NAPO TO BABAG TALES XLI: Cold-Weather Training

I AM ON THE TRAIL once again on this second day of 2011. I will not be alone but will have with me Boy Toledo and Ernie Salomon of Camp Red; Randell Savior, Ian and Tonton Bathan of Tribu Dumagsa; Rowel Seno of Timex Outdoor Club; Dondon of Zubu Ecological Tour Society, Inc.; and Ms. Aisha Ronquillo, the only rose among the thorniest of thorns. Like me, all of them decide to burn whatever party fats they have accumulated during the holiday season.

We all meet at the front parking lot of the Our Lady of Guadalupe of Cebu Parish at seven in the morning. The weather is perfect. Just clouds, no rain and no sunshine. Maybe Boy T and Ernie prayed for it while they were inside the church. It had been raining the whole night yesterday and it stopped at dawn. We take a quick breakfast at a roadside eatery and secure provisions for our lunch which we will cook and eat atop Babag Ridge. Boy T and I have an almost empty butane can while Ernie have a half-full.

We leave Guadalupe at 8:20 AM for Napo and arrive at the place almost an hour later. Rest period is very brief and we cross the Sapangdaku River to hike on its meandering trail for the Lower Kahugan Spring. The trail is still wet and quite slippery in some places. I lead the party and apply a torrid pace amidst rolling terrain. At the water spring, I take a drink and fill my water bottle and waited for the rest to arrive.

We rested for about fifteen minutes before we proceed to Busay Lut-od Falls via the Kahugan Trail. A fifteen minute walk is all we need and the newcomers – Aisha, Dondon and Tonton – are awed at the spectacle of four high cascades of this fabled waterfalls which they probably have heard. Nearby is a father-daughter tandem gathering charcoal and I parted away two of my four used textbook inside my backpack to the girl. I am so touched by their industry that I prefer to look the other way.

I could sense rain coming and off we climb from the river into the trail above and follow it upward until a scant trail to the right branch from it. This route is a switchback to the Roble homestead where we will make our rehydration stop. Manwel Roble meet me outside his house and, at a signal, he carry bolo and rope and climb the nearest coconut tree. We boil water for coffee until Manwel came back. We opened the green coconuts and satisfy ourselves with its water and the soft meat. Later, Manwel's mother offered us cobs of cooked corn. Once we have satisfied ourselves, we follow Ernie's Trail.

We last took this route in March and that is ten months ago. It had not been used ever since. Once we crossed a small brook, Ernie's Trail is already thick with brush and undergrowth. I am point guy and I use my tracking skills to give life to an already-defunct route. I parted thorny brush and hairy grass and took all the scratches. Ladyfinger ferns adhere to my clothing while prickly brown balls of dried grass flowers found niches between my skin and inner boots.

It is raining. Not hard but of an agonizingly-slow and monotonous kind. Nevertheless, it leaves nasty work on the trail making it slippery and the soil soft giving in to weight. Winds tossed by the cold front make you shiver but I did not mind it. It takes a lot of practice and persistence to arrive at a condition where your body would absorb and adapt to both heat and cold. I just let the rain drain from my t-shirt down to my boots. I am fully wet and so were Ernie and Boy T. Jackets and raincoats are not part of our gears though.

I follow the scant trail by sheer instinct, natural land formations and familiar landmarks. After that brain-wracking interlude, I am now presented with that part of Ernie's Trail where it is most difficult – a 70-degree slope of soft loamy soil that is loose come rain or summer. I maneuvered my boots seeking stable surfaces while my hand locked for anchor and my upper body lurch forward to offset gravity pull. Every five meters present a different set of problem and my job is to keep the trail undisturbed as possible for the comfort and ease of the climbers after me.

I see Aisha going up without complaints with her alpine pole and covered by a TNF jacket. Ernie goad and aid her every now and then. Randell, Rowel and Tonton did well and so were Boy T with his uncooperative left hand and Ian, despite wearing a pair of sandals. Oh, I couldn't find a very cheerful bunch of people under a very inclement weather and a very challenging trail.

By now I am at the end of that most trying part where a big bogo tree grow. After this, Ernie's Trail would traverse following the contour of mountain slope but the bushes are very thick and what used to be a trail is now a thick wall of common floss-flower weeds. I did not go this way as it is very time-consuming parting a path and I don't want to antagonize whatever wildlife lurking therein. Instead, I looked up elsewhere and plan to improvise. During my reconnoitering, I catch a glimpse of a scant trail that lead upward.

I find this trail more of the same of that challenging stretch that I thought ended at that big tree. Whatever this is, this is still Ernie's Trail, extended though with an arduous pitch. Just like the one I just passed a half-hour ago! Evading loose rocks and soil and putting pressure on my upper body, I finally gain an easy slope marked by a mango tree. About 400 meters were added to the length of that tough slope of Ernie's Trail today and far away somewhere is a boom-boom-boom of a baffle speaker!

I look at my body steaming from the exertions in cold weather. My breath puffing out white clouds. I did not wait for them once I reach Babag Ridge and continue on to our lunch area. It is already 1:30 PM and we have still a long way to go. I decide to cook noodle soup for my companions so they could shake off the cold weather. Slowly, they come and the last man arrive at 2:20 PM; by now, everyone are already busy with preparing the meal despite a 21-degree Celsius temperature.

I took charge of cooking milled corn in three pots. Ernie, Tonton and Boy T slice meat, vegetables and spices. Boy T uncork his fresh seaweeds and soak it in vinegar after washing it with hot water, Aisha her marinated pork and Rowel his dried fish. Ernie do the cooking of the viand and there were seven courses by the time we eat lunch at three. Food are chicken sinigang¹, pork adobo, stir-fried mixed-vegetables, dried fish fried in tomato sauce, tocino², seaweeds and raw cucumber. We cook all these with just those three almost-empty butane cans!

By four, we go back to Guadalupe by way of the No-Santol-Tree Trail in Kalunasan. A lot of ground to cover and so little time. The rains have not abated and it is very cold. Aisha and Dondon decide to part company going by the road that lead to Garahe in Upper Busay. NST Trail downhill is very slippery and compounded now by a non-stopping rain and the threat of darkness. I am able to keep my balance well despite walking in limited light. Rowel kept shadowing me from behind until I reach Kalunasan Road at around 5:30 PM. The rest were still far far behind hidden by the hills. I could not see their lights.

I decide to push on to Guadalupe with Rowel on the road and arrive there at 6:30 PM. In a few minutes, the first pair of Randell and Ian arrive on board a motorcycle-for-hire, then Tonton and Ernie and Boy T last. It is a good training for all and I part kind words to Tonton and Ian for persevering the cold without protective jackets and raincoats. Boy T, Ernie and I then spend a few hours at Camp Red's temporary watering hole in Guadalupe and down three one-liter bottles of ice-cold Red Horse beer to douse away our thirst and to replenish lost electrolytes.

Meanwhile, my pair of McKinley hike boots just lost two studs while its leather uppers began to bristle out. Looks like this will be the end of its journey. It have served me faithfully well in going to Mount Babag and back almost every weekend since Boy T gave it to me at Olango Island in May 2008. This pair of shoes, while nominally branded, outlived my pairs of Columbia, Hi-Tec and Halla shoes.

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1A tamarind-based soup.

2Meat marinated in soy sauce, vinegar, ginger, onion, lime and sugar.

NAPO TO BABAG TALES XL: Charity Climb 2010

I WOKE UP WITH a fierce hangover of last night's party as my Motorola V3 screamed its existence at 5:00 AM of December 19, 2010. Nevertheless, I scrambled up from a drunkard's bed and settled myself in the bathroom for a quick cold washover. Expertly, I dash back and forth the width and length of my house and up and down my stairs and round up the things I need today.

This is the most important day in the lives of the children of a mountain village of Kahugan and they do not know that yet. Not until we are on that place that is home of the Roble family. I am part of this magnificent array of angels disguised as mountain climbers, backpackers and crazy bushcrafters. I believe in what we are doing today and I find it glorious and greater than climbing the Everest itself. This is good stuff that is well-received from the Big Guy upstairs!

From my side, I carry twenty-five used textbooks inside of a huge carton. Aside that, I have two kilos of rice, a kilo of pork belly, a half-kilo of brown sugar and bread as my Christmas gift to the Roble family and another kilo of milled corn for our lunch. This is heavy, man, but my heart is light and I carry these easily on swift wings of goodwill and commitment.

The progenitor of this activity – Marco Albeza a.k.a. The Professor – came with his platoon of MathEd students of the University of San Carlos and his supportive friend. This is a continuing saga of their outreach program that started in August and they bring with them pairs of slippers, pencils, notebooks, writing pads, food for cooking, canned goods, biscuits, candies, chocolates and their mathematical skills for the children.

The full force of the Tribe of Dumagsa of Randel and Marjorie Savior came with their own special gifts for the children. Rowel Seno of Timex Outdoor Club arrive with big wrapped gifts. Ernie Salomon and Boy Toledo of Camp Red and Ariel Montuerto of EWIT Mountaineers share their time and presence; Vince “The Bytebandit” Delicano of the Cebu Mountaineering Society his shooting lens; and Jerry Pescadero of Alps Mountaineers his Hersheys.

Not coming but willing to share something for Christmas for the kids, Aisha Ronquillo of EWIT, handed out her bundles of joy at the front lawn of the Our Lady of Guadalupe of Cebu Parish which we appreciated greatly and personally carry to the hills. After a quick breakfast and buying of provisions, we move out for Napo in pairs aboard motorcycles-for-hire to cut short our travel time since it is almost late in the morning.

From Napo we cross the Sapangdaku River and tour the meandering trail that line above its banks. I sweated hard carrying the books above my right shoulder and transferring to my left to ease the other and vice versa. This is hard work really but, I know, I will be redeemed many times over for my labor. Ernie is behind me; Paterno – a local boy and a cousin of Manwel Roble; another local boy; and far far behind – Boy T. I could hear Boy T's voice crackle over the small radio transceiver that Ernie carried.

Reaching the Lower Kahugan Spring, I replenish my small supply of drinking water and drink my thirst out to wild abandon! The damn hangover is still with me despite the exertions. I feel groggy and disoriented. My knees buckle under the weight of the books and tried to stabilize my balance with sheer will power and endurance that I develop hiking and running these trails here. Less than an hour to go but the trail will be steep this time. Oh, I love this part!

I lead the way to another route to the Robles. Trailing along is Ernie, Rowel, Boy T, Vince, Randel, Marj, Ian, Auxyne Nillas and Glenn Tampus. Good thing the trail is pretty covered and, as I reach the main route, I overtake the remainder of Marco's stout-hearted students. They were panting hard but they showed heart and sheer elation are written all over their faces!

We reach finally the place marked by an ancient tamarind tree. A work of miracle will start commencing right here on this spot. By now, children are already at their places while the Professor bark out last-minute instructions to his pupils. Instantly, in clockwork precision, the students became teachers to the children, imparting a revolutionary way of teaching mathematics to the latter. Very moving. And beautiful. Honestly, I shed a tear of joy or two, my eyes camouflaged very well by the smoke of my cooking fire.

As this is going on, I give a demonstration to the visitors of how to make bamboo as a cooking pot and how to cook milled corn inside it. The ground is wet, but I cover it with leaf from a wild giant taro. After considerable work with the fire upon a partially-wet firewood, I got it going and feed more wood. The bamboo is filled half-full of water and I waited until it is hot enough. I pour a half-kilo of milled corn and and stir it with my new snake-like spoon carved from a mangrove root.

All eyes and all types of camera were on my demo but my eyes were on the activity concentrated on the children. I steal a camera shot every now and then when I slack my bushcraft cooking. Children where grouped in trees as they answered the math exams and they were all very serious and learned fast. The rest of the visitors were also busy doing their cooking. Standard staple is milled corn. Everybody will eat the food fresh from the fire.

Ernie and Ariel slice the vegetables and spices; Boy T start boiling water for coffee; Randel and his “tribe” trying out their camp stoves and learning how to cook milled corn in conventional pots; Vince steal a shot here and there; Rowel help me collect firewood; and Jerry, well, he enjoyed the company. Marco supervised the cooking of boiled mung bean soup, chicken caldereta and pancit bam-e while Ernie stir and fry a mixed vegetable soup; Randel and Marj cook chili-laced pork adobo and marinated pork belly.

Lunch were served to the children first. Each student became foster parent to three kids and feed them personally. This will create a bond and amongst themselves: child to “parent” and child to child. Real parents of these children came to see this rare spectacle and they were very amused and gave support to their children and to the activity. After the plates were emptied everyone are entitled for a generous refill. Marco's pupils enjoyed the lunch prepared and served for them as well as our portion on the other table.

The giving of gifts came and every child present went home with a plastic bagful of goodies. These after they were caroled by the students. Meanwhile, the milled corn cooked inside of bamboo in extraordinary fashion, vanish and did not last a long time. It is meant to be, I guessed.

We leave at three in the afternoon but not after leaving a number of canned goods for the Roble family. We all follow single file another trail guided for us by Paterno into the fabled hidden falls of Kahugan which the locals fondly call as Busay Lut-od, which is meant really as cascading waterfalls in the English language. The ecstasy elicited in the viewing of the seldom-seen waterfalls is one way of repaying the students for their voluntary work.

We reach Guadalupe at five and shake each other's hand for a job well done and simple greetings of Merry Christmas. Then I, Boy T and Ernie finish the day at our favorite watering hole and talk of the just-concluded activity which is one of our very memorable effort.

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Photos courtesy of Glenn Tampus and the Bytebandit of www.openclimbcebu.com

NAPO TO BABAG TALES XXXVII: Hidden Waterfalls of Kahugan

IT HAD BEEN more than three months since I last climbed the Babag Mountain Range, here in Metro Cebu, and that was during the third day of the “Tsinelas Charity” of Professor Marco Albeza's on August 8, 2010. To me, it's as if I have not walked for a year! One missed weekend and I'm in an agonizing state; what more for fourteen straight weeks?

Today is November 21, 2010 and I am on the church lawn of the Our Lady of Guadalupe de Cebu waiting for Ernie Salomon and Boy Toledo of Camp Red. I am also expecting Myand Abao of the EWIT Mountaineers. We will check on our seedlings taken cared of by the Roble family in the hills of Napo. Aside that, we will assess the route by which these fruit-tree seedlings will be planted.

The Holy Mass ended at seven and out came Ernie and Boy T (both are saintly in the morning and devilish at dusk). Myand arrive and a guest of Ernie's – Jamez of VECO – came later and we all settled to eat a light breakfast at the back of the church. Later, Ernie and I scour the little roadside market for our food provisions.

The Roble children – Manwel, Juliet and Josel – I am sure, would have missed me during those weekend non-shows and I will not let them down today. I will bring bread for them. The kids have endeared well to me, especially Josel, who metamorphosed from a shy three-year old into a pesky five-year old. (Laughing).

We leave Guadalupe for Napo at 8:30 AM and the sun is already high. We walk the road to Napo as a warm-up activity to loosen up tight unused muscles and reach Napo an hour later. After a very brief rest, we cross the Sapangdaku River and followed the meandering trail above it and reach the Lower Kahugan Spring where I fill my bottle and drink for the first time.

We follow the Kahugan Trail to take a short-cut to the Roble homestead. Walking along, I spied a waterfall. This could be the fabled hidden waterfalls of Kahugan which Boy T and Ernie have seen during an earlier trip. Ernie lead us down a route but ended up far from where I have laid my eyes on this particular waterfall. The sound of splashing water indicated more than one waterfall existed on that particular place of the river.

I insisted that Ernie is leading us to a wrong waterfall and I explained to all to try the ones we have just passed by ago. It is worth trying since we are already very near. We backtrack and I saw the faint trail that I saw a moment ago and I lead the way down until we stop on a sandy shore of a waterfall. There were actually four waterfalls! The uppermost is the highest while the lowermost might be of equal height and we were now in the second.

The river is full after several months of rain and the water cascade down from the four high waterfalls in close proximity with each other. There is a deep pool and further down the tip are stones placed by the locals to serve as a dam if, in case, they will catch fish, shrimps and crabs. A narrow channel is opened to let the water flow below the next waterfall. I document this one with pictures and video before I climb the upper falls.

Just like the ones I left, there is a deep pool also and a sandbar but no dam. I also shoot photos and take a video. All around were original-growth forest, which is very rare for a place known for its tree-cutting charcoal gatherers. The absence of birds in an area where wildlife are supposed to thrive gives me an impression that the locals have outsourced the birds for food.

After that cool interlude, we retrace our route and take a shortcut to the Roble abode. Power climbing is the order of the day for this trail. There is no rest but to go on as there are no shaded area. But once we were in Busan Trail, the inclination subside and we were able to recover our breath aided now by a shady lining.

We finally reach the home of the Robles and I surrendered my backpack (and my butt) to a long bamboo bench. It is very cool here with a giant tamarind tree giving you shade as well as a duhat¹ and a mango tree. Everybody retrieved their cook sets, their stoves and the food. I boiled milled corn on two sets of pot and stove while Ernie and Myand do the slicing of the vegetables and spices for our vegetable. Boy T, meanwhile, teach Jamez the fine rudiments of cooking a milled corn.

Boy T showed off his new camping cook set. Very neat and a very practical equipment due to its size. We tested it right away with mixed vegetables stirred and fried, as well as cooking pork adobao. Nice to see again the Roble family, especially the children and I surrendered my cache of cinnamon and Frances bread to them. They were joined by their cousin Jerome and I see him and Josel running around and shouting and laughing.

At exactly 1:30 PM, we all take our lunch amidst the breeze stirring the leaves of the bamboo grove growing nearby. After all have their fill, everyone settled to social mode. I inspected the tree seedlings and they were a healthy collection of jackfruit, Java plum, rambutan, apple-mango, lanzones², avocado and papaya growing inside their little black plastic containers. The seedlings were well-watered and taken cared of. I brought though a set of canistel seeds to be added to our stock.

We will have the whole Babag East Ridge Pass as the site where we will plant the small trees. Fele Roble averred that the landowner is quite receptive to have his land planted by fruit-bearing trees and save him the trouble of planting it himself or hiring people to plant it for him. We were elated by this news and so we planned below the duhat tree of how we will involve the local government unit of Sapangdaku and Babag I in this worthy endeavor.

After we stowed our gears back inside of our backpacks, I eyed the East Ridge Pass for Mount Babag. Boy T stared at the trail and signalled with his head that he have had enough for the day. Old age seemed to have overtaken Boy T. I noticed him along the way, he sat down at the old resting place under a mango tree. We normally ignore that place as our stamina increased and, if ever we pause by there, we don't sit.

So we backtrack and reach Napo in forty minutes. From Napo, we all rode a tricycle bound for Guadalupe and, from Guadalupe, we all rode inside Boy T's KIA Pride to partake of the feast in Lapulapu City where Boy T reside. We eat dinner there after which we toast our just concluded trek with bottles of Red Horse Extra Strong Beer. It was a good day for Camp Red and soon will be for the environment.

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1Java plum.

2Lanzium domesticum.