A week before the scheduled climb to Kanlaon, it was reported to have spewed smoke and ash. When the news came in, I was busy with my routine morning stretching at Tito Ben's house in Iloilo. That was very disappointing as we all felt ready to go at the time.
A week after, the climb restriction has not been lifted so we explored other options. Tinagong Dagat stood out from among the destinations.
Expectations? I had none. Judging from the only climb I've had in ages, I thought there was nothing to worry about.
It was a perfect November morning. The clouds rode low in the skies with a sure promise of rain. Yet barely ten minutes into the first climb, rivulets of sweat ran down my face as well as the rest of my body. It was a steep one and it literally took my breath away.
An hour after a rather leisurely uphill walk passing by the water reservoir, the arduous climb began. It was exciting until my first leg cramp surfaced. Four cramps after, we found ourselves facing the ominous boulder. Without any rope to hold on to and some 10-kg additional weight on my back, our pace was slow. I dared to look down to see how high we went and I started to ask myself why on earth did I even think of taking the trip. Then, it was too late to go back and going downhill has always been my waterloo so we plodded on.
A good four hours have passed when we finally arrived at the campsite. There were handful of tents scattered around the dry caldera and all the good spots were occupied. After setting up our tents (for the first time after purchase), we shared our packed lunch reliving what has transpired on our way up.
Sleep was difficult. The air was biting cold. The howling wind that constantly shook our tent and the strange forest sounds were disconcerting. Johnrey's horror stories about mountain climbing over dinner did not help either.
The morning after, KZ and I found ourselves in one corner of the tent, apparently trying to get warm. It was a fine day. Most of the climbers were up and ready to go. We scouted for a better place to set camp with shelter from too much sun above and the wind on the sides. One of the campers helped us move our tent. He looked a lot like King ( a colleague from Teletech) which is no wonder as I found out later that they're actually brothers. Small world.
We only brought a day's supply of water so we had to fetch some for cooking, coffee and drinking. John Rey took us to the source where the water was crisp and sweet and flowed freely. It was too shallow for dipping though so we just made do with a sponge bath.
A week after, the climb restriction has not been lifted so we explored other options. Tinagong Dagat stood out from among the destinations.
Expectations? I had none. Judging from the only climb I've had in ages, I thought there was nothing to worry about.
We instantly gelled with John Rey and Larizza. They were a couple from the wide circle of friends of Kz and April. They have been through this trail a number of times and that was enough assurance for us. Going up, Campuestuhan was our jump-off point.
It was a perfect November morning. The clouds rode low in the skies with a sure promise of rain. Yet barely ten minutes into the first climb, rivulets of sweat ran down my face as well as the rest of my body. It was a steep one and it literally took my breath away.
An hour after a rather leisurely uphill walk passing by the water reservoir, the arduous climb began. It was exciting until my first leg cramp surfaced. Four cramps after, we found ourselves facing the ominous boulder. Without any rope to hold on to and some 10-kg additional weight on my back, our pace was slow. I dared to look down to see how high we went and I started to ask myself why on earth did I even think of taking the trip. Then, it was too late to go back and going downhill has always been my waterloo so we plodded on.
A good four hours have passed when we finally arrived at the campsite. There were handful of tents scattered around the dry caldera and all the good spots were occupied. After setting up our tents (for the first time after purchase), we shared our packed lunch reliving what has transpired on our way up.
Sleep was difficult. The air was biting cold. The howling wind that constantly shook our tent and the strange forest sounds were disconcerting. Johnrey's horror stories about mountain climbing over dinner did not help either.
The morning after, KZ and I found ourselves in one corner of the tent, apparently trying to get warm. It was a fine day. Most of the climbers were up and ready to go. We scouted for a better place to set camp with shelter from too much sun above and the wind on the sides. One of the campers helped us move our tent. He looked a lot like King ( a colleague from Teletech) which is no wonder as I found out later that they're actually brothers. Small world.
We only brought a day's supply of water so we had to fetch some for cooking, coffee and drinking. John Rey took us to the source where the water was crisp and sweet and flowed freely. It was too shallow for dipping though so we just made do with a sponge bath.
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