  The climb must push thru.  I will climb.  Help me God.  We cooked breakfast before break of dawn, forced ourselves to eat early breakfast, broke camp and set off by 8AM.  We started our descent from Dueg, passing by the house of our Guide: Bernard "Akiong" Galletes where we left our heavy bags and unneeded things.  The sun was already fierce at that early part of the day.. 




Along the descending trail, we consistently saw Mt. Damas and confirmed its far location.  I did not allow discouragement nor fear to dampen my "fighting spirit".  I had to climb that damn mountain! 




After about 20 minutes of comfortable hiking, we had to turn right to what appears to be a total wilderness.  I had to confirm it from my companions if we were treading the right trail and they said yes.  It was the old Dueg trail that is no longer being used.  They said they were the last ones to use it last year yet.  There was really no trail at all !!! Our guide had to cut bushes, blade grasses and vines!  My imagination started to be paranoid: what if there were snakes?... 


There was even one point when we had to grapple our way thru a very unstable-looking landslide.  I told myself: "this is not right."  But i didnt have any choice but to crawl thru that eroded earth praying that the loose soil could bear my heavy obeiiiish weight.  Well, it did.  thankfully.  


After 1 hour and 15 minutes, we reached the river and took a ten-minute rest.  it was at 250 MASL.  Our Guide Akiong cooked camoteng kahoy sa buho (inside the bamboo funnel).  My stomach problem has actually been addressed by the medicines I took but I suspected that the same meds suppressed my appetite I couldn't swallow any food I tried to eat. 






Along the river, we had to wear our slippers as we were about to do a 30-minute river trek that would bring us to the jump off part of the "cardiac ascent" direct to the summit of Damas.


I wasnt able to take more pictures during our ascent thru the "cardiac" trail for one obvious reason: I was fighting to stay alive.  The ascent was a straight 75-85% sadistic assault that zapped whatever meager energy remained in my system.  I had to apologize repeatedly to our Sweeper, the hardcore Miong Carmen for the very frequent rests.  At one point, some elements went into my right eye I could hardly see.  The heat was excruciatingly unforgiving I felt like I was burning in hell !!! I prayed hard for more patience, endurance and sanity.  I had to fight the temptation of crying it out because this total stranger who was trying his best to patiently tolerate my agony would not understand me.  Afterall, I still had pride, even during my weakest moments.  

We trekked on.  I trekked on and took baby steps, patiently but agonizingly.  Along some areas we had to crawl.... 






Good that we had enough water.  Miong knew how much water to carry.  

Finally when we reached the "shoulder", the view of Mt. Damas's peak dawned upon me like a scary UFO that elusively flew away as I struggled to assault it.  My energy, my fighting spirit, my lung power were running out fast... During one of my countless rests, I told Jerome and Desiree, this mountain should be renamed Mt. Purgatory.









Just like a cellphone battery that is almost "drained to the last bar", I finally reached the summit and dropped to the ground to pave the way to my earnest desire of the moment: to faint.

For several minutes, I enjoyed lying on earth as my heavenly bed, until I was awaken by ant bites! The sun was fiercest at the summit which did not have anything to shelter us from the burning heat except blade grasses with lots of ants.

I had to force myself to stand up and do a forced picture-taking just so i would have a souvenir of having successfully, tho excruciatingly summitted Mt. Damas. Naku, mukhang tao pa ba ako dito?? 




And of course I had to bear the cruel heat longer so I could take picture of the 360-degree view.  It was beautiful. I saw the Mayantoc side of the traverse slopes of Mt. Tapulao ... mukhang napakahirap.  They told me the Tapulao traverse could take four days... nyay!!!







The group prepared lunch while at the summit.  Sadly, I, who needed much nourishment to recharge my weak body, could not swallow any food. 



 I decided to request the group to allow me to go ahead and find some shady area at the lower part of the summit (descent trail leading to Papaac) where I could rest further and try to eat.  Miong accompanied me. Along the early part of the steep descent, Miong invited me to take some pictures over a rocky vantage edge but I couldn't trust my balance at that time so I offered to be his photographer..




After this photoshoot, I kept my cellphone in my belt bag as we were in for a very steep descent that required much of my attention, caution and balance.  Aware of my spondylolisthesis that could not afford to be aggravated further by another fall, I took each dangerous descent segment one baby step at a time, not minding nor thinking of what the rest of the group would think about me (pabebe, slow, turtle paced etc.).  Patience paid.  I reached the river safely and without any injury.  One of our buddies suffered a twisted knee as she slipped in one of the very slippery steep segments.  

We were supposed to drop by Ubod Falls but we decided to cancel that in view of time constraints.  We also did not want to go to Ubod without our injured buddy.  

Our Guide estimated another 3-4 hours of ascent (1 and a half hours of river trek included) to Dueg and it was already around 2:30PM.  We donned our slippers again and prepared our headlamps.  We rested several times along the river.  Some of us took a dip into the very clean and cool river waters while we were having coffee.






The brave and strong Desiree managed to smile, amidst her painful knee injury...

While I, did my third attempt to catch my lost appetite by sipping some hot coffee to power me up for the forthcoming two-hour ascent back to Dueg.. 




After the long rivertrek and night trek thru some vegetable gardens and mango groves, we reached Dueg at 7PM and reorganized our things at the house of Bernard, our Guide.  We took habal habal from Dueg to Maasin and enjoyed a much needed bath and very sumptuous dinner at Ma'am Edna's house.  I took the bus from Desiree's house (along the San Clemente Highway at 12:30MN and reached home at 3AM.

Lessons learned:

Initially after hearing and agreeing with Desiree who "sourgrapingly" said that it's not worth returning to Damas, I also told myself that ok, fine, I reached and climbed Damas and that's enough.

But as I went thru our pictures while already in the comfort of my office, I realized that I should be thankful that Mt. Damas was my first mountain for this year, because it reminded me, in a very painful manner, of many things:

1. Always do serious preparations for a major climb;
2. Manage your expectations.  Know the itinerary.  Know the economics of your own energy.
3. Never drink Empe Lites again.  It has already ruined my stomach 3 xs.  Hindi na yan coincidence ha !! 
4.  Patience, humility, and above all faith in oneself, and in The Force up there do wonders!!.  During my weakest moments when all that I wanted to do is drop to the ground and just faint, the one that kept me going was faith in myself because I knew The Force was with me.
5.  I am nothing.  I am a nobody.  God's Might and Power are embedded in his creations, in the mountains He created.  I am just a tiny dot compared to Mt. Damas, a small mountain in the map, but terrible and notorious in my mind and memory.

I will climb Mt. Damas again, God willing.  With the hope that next time, I will reach the summit with enough energy to appreciate its beauty;  no longer to curse it, to rename it Purgatory, but to embrace it and give it the respect it truly deserves.