AN IRISH COUPLE IN OPEAK

EVEN THOUGH I HAD A two-week inactivity, I still consider myself physically fit and I could outwalk, outpace and outlast any wannabe twenty-five years my junior. I have completely regained my stamina walking the same trails on the Babag Mountain Range in Cebu City almost every weekend for eight straight years after I made a comeback in 2008. I believed  I am even now better than when I was 25.

My Thruhike of the Cebu Highlands Trail for 27 days in 2017 was life-changing or, should I say, a paradigm shifter. That walk was made for me. My destiny. I can count of only a few fingers on my right hand of contemporary Filipinos who tried and hiked a long trail in their own country in one straight journey. My stamina and my fortitude gave me success and my bragging right. Deny me not.

Cebu do not host many mountains that go above a thousand meters. What it has is a long and rugged sierra running along the middle axis of the island province from south to north. What it also has is a weather that tries to melt all your resolve. I tamed the two or, should I say, understood the challenges very well. But if you like to just hike up a trail to stand on a peak, that would not be difficult.

Try Osmeña Peak from Mantalongon, Dalaguete. You can instantly have a bragging right, climbing Cebu’s highest peak at 1,015 meters above sea level. Everybody does that nowadays. Take a quick selfie when it is not too crowded or roll in Facebook Live to your wall in real time. The view of craggy hills, the seas on both sides of the island, and the farmed little valleys are just amazing.

For me, I would not take that route though. To better appreciate Osmeña Peak, you need to climb it from the other side, in Badian. That is what I have been advocating since the time I returned there solo in 2013 after a long hiatus. I brought all my guests and friends to Osmeña Peak from Badian only. They could either continue to Dalaguete or go back to Badian. It can be done with just a dayhike.

On January 23, 2018, after the Sinulog, I got two guests. They are a couple from Ireland. The husband is in his 60s while the wife is in her middle 50s. Based on their ages, it would not be hard for me. Or so I thought. What is more, they would stay overnight at the peak. The only thing that got me worried is the two Silangan Rev20 tents that I would carry for their use and mine. Apart from that, I have everything under control. No big deal.

I fetched them at a resort in Moalboal where they were staying and introduced myself. They are Jerry and Gillian Dawson. Both are very fit than I previously thought they were and looked much younger than their age. They must have lied about their true ages but that is absurd thinking. Anyhow, I got to give them the best guideship service in this whole danged country, with my carabao English.

Seriously, I could now engage in an understandable conversation with foreigners which that ability was unthinkable when I lived in a cave. My English may not be perfect to an English-speaking national but to a non-speaking one, I can be mistaken sometimes as a native speaker. Sort of. Yes, many years ago I do not have the confidence to speak to foreigners but I overcame this fear as I learned on my own public speaking skills.

Lest you misunderstood me, I do not guide people to the mountains, like everybody else is doing. I am not a mountain guide. I am more of a wilderness guide. Even when the places I bring people to are not anymore wilderness, the methods and interactions I used and engaged for my guests lean more towards a wilderness setting. It is a different field and it is not for everybody to acquire or learn.

Now going back to the hike at hand, the Irish couple is ready and excited. The resort has contacted a tricycle to transport us to Badian. We pass by first to a fast-food outlet on the way and order nine hamburgers for the three of us. The couple did not prepare the food I advised for us but they have their own water. I brought my own water also and my Mil-Tec rucksack is heavy.

At Badian, we take another tricycle to the mountainous village of Basak and start our walk at 09:00, following the Malagaring Trail. The lower hills are hot and humid but the couple is fine. The rocky slopes are farmed with bitter gourd, squash and corn and farming communities dot the landscape. On the back of us, the coastline of Badian begins to be appreciated as we gained elevation.

After an hour, we were now at the community of Malagaring and taking a brief rest. From hereon, the trail will pass by uninhabited areas which would be where the treeline is. Despite my deliberate control of the pace, I begin to feel exhaustion and the backpack seemed heavy for comfort. I stop often to give myself a break and, at the same time, I would not remiss on my duties to entertain my guests.

My hard breathing cannot interfere with my conversations and it takes great control to do that. It is difficult to engage in such while walking and gaining elevation. Much more so with this Irish couple. On one of these breaks, I learned that they participate in adventure races in the UK and across the Channel. They lived an active lifestyle and their preferred diet are vegetables and fish. They have no choice with the burgers and they will burn it anyway.

They never seem to tire. They carried day packs and in it were the burgers divided amongst themselves, cold-weather clothing, a liter of water, bottles of Gatorade, chocolates and bananas. Aside from the two tents, I also carried a 3-liter Camelbak bladder, a cook set, spoon-fork set, 250 ml of denatured alcohol, a Trangia burner, an IFAK, my fire kit, a Cold Steel Bushman, a Mora Companion and a Victorinox Trailmaster.

When you get in the treeline, the trail goes up and up and the weather changes from hot and humid to mild and cool. The path snaked in among craggy slopes and forests and there are always topics to talk about, if you just use your imagination, just to give yourself a brief moment of rest without letting them know that you need a break. But when the pressure behind me is too great, I would be honest enough to raise a white flag.

The constant gain in altitude also cooled my body and the chance of overheating due to overexertion is negated. We reach the most remote village of Patong and, good for me, there is a store here that could provide me a cold bottle of Coke. This is one of the luxuries of hiking this trail: there is always a cold Coca Cola near the end of the rainbow. It is like an ace in the sleeve.

Happy to have powered myself with sugared beverage and ten minutes of rest, I am now game to accept the pressure from their non-stopping pace. We arrive at the base of the peak at last and the couple proceeds to the summit while I remained at the only store selling softdrinks here. While enjoying the drink, I learned from the lady storekeeper that she owns the three small red cottages across us and it is vacant.

If I set up our tents, most likely it would already be crowded on the main and secondary campsites since it is a weekend. Besides, it might be very noisy on the campsite which might leave an ugly impression on my guests. Added to that is somebody from the side of Dalaguete who would be asking payments for camp use and garbage collection. Both Dalaguete and Badian claimed Osmeña Peak as theirs.

If you come by way of Dalaguete you will be charged a guide fee when it is quite idiotic to utilize a guide since the peak can be walked by yourself easily even with eyes closed. The lady storekeeper found the fees extracted by Dalaguete as unfair to both Badian and the visitors. They are taking advantage of this because of the easy access to Osmeña Peak from their side.

The lady storekeeper told me this because she happens to serve for a long time as the village chairperson of Patong. I understand her statement very well since I know, for a long time, that the peak had always been a part of Badian since the time I first visited it in 1992. That is why I always start from Badian because I honored their ownership of Osmeña Peak. I told you I am no ordinary guide. Besides that, I write for this blog.

When Jerry and Gillian came back, I mentioned to them the three little red cottages owned by the lady storekeeper and they were much happy when I also mentioned that it would be noisy on the other side. We would not have to set up tents and sleep in it. The Irish couple claimed one while the other was provided free for me, courtesy of the very kind lady storekeeper. She also provided a thermos with hot water and cups should we drink coffee.

We dined on hamburgers. They with Gatorade and water. I with coffee, Japanese miso soup and water. As is with this time of the year, the northeast monsoon brought winter colds of Siberia and Japan to the tropics and it would be cold, much more so with the wind chills. We opt to retire early but, once in a while, I would answer the call of nature outside. I did at 22:00 and at 02:00 and each time I still see people going up the peak.

When I woke up at 05:00 the following day, January 24, there is no shortage of visitors to the peak. I wonder how much money Dalaguete collects from these unwary people. It is indeed unfair. We eat the last of the hamburgers for breakfast and everybody had coffee. I keep the place as tidy as possible by burning all our small garbage last night and bringing the rest down to our next destination today.

We will be going back to Badian, taking the same route we did yesterday but, this time, it would all be downhill. We leave early at 06:30 and Jerry and Gillian loved the early morning walk when the birds are most active with their melodies. We walk lazily, enjoying the silent moments and keeping our footings as steady as possible. We meet no locals just like yesterday at the forested zones.

When we reach Malagaring, mountain life begins to be felt. We take a different trail and reach the Basak Elementary School. We hired motorcycles to take us down the highway. Once we are there, we board a bus bound for Cebu City. Jerry and Gillian would have to go back to their hotel in Moalboal while I would be going home. The Irish couple would be travelling to Palawan tomorrow and we parted ways when the bus stopped at Moalboal.

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A SIMPLE FREE TIBET CEREMONY

WE ALL LEAVE AT exactly 05:00 from the Cebu South Bus Terminal. Today, March 8, 2015, the “we”, who are composed of people from the Camp Red Bushcraft and Survival Guild, namely: Jhurds Neo, Justin Abella, Faith Tannen, Richie Quijano, Mark Lepon, Mirasol Lepon, Nyor Pino, Nelson Tan and, of course, me, are bound for Badian town. Going with us is Glenn Pestaño but he will just be dropping by at Carcar City.

We at Camp Red usually converge at the Babag Mountain Range every weekend but, sometimes, we go “out of town”. This time, we will go to Osmeña Peak, Cebu’s highest peak at 1,015 meters (unless proven otherwise), on a day hike. These guys need a break and need to gratify themselves for their unselfish deeds relating to the construction of a new house for the Roble family in Babag and what more to give them satisfaction is a visit to O-Peak.

Osmeña Peak can be easily reached by way of Mantalongon, Dalaguete and, because of that, a lot of people visit the mountain every weekend. While some would finish their hike to two places in Badian, which is either at Basak or at Matutinao, it is all downhill. A few hardy hikers would start from Basak and I am one of those few. I always believe, without doubt, that the satisfaction of a reverse hike to O-Peak is far greater than that taken from Mantalongon.

That is where I am bringing the troupe from Camp Red. It is no ordinary hike. In fact, I am engaging them to a survival hike training which, previously, they had not tried yet. Against this situation, they would also experience the different terrain the route from Basak to the mountain offered. It is rocky, demanding constant attention and good footing, and slippery when wet.

On the higher elevations, they would feel the temperature dipping to two or more degrees. Body resistance to cold would be tested and this would be felt more when your stomach is deprived of a full meal. Your reservoir of energy provided by food and water would be drained quickly as you gained elevation. Colder temperatures, rain, fog and wind would hasten its loss and you have to subsist on another source of energy – adrenaline.

Once at Badian, we waste no time to go to the trailhead at Basak by riding on tricycles. Basak is an upland village and this is where most of O-Peak visitors terminate. For us, our journey has just begun at 08:30 sharp. The sun is also sharp and very warm. I lead them through bare fields of corn and cabbage plots hacked from rocks. Sometimes I have to turn around when I find I am going the wrong way.

I am not good at remembering paths but I am relentless when I am on exploration mode. But this is not the first time I pass by here and I do not have to use a lot of energy just to use a lot of thinking. I would need some food and water for that and a good night’s rest. I just slept less than three hours. I had not taken breakfast and I did not carry a full bottle of water. Although I carried light, it is not a good idea if your bottle content is just less than 300 milliliters.

Nevertheless, I have to go slow or I miss the details and familiar landmarks. My big AJF Gahum knife swung happily beside me openly for all to see. The rest, even Faith and Marisol, open carried their blades. Locals are familiar of me hiking with an open-carried knife here, even alone, and they see nothing unusual on that for they themselves open carry theirs. For the guys, it is an exercise of their confidence to open carry a knife outside of their comfort zone of the Babag Mountain Range.

We pass by a small community in Malagaring and, beyond that, we meet the first of O-Peak visitors going home led by a very young guide. The boy, whom I have met a month ago (February 8) while training with the Exploration Team of the Cebu Highlands Trail Project, is barely 11 years old. He had been earning while carrying the things of those he guided and carries now some things that he now guides. I gave him a high five this time.

I need to check on another trail. I do not like to follow an overused trail like the present downhill crowd are using now and I also do not like to meet morose individuals like the one guy who refuses to smile and answer a simple greeting of “Good morning”. Behavior exemplified by that guy only shows the lack of outdoors orientation which you learn in seminars or being in the company of experienced outdoorsmen.

We rest near a house where another set of ascending trails start and eat bread. It is a deserved rest considering how heat bounced to us after it scorched the rocks where we passed and it is also a good time to recover energy for the next path would be more exhausting to walk. When a good ten minutes have elapsed, we continue on under the shimmering heat of the sun.

The trail follow over the slope and wind up into something more shady. Trees still exist on this constricted part where walls of limestone face each other but, in a few years, it will be gone. Dead branches with leaves on the side of the trail indicate that the slaughter of this tiny forest is ongoing. Up ahead is a mound of soil. Underneath the mound and invisible to the eyes are the missing tree trunks and large branches that were part of those dead branches with leaves I saw. In a few hours it would be charcoal.

We rest here and drink more water. I cut a dead stick with my Buck 112 folding knife and clear it of small branches. I will have use of it when I reach Osmeña Peak. We did not tarry long and pursue our journey towards the higher elevations. We pass by five stumps of sawn mahogany trees. I cannot do about it but wish trees grow faster than people cut it. I look up the foliage trying to find the stinging tree but it is already gone.

I meet a few locals. This is a very remote trail but on the forested enclave of a narrow valley I hear voices of children. I walk on a path that keeps on rising and rising. It is exhausting but very good when there are no people to sidestep to coming from the other direction. The temperature begins to drop as we entered into the realm of foggy places.

Wisps of light rain carried by gusts of wind are felt, dropping the temperature some more. I reach the top and I wait for the rest, especially those that are lagging behind. I saw the children – a boy and a girl – with a bundle of firewood each over their head accompanied by their father, who got the biggest bundle.

I follow them over a farm of spring onions and vegetable pears and they take another path while I pursue the familiar one to the community of Patong. Access to electricity have given the locals an option to improve their living which, in the case of one household, sell cold soda drinks to thirsty hikers. We stop by here and eat bread as well as taking advantage of the cold drinks. It is 11:50.

We continue on after twenty minutes. Light rain had caused the ground wet and smoothed rocks slippery. We follow a footpath of concrete and it provided good traction but, once you are onto rocks again, you have to go slow and make your steps stable as possible. These rocks are placed on a trail providing hard surface to step on instead of the soil which would be muddy if it rained hard. Soon these rocks would also be covered with concrete.

The trail follow farms and foothills until we are onto a saddle that lead to more farms and more foothills and more saddles. We go around a false peak and climb another saddle until I see the level campsites afar. Walking on I see a lot of colorfully-dressed people as opposed to our earth-toned clothes. Even on a Sunday afternoon, Osmeña Peak still gets its share of many visitors.

I lead the way to the top of the peak and I meet many people going down as well as following others before me. Once my group had reached the top, I shook hands of each of them, congratulating them of their effort to climb Osmeña Peak from the other side. Most of them had been to O-Peak at one time or another but for Jhurds, Richie and Nelson it is their first. What gives credence to their feat is the route from which they start.

I produce a small flag of the Buddhist Kingdom of Tibet and insert the end of the foraged stick into the flag’s sleeve. The flag of Tibet, outlawed in its own land by the People’s Republic of China, danced freely in the breezy atmosphere of freedom-loving Cebuanos. Then I have myself photographed with it (as well as the others) so I could send a strong message to Red China.

I am against the illegal occupation of Tibet by China. I am also against their forced domination of East Turkestan and Inner Mongolia. The Tibetans, the Uighurs and the Mongolians should have their ancient lands back to them so they could self-govern, practice their religion and do as they wish with their natural resources. Finally, I am against the claiming of the whole West Philippine Sea, including rocks and shoals, as theirs.

I do not like the way China bullies its small and weak neighbors. I believe that a band of unified countries would be enough to deter their dirty tactics. Japan and India are irked at China and the US is shadowing them. I am not afraid of China. I go beyond that by boycotting its products. I detest all that is imported from China, especially food products. My photo with the flag of free Tibet is a political statement that China is a rouge state, whose imperialistic ways are not accepted.

They should commit their government to work for peace, unity and cooperation with their neighbors. They should help in stabilizing the region instead of taking advantage of their fledgling economic and military might. Their crude tactics made them look like a thug before the eyes of the international community. They have lost their credibility as a leader of nations for Asia.

Their 9-dash lines on their maps and their man-made islands that goes inside the exclusive economic zone of my country attests to their disrespect of international treaties and conduct. I am really angry at this nation called the People's Cockroach of China. They are vile in my eyes and their propensity to engage in lies, play of words and double-speak are revolting to my senses. They are a nation of dogs and cowards.

I come down from O-Peak and reach the road were many motorcycles are converging, waiting to gain a fast buck from visitors. I politely decline their offer of a ride and we walk instead the old trail, which I lost, and led me instead to that same road that I had evaded some minutes ago. We reach the Mantalongon Public Market and we eat a late lunch at an eatery.

Finally, we hire motorcycles – two astride – that would take us all down to the highway passing by near the coast of Dalaguete. There was a long moment of waiting for a bus ride and, after an hour, we all got inside one bus. I stood at the aisle waiting for a chance of a seat. That came at Argao and I squeezed in between two other passengers and dare catch Lady Starlight.

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MAN-SIZED HIKE XIII: Badian Coast to Dalaguete Coast

THIS WOULD BE THE last Sunday of training for the intrepid individuals who will compose the Exploration Team of Segment III of the Cebu Highlands Trail Project. Today, February 8, 2015, we will do a coast-to-coast hike and climb from the Municipality of Badian to the Municipality of Dalaguete with Osmeña Peak as the highlight of the route. It is 34 kilometers long according to a road marker on the junction of the highway in Badian.

We will be on Survival Hike Training. We will just subsist on bread and water. We will have to forego again lunch in between Point A and Point B, unlike that which I used to do with my other activities. During Segment III, time would be of essence since we would have to cover a lot of ground under daylight hours and we could have that deserved meal only during dinner and breakfast. We will also train on speed and endurance and, for me, getting used to the load I will carry during Segment III.

I am the project director of the Cebu Highlands Trail Project since this is my brainchild. It is a personal undertaking that is supported by both the Camp Red Bushcraft and Survival Guild and the Mountain Climbers Alliance of the Philippines. Sponsors who had contributed equipment and other logistics for this project are Silangan Outdoor Equipment, Mr. Jonathan Blanes, Mr. Glen Domingo, Mr. Aljew Frasco, Mr. Glen Pestaño, Titay’s Lilo-an Rosquillos and Tactical Security Agency.

I am also the team leader and navigator of the Exploration Team. The team is composed of Jonathan Apurado and Jovahn Ybañez with Justin Apurado as reserve. They are all here for today’s activity and they will face and brave the yet untried but intimidating route with me. It had rained when I am about to leave my house 03:00 and I liked the omen I received. I walk from home to the direction of the Cebu South Bus Terminal and take a short nap.

The bus leave Cebu City for Badian at 05:30. We cannot be at Badian at 07:00 since I miscalculated the departure time and I have to make do with a 08:00 arrival. We reach Badian at 08:15 and we start our foot journey at 08:35 after some personal necessities. We walk on the road for the village of Basak, which we reach at 09:40. At Basak, the trailhead to Southern Cebu Mountain Range is found and I retrieve my AJF Gahum knife and open carry it. Jonathan and Justin do likewise with their knives.

The weather is cloudy since we left the national highway and it augured well to our cause. I am most worried with the 10 kilo load in my Silangan Predator Z bag because I might bog down when the route would get difficult in very warm temperature. I follow the trail from memory over rocky terrain and small farms. We reach a small community of Malagaring and eat our first pieces of bread and drink water. It is good to take a rest, but not for long.

We meet the first party of overnight visitors of Osmeña Peak. They are poor creatures utilizing minors to carry the loads for them. Not a good idea. I decide to shift to a different route down a small valley which I have had the lust to explore. This is the best moment to undertake that and the best moment as well to evade the Malagaring Trail which would be crowded by the same people we had met earlier.

The path is good but there is less forest cover. It is used for farming. The route is also used by charcoal gatherers. Here and there and everywhere are spots of ground used in charcoal making and, on three occasions, smoke emit from mounds of earth indicating charcoal in the making. A very light shower fall from the skies and make limestones slippery. I have developed trust on my 5.11 Tactical Series Shoes and I am not worried.

The only worry from this pair is that the energy caused by the pounding of feet on ground are not absorbed well by the rubber soles but transferred directly instead to the feet soles as what happened the last time when we were on another training from Lutopan, Toledo City over the middle spine of Cebu and down the road to South Poblacion, San Fernando. My feet soles were in great pain after that and a skin on the tip of my left heel burst.

Today, I added rubber insoles to my shoes and added another layer of thin socks next to my skin apart from the Kailas hike socks I preferred using. The trail ascends in easy gradual stages but when the sun is out I begin to feel my energy sapping. We stop to rest near a smoking charcoal mound and eat our second pieces of bread and drink water. It is good to just sit and recover your breathing.

We continue on and the trail begins to go steep and pass by farms of taro and walls of limestone so close together. I see a lot of caves here and I like caves but not to the extent of using it as a venue for commercial and leisurely activities. This route is so “lonely” but I like it the way it is. It suits well to my interest of bushcraft and survival. I see water seep down from the rock wall and channeled to a plastic container with bamboo troughs.

We climb up to through many saddles and I now begin to feel fatigued. It begins to get worse when the sun comes out. From afar, I see a small community. It would be good to take rest there and ask for directions. I noticed that the farther we take the explored route, the farther we are from the village of Patong and of Osmeña Peak. I happily remove my backpack when we reach one house. We eat our third pieces of our bread and drink more water.

We ask of their coconuts and happily disgorge it of its precious liquid. I feel the energy coming back and I stare back at the steep trail that a local pointed to me that would lead me to Patong. It is very intimidating but I have to try. My stomach is full and it would add to the weight. Slowly, I ascend the path which leads to a high saddle and arrive at the top without stopping. We are now behind schedule when I followed the route in that small “lonely” valley but, nevertheless, we have to be at Patong and analyze our chances.

We reach Patong and take the opportunity of dousing thirsty throats with cold soft drinks. I believe we lost about two hours exploring a place and recovering my blunder. It is 13:00 now and I calculate in my mind the possible time we would be at the peak. I would like to be there by 14:00 so I could communicate with Chad Bacolod by radio using an assigned frequency. Chad is a member of the team as Base Support. He does not go with us but updates us of weather at assigned hours. Likewise, we update him of our progress.

Osmeña Peak (1,015 MASL) would be the last obstacle to overcome and it divides Badian from Dalaguete and, slowly, we begin our ascent. For some time, fogs would hug us then the sun blast us and then it go cloudy and sunny again. We reach the peak at 13:58 with a good clearing. Remnants of weekend visitors are enjoying the view that OPeak offer. I shake hands with Jovahn, Jonathan and Justin to congratulate them for climbing OPeak the hard way. I use the radio on the assigned frequencies and inform Chad of our position.

We go down the peak for the village of Mantalongon, Dalaguete through the old route. A lot of houses had sprouted on the upper valley that disoriented me during the last few recent times I was here but I am reunited today through the effort of Jovahn. He lead us through a trail that cuts across the wide Mantalongon Valley instead of following the meandering road which cut short our travel time. We reach the village at 15:18 and douse our thirst with cold drinks along with eating the fourth pieces of our bread.

From here, it is all the way down the coast of Dalaguete. It is all concrete except at a part where there is an ongoing road clearing. I never liked concrete pavements because it is not kind to the feet, especially when it goes downhill. It is still a long way to go and it is now 13:30 and then I chance upon a road marker after hiking half a kilometer. It says we are still 12 kilometers away!

My worst fears are relived. Now, as I steadily walked down the road, I could now feel excruciating pain under my feet. Worse, the rubber insoles do not work well outside my hike socks and liner socks do not work well inside on the same socks. My feet feels like it is floating inside their shoes and my toes bump against the insides. When my toes curl to lessen pain the collision brought, it puts pressure on the upper part of the toes, where the the thin socks fills the creases and gaps and rubs the skin.

I transfer to the part of the road where there is dirt or where there are grasses. The reprieve is only temporary until you step on a small pebble and you wince in pain and it slows my walk. I need to be on the coastal highway before 19:00 and resting is out of my thoughts. I did not blink at pain but my eyes betray. The concrete markers says 10 kilometers...9...8... Each time I see one, it gives me hope, but the farther I walk, the pain becomes great.

7...6...5..., I could see the coast now and I overtake Jonathan and Justin take rest. Adding to my misery is the weight of the backpack which starts to dig deep on the flesh of my shoulders. I just transfer the bag – and the weight – infront. Meanwhile, motorcycles whizz by with many people on board unable to comprehend our activity. Sometimes, the drivers offer us rides for free but we softly decline.

Farther ahead and beyond my sight is Jovahn. Four kilometers to go and I could achieve my goal in a few hours, with or without all these pain. Then comes 3...2...and I could see the grade of the road more to my liking now but, still, I choose the greener sidewalks and trot slow until I see the last of the marker which says it is the last kilometer. I reach the junction at 18:10, just as Jovahn had predicted we would, and seconds after me are Jonathan and Justin.

We had just accomplished our last training session in preparation for Segment III, which we will undertake on February 19-22 from Mantalongon, Barili to Mantalongon, Dalaguete over the middle mountain ranges and, I fully believe, we are ready for that challenge. We also had just accomplished the first-ever reverse cross-island hike in contemporary times from Badian to Dalaguete in under 10 hours despite being delayed.

Our hike was done by traditional means, although we may have achieved this rare distinction, but it was just a means to a bigger picture. The Exploration Team’s focus is on Segment III and this achievement was done only for the fun of it. It was sweet for Jonathan and Jovahn for they had not ascended Osmeña Peak from a reverse route and then doing the long extra distances but it was most sweet for Justin for it is his first. At his young age, he had already accomplished much today what most of us have done at a later age.

Nevertheless, we celebrate our coup by finishing the last pieces of bread before limping to the bus stop across the road. As I have said before in a previous article, that finding a half-empty bus to ride is much easier here than on the other side which the majority of weekend hikers go. The first bus arrive with many vacant seats to choose from and I sit nearest to the door and enjoyed the stress-free ride.

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ALLIANCE MATTERS IV: An Osmeña Peak Reverse by Team Tamad

WHEN I POSTED AN ARTICLE about the seldom-taken reverse route to Osmeña Peak which I hiked last August 2013 (Reversing the Trend), three mountaineers from the Mountain Climbers Alliance of the Philippines, Inc. (MCAP) took this as a challenge and contacted me to engage in it.  I then requested Maria Mahinay to create an itinerary for this so as to accommodate the wishes of the trio from Team TAMAD:  Kris Shiela Mingi, Gene Arceno and Julius Roman.

Osmeña Peak is named after from the most illustrious son of Cebu – President Sergio Osmeña Sr. - because of its lofty location, being the highest point of the island province at 1,015 meters.  It is located within the Southern Cebu Mountain Range and, contrary to the common perception, is really part of the Municipality of Badian.  Local mountaineers used to approach it from Mantalongon, which is on the Dalaguete side, and is just a stroll in the park.  The peak is, thus, relegated as just another leisurely picnic area which I do not like.

Almost everyone thought that it is unthinkable to hike Osmeña Peak from Basak, Badian and all would rather take the easy route from Mantalongon and then take their chances downhill to Badian.  Daunting as it may seem, a few intrepid hikers had successfully tackled this reverse route and had given meaning to the climbing of O-Peak and of the totality of their journey.  It is best to start the climb early morning during warm days and, if it could not be avoided, is totally safe during rainy days as there are no streams to cross to.

Today, January 11, 2014, I will again return to the Southern Cebu Mountain Range to accompany my guests from Luzon.  Local MCAP members Maria and Barry Paracuelles are also coming in.  Barry is with his wife, Eva Marie.  We start at 4:00 AM from the Cebu South Bus Terminal on board a Ceres Bus bound for Badian.  It had been raining since last night caused by a Low Pressure Area approaching Mindanao and a lull had been experienced during travel until we reach Barili when it rained again.

After taking a light breakfast at the public market in Badian, Sien Alfanta, Ed Dablo and Neil Mabini arrive to boost our number.  Then comes Jodel Seville and Charito Matollama and that makes us twelve.  Although this is a dayhike, most of the participants will spend a night in Oslob and so have brought with them bulkier gears like tents and sleeping bags and some extra cargo.  We leave the market for the trailhead in Basak and start our hike at exactly 8:00 AM. 

I  travel light today and just brought my EDC kit, a trauma kit, a dry shirt, a rather heavy LED torch, a Cignus V85 UHF-VHF radio and a liter of water.  Going along is my Nessmuk trio: a William Rodgers bushcraft knife, an AJF Gahum heavy-duty knife and a Victorinox SAK Trailmaster.  I do not open carry a knife today because this is an entirely different activity.  My Kodak EasyShare digital camera is in the pocket of my Silangan Outdoors hiking pants.  A Buck 112 folding knife is kept in the beltline behind a Victorinox operator belt. 

Sien, Ed and Neil will spearhead the trek while I backstop the rear.  That relieves me of pressure and would extricate me of possible accidents as I chose the wrong pair of shoes for this occasion.  Anyway, as last man, I could take it easy on my pace and I could focus more on documentation and taking pictures freely, although sparingly, as I would not want to ruin my camera under the threat of this light downpour.

Neil and company started from the Basak communal well and climbed up a steep snaky route that pass by small plots of spring onions, corn and cabbages gouged out of rocky terrain.  The rain kept up a steady torrent but all burst with a high spirit of excitement and adventure and shut away the discomforts of cold and muddy trails.  Walking in foul weather are for the stoutest of hearts only and the people I am with did not waver from this hardship and that satisfies my expectations.

When you would want to develop your stamina and your resistance to the elements, you would need to keep only the bare comforts and become used to it.  Then you complement it with a good elevation gain which this route will provide.  You start low at Basak at 235 meters and gain 780 meters upon reaching the crown of Osmeña Peak which you cannot achieve if coming in from Mantalongon.  Aside that, you walk a steep incline of about four kilometers in length which is also impossible to get from Mantalongon.

We reach the small village of Malagaring at 8:55 AM and a local offer us free cups of coffee.  He is very happy that some of whom who went with me today sponsored a Christmas party for the children last December.  Nobody could beat charity and goodwill.  It would always open doors and windows and, here in the mountains, it will open wide as I have had done so in my own Babag Mountain Range.  If only more outdoorsmen would include charity works in their activities, trails that had lain invisible to outsiders would be happily given.

Neil and company follow a different route than what I took last November 17, 2013 and then it arrive to a point where the route they had chosen is the same as mine for about a hundred meters until it crossed a farm and it became totally different again.  This time it is more muddy and slippery and our footfalls are now forceful to get a good grip.  It is quite taxing to gain a foothold especially if you are wearing an old pair whose soles had seen better days and water ooze in among the hairline cracks.

What I lacked in good footwear I compensate with less of LNT.  Yes, I am no fool to just walk in the middle of the trail that is muddy where puddles of torpid water are present just because it is stated so in the Leave No Trace.  Forgive me but my common sense is better than that foreign ideology which was designed for terrain in temperate zones.  This is the tropics and our two seasons are conducive to speedy regeneration of vegetation.  I deliberately stepped on a lot of vegetation because I know better.

We keep up a steady ascent and the guests from Manila were up to the challenge.  Gene would take short rests but I keep my distance so he would spend a lot of it without worrying about the next person coming, which is me.  The route goes in a small patch of forest and, as it thinned, farms.  We reach the small village of Patong at 10:45 AM and it is a chance to quench thirst with soda drinks.  I opt to drink my supply of water instead and eat sweet buns which I bought at a bakery in Badian.

 

Although we started an hour late, we compensate for that by pacing fast and reached our rest stops with more than an hour to spare; muddy trails were not a hindrance though.  From what I ascertained, most likely we would be at the peak before noon.  We leave Patong at 11:10 AM for the last push for the top.  The rain had stopped but it is replaced by strong gusts of wind.  Wind chill factor is high but the guys had taken food and had a drink to replenish spent reserves of energy exerted in going up here.

The trail is decked now with broken lime stones, foreboding a great concrete coverup in the future.  This route would lead to the saddle where a concrete road had stopped.  We took a different trail that branched out from this route and it is muddy again.  It pass by hilly farms of spring onions, cabbages and vegetable pears until the trail weave out along the contours of roundish hills which gave a false impression that you are in the vicinity of O-Peak.  The pace became hurried but I keep to my own comfortable speed, taking on the scenery with my camera.

After a final turn below a false peak, the Grandfather Mountain of the South stood in mute silence without its shroud of mists.  We reach the top at exactly 11:30 AM and, by God, we were fast.  The cold winds are not hospitable in this exposed spot but we held onto dear ground by putting weight were wind is most felt.  I test my portable radio on an arranged frequency but the reception is not good although I could pick up very clear signals from harbor traffic and from a weather station.

I congratulated Shie, Gene and Julius for snaring Osmeña Peak the hard way and, probably, would be the first done by Luzon-based mountaineers coming in by way of Basak.  It is a textbook reverse traverse hike that will soon terminate in Mantalongon.  When the guests had their fill and had fixed the apex of their quest with photos, we slowly go down the hill into the breadbasket of Cebu – the high valley of Mantalongon.

It is raining hard now and the trail is very slippery, especially at the lower approaches, but when we had reached the road, we begin to feel that we are now in home territory.  We reach the public market at 1:00 PM and take a deserved lunch at a local restaurant.  It is still raining outside and windy and the inside of the restaurant is comfortable but we have to leave for lower ground to talk about the Oslob trip.  Six motorcycles accommodated us all and we go down the main highway located at sea level.

Shie, Gene and Julius had to shelve their Oslob trip as the waves spun by the inclement weather are not encouraging for whale watching.  We stay for a while at Dalaguete’s waterfront park for four big bottles of cold beer to fill up lost electrolytes.  We go back to the highway when we think that the rain would not stop for a bus back to Cebu City.  What people do not understand is that you get a good chance to ride on a half-empty bus in Dalaguete than that in Badian.  We just did that and we reach the big city at 7:30 PM.

Document done in LibreOffice 3.3 Writer

POEM #10: OPeak

 

O Grandfather Mountain of the South,

how glad am I to sit again on your lap.

So many years have passed between us;

but you recognized me with a smile;

against the warm sun behind me.

The sweet smell of moist grass and earth

wafting thru my nose like a long-lost scent

of a forgotten love affair buried by time;

have made my meeting with you nostalgic

and condescendingly strong in spirit.

Standing above your crown, I am but a mite;

yet high enough to watch a Negros sunset.

Warm rays touched my face painting it red;

long shadows are cast creeping eastward.

It will be dark soon and I have to bivouac

on a piece of ground close to your heart.

I lay down and I hear you sigh and grumble.

What caused you grief, o dear Grandfather?

“Rubbish”, you say, “rubbish and broken glass";

"and people – indifferent and not of your kind”.

The Old Man softly whispered into my ears

the myriad stars strum their silence in the night

ensuring my wakefulness into a blissful rest

until dawn came along with the cold wind

startling me awake to a thick mist.

Time to walk again from you, o Grandfather;

I may have to go down Badian way

and send your wishes to Grandmother;

with whom I shall later meet in Matutinao.