2020-002 | COULD A CAMINO DE SANTIAGO BE POSSIBLE IN CEBU?

WHAT IS THE CAMINO DE SANTIAGO? For those who have no idea what this is, it is the oldest known pilgrimage route in Europe. Its most popular route is the one called Camino Frances. It starts from St. Jacques Pied-de-Port, France and rolls out west on the plains and hills for 790 kilometers until you reach Compostela, Spain, where the remains of St. James the Greater is buried in a crypt underneath the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela. The pilgrimage changed many people’s lives or started a new one, in case you do not know that.

St. James evangelized the Iberian Peninsula, west of the Ebro River, right after the Resurrection of Jesus Christ and was ordered beheaded by King Herodias when he went back to Jerusalem, thereby, giving him the distinction of the first among the Apostles to shed his life, or martyred, for the Christian faith. His disciples brought him back to Spain and buried him in a cave and forgotten until a monk dreamt of St. James under a “field of stars” which led to the discovery of his grave and given a proper burial on the present site.

When the faithfuls heard of this, pilgrims begun to set out on a holy journey from as far as Dublin, Oslo, Morroco, Istanbul, Malta and Moscow, to atone for their sins and to gain for themselves spiritual indulgences. For more than a thousand years, the Camino de Santiago provided more than a million pilgrims hopes of prayers fulfilled, of new beginnings, of stepping out of their traumatic pasts and of redeeming themselves before their families, their communities and their Creator.

Walking the Camino de Santiago is not an obligation nor it is the sole domain of Christianity. It welcomes everyone regardless of faith, color, gender preference, economic standing and creed. However, it really is not possible for a poor Roman Catholic from the Philippines taking a shot at redemption in his own terms on the Iberian Peninsula. It can never be unless he wins a million in a lotto draw, talented enough to play for Atletico Bilbao or be in a state of an out-of-body experience. Economic considerations dictate that. 

But it does not have to be that way forever. In order for the Camino de Santiago to be accessible for everyone, it has to morph itself and be replicated everywhere so that the poorest of the poor could have access to the spiritual rewards that everybody has been talking about for a millennia. Every Filipino pilgrim returning or of those who have read about it yearned to have one or something like this in the Philippines and those prayers were indeed heard upstairs.

Shall I talk about the Camino de Santiago in Cebu? Well it took a Cebuano priest, Fr. Scipio Deligero, to have this realized. He had not been to Spain but he knew the significance of a Camino in Cebu since he was, at that time, the parish priest of the Archdiocesan Shrine of Santiago de Compostela, located, of all places, in Compostela, Cebu. The namesakes of both the cathedral and the town in Spain is right there on that sweet spot of Cebu; the same Cebu which figured prominently in Antonio Pigafetta’s diary of 1521.

I have read also about the Spanish Camino and had been planning in 2012 (which I never did) to establish a pilgrimage route that would start from Cebu City and ending at the Municipality of Badian, because St. James the Apostle is the patron saint of the latter. I did not know then that the Municipality of Compostela also has St. James the Apostle as their patron. It was my meeting with Fr. Deligero in March 2017 that changed all that and then we had our first-ever Camino de Santiago in Cebu a few months later.

We started from Badian on July 6, 2017 and reached Compostela ten days later. The first pilgrims were myself, as guide; Fr. Deligero; the mayor of Compostela – Hon. Joel Quiño; the couple Roderick and Jem Montesclaros; Mizar Bacalla, lay minister; Roger Montecino; Alvie Rey Ramirez, the assigned photographer; and Jonathaniel Apurado, the non-Catholic among us as our sweeper and medic. We succeeded and reached Compostela in ten days despite the difficulties encountered on the first few days.

The 10-day Camino de Santiago or, to its more appropriate designation, Camino Cebu, traverses over the mountains of Cebu Province from south to north. It is about 175 kilometers long and the pilgrims are assured of proper rests among the convents of the mountain parishes located along it. The last day is the highlight of this local Camino as it passes by a giant cross on the hill. Following tradition of the older Camino, pebbles are placed on the bottom of the cross.

On July 14-15, 2018, the Archdiocesan Shrine of Santiago de Compostela introduced a very short Camino of two days and 28 kilometers. It starts from the parish, cross a river on a footbridge into Liloan town and back to Compostela through a hanging bridge. The second day passes the giant cross and go down and back to the parish. Fr. Gonzalo Candado, the parochial vicar of the parish, and then deacon, Fr. Vhen Fernandez, pioneered this route along with 65 other pilgrims which included me. This 2-day Camino can be done anytime and many such sequels followed.

On January 27, 2019, I led again another party of pilgrims on the Camino Cebu. The arrival of these pilgrims of this Camino on the tenth day will coincide with the start of the 2nd National Congress of St. James the Great Parishes and Devotees on February 5, which both the municipality and the parish of Compostela are jointly hosting. Meanwhile, another 2-day Camino Cebu was held simultaneously on February 4. There were 78 pilgrims for the latter and there were eleven for the longer and harder Camino.

The pilgrims that were with me then were Fr. Wilfredo Genelazo of the Archdiocesan Shrine of Our Lady of Fatima of Basak, Mandaue City; Randy Salazar, adventure entrepreneur who would walk the rear; ship electrician Rafael Gica; journalists Erl Durano and Grace Lina; Big C survivor Renita Reynes; Jocelyn Baran; travel tour operator Jean Antipuesto; Sheen Mark Deligero; and Razsil Zuasola. I led them on a much-better route than the last one and at a much better pace which ended each day ahead of schedule.

The 2nd National Congress was an occasion where the Camino Cebu was officially recognized by the Metropolitan Archdiocese of Santiago de Compostela, Spain as an equal to their own Camino de Santiago. Msgr. Eduardo Villaverde Temperan, chancellor of the Galician cathedral brought very special gifts to Cebu: relics of St. James and a document called the “spiritual bond of affinity”, signed by the Archbishop of Santiago de Compostela, Spain. The document states that what spiritual indulgences you received by walking and completing the Camino de Santiago in Spain is the same as walking it here and vice versa.

The congress was a success and it gave the Archdiocesan Shrine of Santiago de Compostela a sense of urgency to put itself on the map of pilgrimage routes and religious tourism, most notably, for the occasion of the 500th year celebration of the Christianization of the Philippines come 2021. A huge structure, designed to hold an 11.5 foot botafumeiro was constructed for this purpose. It is now almost finished and soon the giant censer would be hanged and swung from the rafters, following the tradition in Santiago de Compostela, Spain.

The Camino Cebu made it synonymous with me. Individuals and organizations sought me out to guide them personally, whether it be 2 days or 10 days. A mother and daughter from Los Baños, Laguna walked the 10-day Camino on July 8-17, 2019. Dr. Marianne Leila Flores, a professor in veterinary medicine of the University of the Philippines, decided to treat her daughter, Frances Marie, to a journey of meditative walking after graduating fine arts from the University of Santo Tomas. Both were a revelation when the Camino went on its final days despite receiving a sad news from home.

Notable pilgrims that I have guided on the 2-day Camino Cebu were five original members of the Cebu Mountaineering Society who laid aside their adventures for a while and walked the Camino in the middle of Lent of April 2019. Fr. Jose Quilongquilong SJ, spiritual director of the Ateneo University System, walked at the spearhead of 35 businessmen and veterans of the Spanish Camino, known as the “El Caminoans”, in August 2019. Last November 2019, Fr. Gerry Quejada, chaplain of PAREF Springdale School of Cebu, walked and finished the Camino, even with the pains of an old injury, and brought six of his wards through to the welcoming peals of church bells.

Could a Camino de Santiago in Cebu be possible? Quite positive. Just this January 12, 2020, three pilgrims reached Compostela after starting in Badian ten days ago. These were Rafael Gica, a repeat pilgrim; Vladimer Acain, a master of an ocean-going vessel; and Markus Immer, a 68-year old Swiss national who dreamt of walking the Camino del Norte and the Camino Primitivo in 2021. The routes of the Camino Cebu are now established, although not as perfect as in Spain which has signages and albergues along the way. Ours is still primitive and it may well be a Camino at its still unadulterated form prevalent during the medieval years.

But last June 18-22, 2019, through the request of Fr. Deligero before he would finish his term in the Archdiocesan Shrine of Santiago de Compostela, I established the third and last route of the Camino Cebu – the one coming in from the St. James the Great Parish in Sogod town; which can be walked in five days over the mountains of Carmen, Danao City and Compostela at about 65 kilometers in length. St. James would play an important role come 2021 during the quintecentenial commemoration. It was he who introduced the Christian faith in Spain and from them we got ours in 1521. Buen Camino!

Document done in LibreOffice 6.3

ADRENALINE ADVENTURE HIKE: Segment I-B

BUOYED UP BY THE SUCCESS of walking the first half of Segment I last week, the blogging couple of Adrenaline Romance, begins to develop a certain attitude, understanding and toughness necessary to understand how the Cebu Highlands Trail should be walked. Besides that, they begin to get used to my trail habits in such a short time and both felt comfortable with it.

On my side, I have a lot to improve and the presence of Gian Carlo and Sheila Mei last week was a good start. Today – February 24, 2018 – is the second installment of Segment I. We would start where we last left off and it happened to be in a place called Tugop, Babag, Cebu City. It is on the Transcentral Highway, right where a road goes to Bonbon and another road going up Babag Ridge.

We meet at JY Square, Lahug, Cebu City at 06:00 and proceed to Tugop by motorcycles-for-hire. The sky is moody and there is a weather disturbance somewhere east of Cebu. I would not mind rain and mud and cold. What I worry are those bolts of lightning. You cannot be too sure especially when you are on higher elevations and carrying electronic devices.

We arrive at Tugop and begin our journey at 07:05, in a slow pace, following a paved road that goes uphill. The morning is unusually cool and working up a sweat takes some time. We pass by this seldom-taken road and it created a life of its own despite its lonely location. Homestead farms gave way to homestead resorts, sometimes blending the two together.

 

On a point of the winding road, is a view of Mount Sibugay and Mount Pung-ol. Both mountains are the reasons why there is such a village called Pung-ol Sibugay. The higher of the two – Pung-ol (755 meters) – has its peak looking like it had been lopped off which is why it is called that. The second – Sibugay (741 meters) – is forever moving north-northeast towards the sea.

The imposing view also afforded me to study the horizon. Thick black clouds are approaching Mactan Island and obliterating the view of Bohol and Leyte. Soon it would reach the shorelines, plains and lower hills. Probably, in less than an hour, we would be swept by cold headwinds and swamped by heavy downpour. I could sense a slight stress in my brain but my other brain knows better. It says “take it slow”.

We arrive at an intersection of a road and we are now on Babag Ridge. We go south and more uphill walk until we arrive on a store owned by Vicente Bontiel, whom I have known and befriended through so many visits here since 2008. My itinerary says we should be here at 09:00 but our time says it is 08:00. We were not walking fast but were just dilly-dallying. You know what I mean?

Anyway, we stop here to rest and take a light breakfast which Sheila Mei prepared and packed for this occasion. Vicente has a big bamboo gazebo across his store affording a good view of the Sapangdaku Valley, the metropolis and the Bohol Strait. This is a very good location to rest since the store sells cold softdrinks. You could also use their washroom complete with running water.

The rain clouds are now on the city and very soon it would be raining here. I can feel now the cold headwinds blowing, churning up dust on the unpaved road and shaking the trees. We ignored the warning and enjoyed the blessings of a cold drink instead. The food also restored my confidence to lead the Adrenaline Romance pair to this rare adventure of a lifetime.

The CHT cannot be walked without a guide. Only two people know the routes and this can only be possible through their memories. Memory, sometimes, is not sharp and, in my case, always suffered some “senior moments”. Failing memory create mistakes, especially, when stressed. The CHT was not documented with radionavigation devices but by memory. Fortunately, my memory was very good last time.

Fortunately also for me today and tomorrow, I would not be needing my memory. I am in my home turf. We leave the store at 08:20 after covering our backpacks with rain covers. Gian Carlo and Sheila Mae carried Deuters and they moved good with it. They are product ambassadors of Deuter, a good-quality bag which is in everyone’s wish list; and of Se7en Outdoors, a local apparel provider.

Totally confident of moving about in familiar playgrounds, I carried my “SOP” - the name I gave to my folding stool which meant as the “seat of power”, inside my spacious High Sierra Titan. The bag was provided to me by Adrenaline Romance, halfway through my Thruhike of the CHT last January-February 2017. It is like changing from a mutlticab to an SUV. The bag was one of the reasons why I succeeded in my Thruhike.

The pair is wearing CHT t-shirts provided by my sponsor, Silangan Outdoor Equipment. I am wearing a yellow Cebu Mountaineering Society t-shirt in honor of my late mentor and friend, Dr. Abraham Manlawe, who passed away recently. The t-shirt came from him as a gift during the last time we walked a trail together last July 2017. This walk is for Doc Abe.

It started to rain once we approached the upper slopes of Mount Babag. We pass below the peak since it is off-limits now to people due to the presence of government telecommunications tower. We cross a high saddle and proceed to another hill where there is a commercial TV station tower. The rain did not peak up as it was blown off by strong winds. Although there is a light shower but it was cold.

We are now leaving the unpaved road for the trail. A couple of dogs caught our scents and followed us. I have enough of dogs following people so I tried my best to shoo these away and I thought I succeeded there. I did, for one dog. For the other, I failed. Now it is ahead of me and I cannot chase it down. I let it be. For the moment. Sooner it will tire. I hope.

We followed a path beside a fenced property. It goes down and up, sometimes squeezing between barbed wires and thorny bamboos (Local name: kagingkingon). Under a slight shower, I persevered, the dog pranced and jogged ahead of me, daring me to play catch-up. The moment I closed the distance it would sprint ahead and cocked one hind foot to squirt invisible urine on stone or trunk.

By now, we are on the hidden gem of Babag Ridge – its forested trail – lush and remote, it starts from a bare saddle and goes through another hidden feature – a World War II tunnel network – up to a barren mound called Bocawe. The covered trail gave us respite from rain and cold wind. Now you begin to understand why I preferred the treeline over exposed places with those spectacular views.

On the peak of Bocawe, a sea of mists covered the Bonbon River Valley. On the other side, the metropolis air is very clear. The rainclouds had passed over us and are now on the Sudlon Mountain Range across us. The sun is missing but humidity began to build up as the clock ticked to noon. The dog is twitching on its back rubbing against the grass and loving it but keeping one eye on me.

Gian Carlo had been experimenting on Facebook Live since the time we walked away from Tugop. He is rewarded with a couple of comments from his earlier try and a smile broke on his face while dictating to us what was said. Where signal is weak, he saved the video for a late upload. He is now holding his smartphone talking to it while pointing it all over counterclockwise.

We go down the hill and come upon a small pond. Upon this place I saw a human-like creature which I though was an ape. It happened in December 2016. I later realized then that monkeys here have a tail and that strange creature does not have one. Then I realized that the creature hexed me and I walked in circles until I outsmarted it and regained the true trail.

I do not feel dread of the pond. I do not even give importance to what I saw yet I always believe that they exist and it is just a matter of time if I see something similar again. I rarely do but when I see one, I just ignored it. That is it. No hysterics. No fear. Nothing. Leave them be and they leave you alone. I approach the pond and looked closer. There is a path downhill but it was created by water overflow from the pond. It is a brook! I would explore this one day.

Meanwhile, we continue on and follow a trail on scrubby grass. Faint smudges and a few bare patches of ground suggest that it is a path. Sometimes, it projects a different color from the rest of the field. We see fences where there were none before. Farmers placed these to discourage dirt motorcycles from ruining the trails and breaking the serenity of the places. 

We entered a crude gate by removing three sticks blocking the way and returning it back to its place when we got past it. The silence was overwhelming. It blended well with the beauty of the green meadows and the almost-perfect mound-like hills dotting the landscape. Locals call this place as Tagaytay. We leave the greens and entered a path in a small forest where it disgorge us to another path where there is a house.

We were supposed to take noonbreak at Mount Bocawe but we arrive there a bit early even though we were walking really slowly. It amazes me that I am always ahead of the itinerary, a far cry than when I used to in a faster pace. I do not know why? We need to make noonbreak near this house. A lady welcomed us inside her fenced frontyard so Sheila Mei got a good place to prepare our meal.

After lunch, we remained immobile, chasing siesta until it is 13:00. Our campsite would not be faraway. It should be if we were in Mt. Bocawe. Slow is best. No stress and the senses remain sharp. We move on and thanked the woman. Far ahead, I leave a blue plastic with a chocolate bar hanging on a bush in full view of the children looking at us from a window of a house faraway.

Locals are shy and are intimidated or feel discriminated by the affluent look of city people. Bright-colored sporty apparel could cause it, maybe, and, of course, your smartphones and headphones. That is why I prefer wearing clothes with earth-toned colors so you would not cause too much glare to the eyes but, today, I wore something bright. Well, one of those days that I have to honor a dear departed.

 

The path veered to the right and I show Gian Carlo and Sheila Mei a “knife edge” that connect Tagaytay to Mount Samboryo. You do not know it is there until you stop and study both sides closely. Then you become very careful. Samboryo has a life of its own and is full of urban legend tales. I just keep these things in secrecy and focus on the trail.

We reach a farmed hillside and, beyond it, level ground where there are trees would be our campsite. It is very early yet, 14:30, but we cannot change back the itinerary, would we? The blogging couple set up their Luxe dome tent while I did with my hammock and overhead sheet between two trunks. There are slight drops of rain but it is blown away by strong winds. I changed into rubber slippers and sit on the SOP. A liberating feeling.

Sheila Mei and Gian Carlo prepared the meal while I go talk to a farmer, asking his permission to stay near his farm. He offered us water he stocked in his work hut and we thanked him. With additional water, we could wash our dishes and boil coffee. Oh, coffee, I missed you today. I drank one before a meal and another one just before turning in. The last light of the day gave us a very beautiful crimson sunset.

Gian Carlo and Sheila Mei loved their privacy so much and disdained evening chatter and drinking into the night. I shared their preferences and I am most happy of it. I am like a cat. I need lots of sleep to be able to store enough energy for every tomorrow. The rain arrived at 20:00 together with strong winds. I secured my things placed on the ground and went back in the meshed hammock, awake and observant.

The downpour must have lulled around midnight but the winds stayed to shake vigorously the trees and my shelter. There is not much I could do but sleep through it. I am awakened again at dawn by the return of rain and, this time, it was not heavy. But it was an unexpectedly cold night as our campsite does not harbor a micro-climate that we have had enjoyed last weekend.

On the second day – February 25, I decide that the dog must go. I cannot stand of another dog getting transplanted from its home following strangers who it expect may throw morsels of food. After breaking camp, I chased the dog up a trail when it let its guard down. A couple of flying rocks were enough to send the message.

We go down the long pebbly trail to a suspension bridge of Buot, Cebu City. I looked back several times at my backtrail and I am quite satisfied that the dog have made up its mind for good. This day is the last day for the whole Segment I but it is a long way to Lutopan, Toledo City. We follow a paved road beside the Bonbon River until we reach a tributary.

This stream is fast-flowing and wide. I do not know its name and there is a sand-quarrying activity here which is unusual. They usually do that downstream in the bigger Mananga River. I really wanted to know the name of this river. I see an old lady helping a younger woman on a motorcycle, perhaps her daughter. When she was alone I politely asked her the name of the stream. I got a reply: Alpragatì.

I do not name places on my own whims. I take it from locals and not just any local. I prefer the older ones because they are the ones who grew up and toiled in these places. After thanking the old woman, we followed a paved road that goes uphill. It is steep and it was a nightmare for those who walked with me last time here. It is a fact of life for me as I walked it again for another time and, surely so, more of that in the future.

Slowly, without exerting so much effort, we toiled inches by inches, until we come upon the road where there is a water source and a beautiful view of the mountainous landscape – the same mountains that we walked and camped yesterday. The couple cannot believe we covered such a great distance in just a few hours of leisure walking.

Growing oddly among the shrubs is an Indonesian pepper which locals called as “sili’ng demonyo”, because it is so spicy hot. A man on a motorcycle stopped to talk to us. He was asking if we were the same people whom he saw yesterday at Tugop. We three answered him in unison that we were. He shook in disbelief that we covered so great a distance. He on a motorcycle and we on foot.

We reach Udlom, Sinsin, Cebu City and followed another paved road that exits to Manipis, Talisay City. From there, we walked a short distance and we are now in Camp 7, Minglanilla. We walk the rest of the morning, stopping by at Cantabaco, Toledo City to eat lunch in a family-run small restaurant. After that, we walk and walk until we reach Lutopan at 14:00 where we ride in a bus bound for Cebu City.

On two weekend dates, Gian Carlo and Sheila Mei of Adrenaline Romance Blog completed Segment I of the CHT. I estimate we may have walked a total of 52-56 kilometers over the most rugged and seldom-seen parts of Cebu. The walk of today and yesterday pales in comparison though to the ones we did last weekend and that one have only been tried by just a few. It is already an accomplishment for both.

Nevertheless, Segment I is just part of the bigger picture called the Cebu Highlands Trail and there are seven segments more. I believe Team Adrenaline Romance can overcome it and make one bucket list fulfilled. I could see they are more comfortable with the pace I churned and, vice versa, it had benefitted me. I think a lot when I am on a trail and follow the drift of moving, that sometimes I unintentionally walk fast. Slow is Best. 

Gian Carlo and Sheila Mei wrote about their Segment I-B experience on their Adrenaline Romance Blog under two installments:

Cebu Highlands Trail Segment 1B: Tugop to Mt. Samboryo
Cebu Highlands Trail Segment 1B: Mt. Samboryo to Lutopan

Photos courtesy of Adrenaline Romance

Document done in LibreOffice 5.3 Writer

ADRENALINE ADVENTURE HIKE: Segment I-A

THE CEBU HIGHLANDS TRAIL, is best appreciated in segments. But Gian Carlo and Sheila Mei of the Adrenaline Romance Blog, thought of it otherwise. Why not walk it in half-segments? Although I have tried it (and completely forgotten that I did) but, I believe, it is STILL a wonderful idea. Two weekend days. Overnight. Yeah, why not?

Segment I, the most intimidating of the eight segments, because it goes up and down through three separate mountain ranges, cross two major river systems, and break your will huffing and puffing while carrying your load for 4-5 days. I have walked it straight but once only last November 2017 and, if only it would be possible, I would not walk it again that way.

 

Why not break Segment I into two sub-segments like I used to during the exploration phase of the Cebu Highlands Trail and, unintentionally, during the Thruhike of January-February 2017? Why not indeed? Frankly speaking, it benefits me well. The two-day hike removes the stress that the third, the fourth and, maybe the fifth day would give to a person.

Why not? Why not? Oh, why not? Thank you Adrenaline Romance. You just gave me an idea how to safely proceed about the segment hikes of the CHT. This blogging couple, is one of my supporters during my 27-day Thruhike. They even provided me a replacement bag – a 50-liter High Sierra Titan – halfway in my Thruhike after a local bag created problems on my shoulders.

Gian Carlo and Sheila Mei, in one of their articles, choose the CHT as one of the seven destinations in their bucket list for 2018 but they do not want to hike it through for they simply do not have a generous time in their lives, they, being company employees. They fund their trips from their hard-earned salaries and write about it in Adrenaline Romance.

Their blog is what kept them going. The couple made mincemeat of any difficult challenges and obstacles and what becomes of it are well-written essays of their adventure experiences. They are into rock climbing, scuba diving, caving, mountaineering, snorkeling, canyoning and, of course, blogging. They walk the talk and, for that, they influence people about adventure destinations and activities and what gear and equipment you need.

Gian Carlo and Sheila Mei are product ambassadors of Deuter and Se7en Outdoors, a local apparel provider. Aside that, they are honorary members of Project Blue, an environmental advocacy organization. The couple, from to time, gets invited to cover events and services with their famous blog as medium like Bluewater Resorts, Trexplore, Bellevue Hotels, to name a few.

But, today – February 17, 2018 – their quest of the CHT starts on this early hour at Ayala Terminal, Cebu City. I would be their guide and we will be walking from Mount Manunggal, Balamban, to somewhere in the Transcentral Highway in Cebu City. Sounds easy but it is not. Not because it is difficult terrain, but because of my unreliable memory. The CHT is a product of traditional navigation. No GPS coordinates. Just memory only and it wreaks havoc on your itinerary!

The van-for-hire dropped us on a corner where there is a feeder road to Mt. Manunggal. Astride motorcycles-for-hire, we arrive at the famous parking lot of Manunggal. We checked our bags and retrieve items that we need for the hike. It is like a ritual. At 08:00, we go down a path that leads to the campsite where there are tents and people. We simply pass by going to a trail that these campers know not.

No, it is not a secret trail. Locals use this trail once in a while. Only a few hikers walk this trail. I am a regular here and I once walked it alone on a Good Friday. I talk as I walk and Gian Carlo and Sheila Mei were laughing as I told them my encounter of a big snake on this path. I jumped downhill out of fright, rolling and panting. Who would not? It travelled alongside you!

The path goes through second-growth forest and an original forest that clung to the steep rocks. The ground is muddy but we walk on firmer parts. As I walk I also talk about plants. An unusual vine bear oversized beans. I did not know matchbox bean vines (Local name: gogo, bayugo) grew here. It is so huge! Showed them rhododendrons (yagumyum) and Asiatic bitter yams (kobong) and explained what they for are.

Once we got past the forest I showed them a speck of white on a trough between two hills. It is a saddle, of course, and it is our next destination. It is called Inalad but it is pronounced as Ina-a-a-ad. The quirks of Cebuano vocabulary. We will arrive there at noon and we do not have to hurry. They were shocked at my casual disregard of distance.

I have to take it slow. I am nursing a fever. I have to honor a commitment and I must not let them down. Also, they must not know about my condition. Slow is better. We must not hurry or we get stressed out. It is a long day and tomorrow is another long one. I must conserve my strength for tomorrow for it is much different than today. Patience would win the day for me.

 

We go down into a grassy and open field and entered another forested but very tight path among rocks. Rock surfaces are well-polished by water and I take them so super slow here. I am wearing my Hi-Tec Altitude low-ankle shoes and I developed a certain level of trust on this pair. My High Sierra Titan bag looked heavy with a rolled Therm-a-Rest hitched underneath it.

On the other hand, the Adrenaline Romance pair wore their Deuters and the bags are almost like a part of their physical bodies. They move with it without any extra effort. They are good product ambassadors and Deuter did not err in choosing them. They looked also great with the CHT t-shirt made by Silangan Outdoor Equipment.

The trail goes into farms and we meet one family trying to wiggle themselves out of a path that was choked by a falling tree. Some of the higher branches and twigs have blocked the way and the children and women have to squeeze through with difficulty. The mature male among them, equipped with bolos, do nothing and just let the weaker ones manage themselves.

When they were gone, I break off the twigs and slimmer branches away from the trail. The bigger ones, I stepped on and put weight to break it in two. I am used to this work: Clearing debris in my playground at Camp Damazo and doing trail maintenance. Of course, I have with me bigger blades then. On this hike, I have only a Mora Companion, a Victorinox Trailmaster and a William Rodgers Bushlore, which I did not use.

We arrive at a homestead and rest for a while. It is 10:00 and we did good. We are now  halfway down the mountain and in about a half hour we would be on the shores of a stream. To celebrate that, I asked from Sheila Mei to part a chocolate bar to a shy small girl that had been spying us from a window. She goes to school far far away, up and down this mountain. They are deprived of little comforts which urban-bred ones take for granted.

After a rest of five minutes, we proceed down the trail, passing by little streams and more homesteads. Once, I stopped on the path to study a trail of a farm animal. It is the one made by a swamp buffalo and there is only a single line of hoof prints. I quizzed Sheila Mei about this anomaly. Actually, there is another set of hoof prints along the outer edges of the path and it could not be easily seen unless you study it at a different angle.

We arrive at the bank of the upper Lusaran River. This is one of the three major river systems of Central Cebu and it flows out of Balamban to the Tañon Strait. We will cross this stream five times and will have to remove shoes and socks. Walking barefoot on the sandy bed and on sandy banks made a soothing effect that removed the kinks in our nerves. It is a wonderful feeling.

Walking on solid ground once more, we met the first of the many animal farms tethered on to trails, most of these have their young with them. We met two cow families while going to Inalad, where we arrived at 11:30. That is 30 minutes early despite the deliberate slow pace. Inalad is a marketplace and the boundaries of Balamban, Toledo City and Cebu City converge here. We took lunch on one family-run restaurant and enjoyed siesta.

The 30-minute nap was good enough for me. The fever is almost gone save for brief dizzy spells. At 13:00, we leave Inalad for a feeder road that goes all the way to Tongkay, Toledo City. The village is located on the bottom of the valley and Sheila Mei bought a few vegetables there but failed to find a common ingredient: lime (lemonsito). We also filled full our water containers, renewing the weight we lost to eaten food and to rehydration.

We cross the uppermost Hinulawan River where it drained to the man-made Malubog Lake. We follow up a path that rode the back of a ridge. It is very warm, the sun slaps hard at your right, the part where the mountain is almost bare. Gaining more elevation, we come face to face with a bull, standing over the path. I make grunting sounds and the bull gave me space but regained that space immediately after I passed.

It created a bit of a problem for me. The bull refused to vacate when Gian Carlo and Sheila Mei slowly approached. Both made a difficult detour on a very tight space where the ridge is narrowest. My heart trebled its beat when the bull approached the duo. Unexpectedly, the bull slurped Gian Carlo’s hand instead. What a close call.

Once I reach my old campsite, I break off the trail and follow a narrow path that led to a hillside farm. A slight drizzle begins to appear and it elicits a frown from me. I hope it does not rain hard. The path disappeared when I got past the plowed field and blazed across waist-high grass to reach a ridge, which led to the present campsite. We came 90 minutes earlier than what was indicated in the itinerary and we are just walking very slow.

The slight drizzle became light rain and I have to set up a shelter over a space reserved for cooking. My hammock can wait. Gian Carlo and Sheila Mei found the shelter convenient to set up their dome tent nearby. Pouring drops of rain fell from the shelter eaves and I have to wait when rain begins to disappear. Winds added chill to the situation.

At 16:30, the shower stopped and there is still a lot of daylight. I hastily set up my hammock between two trees. Then I transferred my sheet from the cooking area over my hammock. The campsite is on a cleared ridge where a forest claimed the other side. We eat our supper early, availing of daylight. The grounds and vegetation are wet and it begins to go cold. We turn in early at 18:00 and the hammock felt warm.

I awoke at 21:00 hearing great gusts of wind roaring from below the valley. It never affected us. In fact, warm air dislodged from the valley floor by colder wind made its way up to our camp, giving us a comfortable night. This micro climate will stay for a few hours and would soon dissipate. I have noticed this phenomenon in my older camp down the mountain.

I feel good rising early on the second day – February 18. The long comfortable sleep was most welcome for my body. I did not feel any effects of fever today and that is good news for me because it would be a challenging task for me later. After a very early breakfast, we break camp at 07:00. We follow the path up a peak and show Gian Carlo and Sheila Mei, a big hole on the very apex. I believe this was used as a mine vent.

Beyond the peak, we follow a very narrow ridge that led to another peak – Etwi. The landslide that blocked the trail below Etwi had been cleared and it led into another narrow ridge that led to Maraag, a part of the Sudlon Mountain Range. A concrete marker bears information that this is now part of the Central Cebu Protected Landscape.

At Maraag, we savor a bottle of softdrink each and munch a few stale bread. After ten minutes, we proceed to the “hog’s back” (buko-buko sa anay) on a paved road but switched to a feeder road for Panas. I surely marked the place of the trailhead I took last time in my mind so that I would not miss the route to Bonbon again.

The trail is well-beaten but once you get past homesteads it becomes narrow. Some of it pass by scrubby grass that grew persistently despite being trod by many feet everyday and you get the impression that a trail do not pass by here. We cross the headwaters of the Bonbon-Mananga River System several times and these are brisk clean brooks.

It always excites me to walk this stretch because it keeps my mind to work and think, to read the right track from the false ones, and to study the terrain with much concentration of thoughts. These things make up traditional navigation so honestly demanding from even the most trail-savvy traveller. The changing contours here are themselves very demanding.

After four hours of walking, I am rewarded of an arrival in the last homestead in Panas that was a half-hour early than that found on my itinerary. We were not hurrying. We were just in a strolling pace, most of the time stopping briefly to talk about a plant, an outstanding land feature, previous observations, local attitudes, scenery and landmarks or even the shape of a hut. There is a clean water source here and we take some.

We rest for about five minutes and then proceed on, following a trail downhill to a forested part. I try not to miss this trail this time and it is well-marked in my mind. The route inside the forest is steep and slippery. Too few hand holds and most of them were unreliable taro stems and abaca trunks and springy vines that break at the first sign of force.

We arrive at the rocky bank of Biasong Creek and follow it downstream. We walk for about a half hour when I found a perfect spot to stop and prepare our noontime meal. It is shady with a wide sandy beach. Sheila Mei cooked our food with the butane burner and we proceed with lunch and a few minutes of rest.

 

After an hour, we are now fully rejuvenated and proceed on with the last hours of our journey today. The couple was amazed at the clean water of the stream as well as beautiful spots good enough for river bathing. Ahead of us is the sound of rushing water falling in a high elevation but we are deprived of its presence since it is impassable from our location.

We go over dry ground, this time, skipping the sheer obstacle and, from our new location, caught limited glimpses of the not-so-known Bitlang Waterfall. The trail put us on the part of the stream where there is another branch whose mouth is choked with humongous rocks. May God bless those souls caught up in here during a flashflood. It is a meat grinder.

Downstream, Biasong Creek gets tamer and tamer as black PVC pipes competes space with rocks and debris. These pipes channel water to communities and a local resort. We arrive at the resort and outside it is another local unofficial resort. We cross the last of the stream and walked again on dry ground to a store in Biasong selling cold softdrinks. We deserve that.

After fifteen minutes of rest and snacks, I followed a different direction this time given by a local as shorter than that of going to Bonbon and we do not have to cross another stream. Okay. Goaded by local knowledge, we followed a paved road and it seemed to rise forever. It did go downhill going to the St. John Marie Vianney Parish in Maomawan, but it goes up again.

 

We finally reach a place named Tugop, which is a part of the village of Babag at 16:30 but there is something wrong with the new route I took. It is much tiresome compared to the older route and there is but little difference in distance. It was recommended by a local because they travel nowadays on motorcycles and it is very convenient for that kind of travel. But, for walking? Nah.

Well done Adrenaline Romance, you made it this far and, on many times, bettering the itinerary by 30 minutes to even 90 minutes. Amazing! You have proven your steadfastness and your commitment to the first of the many that you would soon impose on yourselves. This is no easy walk but you are rewarded with scenery that was denied to most people and the experience that you could better describe in your popular and highly-rated blog.

The mysteries and idiosyncrasies of the CHT would simply be laid before you once you set your sights on the rest of the paths. You are on the right track to that quest and there is no turning back. Happy trails...

Gian Carlo and Sheila Mei wrote about their Segment I-A experience on their Adrenaline Romance Blog under two installments:

 Cebu Highlands Trail Segment 1A: Mt. Manunggal to Mt. Tongkay
  Cebu Highlands Trail Segment 1A: Mt. Tongkay to Tugop
        

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Photos courtesy of Adrenaline Romance

A MOUNT NAUPA STORY: Second Visit

I RECEIVED A TEXT MESSAGE from someone I do not know asking for a guide. Of course, I always receive the same kind of messages and they are regular, sometimes annoying, but I have to reply, nevertheless, even if they do not push through at the last minute. But this one is a bit different. They are very insistent to visit Mount Naupa. The peak is found in Naga City, Cebu and it is not on my usual haunts. I camped there once though upon an invitation back in April 2012.

We settled on a date – it is to be an overnight – on February 10 and 11, 2018; and agreed on my professional fee. My asking price depends on the difficulty of the terrain (it is easy – 2/9), the length of walk (a kilometer maybe) and the number of individuals (31 – too many). Doing the math I come up to something less than what you would have expected. Believe me, it is LESS. Since it is a massive climb, I have to have an assistant and I settled on Christopher Ngosiok.

I do not mind parting a considerable amount from my fee for an assistant. What I am after is satisfaction of a client by providing them good service, to include their security and safety. Christopher is one of the best assistants I know. He is a registered nurse and knows everything from self-defense to wilderness first aid to bushcraft and survival, even blogging. Yes. We do maintain blogs because we have tales to tell. Real tales and not some fancy K-Pop contents.

This is one of those times where I have to look the other way when it comes to managing and guiding people up a mountain. As I said before, this is a “massive” climb. There are 31 individuals plus Christopher and me. The most I would do in ordinary circumstances is lead not more than ten people. The trail to Mt. Naupa, however, is a well-beaten path. Besides, it passes a quarry site that got overgrown with vegetation.

Despite that, Naupa is still a very popular destination for weekend campers. Locals take advantage of the numbers by selling food and beverage, perform some kind of service (fetching water), or exact disturbance fees when passing by their properties. I would not mind if our presence improved their life economically. Let them be. After all, they appreciate your visit and help made their living worthwhile.

We arrive at the trailhead a little after 15:00 on the first day (February 10). I am not familiar of the trails here since the first and last time I was here, I was walking in darkness. Darkness as in no flashlight. That is my signature. However, the trail is easy to follow as it winds among the hillsides and going up to a community where there is shade. I was assured that the participants were briefed properly of what to expect today.

All the hikers worked in one business process outsourcing company and I believed it is a company-sanctioned activity. “Team building”, as some would call it. I do not know what is inside BPO company operations nor have I any idea how people worked inside that same environment. But I do know that these people needed some outlet to let go of stress since BPOs operate, most of the time, on a graveyard shift.

The last stretch is a bit steep but it is very manageable. We pass by a fenced house and there is a log book to register the names of visitors. They also require you to pay a fee of some sort because you are passing by their property and so have disturbed their landscape and their serenity.  Beyond is the trail to the campsite. Two enterprising locals lets you choose either of their own staked grounds.

 

Both campsites are exposed and have no forest cover. I discouraged their leader of camping on a high ground and so we choose the lower of the two. We do not need a high location to ogle at exhilarating scenery. What we need is the least exposed ground so the campers can be comfortable. It is cold out here during nighttime, mind you. Everyone set up their tents. Good!

I looked for my own location and found one beside the only tree that was left to grow here, although a bit stunted. I used the trunk as anchor for a shelter ridgeline that goes to an upright stick that was held taut by the line to a buried peg. It is a textbook ground-hugging simple shelter designed to offer less obstruction to the howling winds that would come later at midnight.

Foraged dry firewood along the extremities of the camp grounds. I would not worry about the wind on my fire. I would make one inside a Swiss Army wood burner. A very efficient equipment, I would boil water for my customary afternoon coffee and, later, for my meal of Japanese miso soup. I paired the soup with bread provided by Christopher as I joined him near his tent.

The campers cooked food after dusk. The evening wind goes colder now and the warm food helped to stave off the slight chill. At 19:00, their leader called everyone and they begin to form a circle. A team-building activity began to unravel and the company was very lively and sounds of laughter began to dominate the circle. I kept a distance to give them privacy.

While I was talking to a storeowner, I noticed many locals coming over the hill on the back of us. I learned that another set of campers are staking a campsite on a faraway mountain across us found in Lanas. I also learned that the campers were doing a medical-dental mission and all the village peacekeepers here were detailed there leaving none to watch over us.

I noticed earlier that children were roaming on our campsite and they were still here at such late hours while a new set of campers arrive after dusk. These were locals who are on an excursion of their own. This one is livelier than ours and they have bottles of local brandy with them. They even carried a portable sound system and making so much noise with that unpalatable “budot” music which they danced with so much feeling.

My campers might have noticed that these newcomers are beginning to get rowdier by the minute that they started to disperse and made their way into their tents. I watch over this group, not in any way entertained but observing with utmost vigilance. They camped about five meters away from our farthest tent and their bad drunken behaviour might cause friction from our side. Their distasteful music already had. Budot! I hate that sound.

Christopher was also in a vigilant mood, watching these drunken locals from beside his tent. The clock ticked at 21:00 and it is getting colder and I need to be away from the wind for a while. My shelter offered no resistance from the cold but it shielded me from wind chill, which is good enough. I may not chase a good sleep in this setup but it is enough to keep me half-awake to keep tab on that rowdy crowd.

As I go back to the store, I noticed some children sleeping out with nothing to protect them. I asked them why are they here and they said they were from Lanas going with the older ones to that other campsite on another mountain. More locals came but they just pass through on their way to that other campsite. The spectacle of tents and camping are already a big thing with these children and is a form of entertainment for them.

The noisy locals ran out of brandy but they buy more from the two stores on the campsites, this time rum. I just watch them and praying and hoping that they would tire out. The more I do that, the more intense their revelry without any consideration to other people trying their hardest best to sleep through their mayhem. Budot music, who the hell likes that? Good God tell me, please.

Seeing my futility to hear them subside, I go back to my shelter at 22:30. Staying out on the cold without a jacket was just too much. Although I have my own flat bottle of rum from the store to warm me up, I do not intend to add another bottle just to keep me on this idiotic vigil. My shelter was most welcome when I finally lay down on the thin laminated sheet that I used as a ground sheet and a ground-beholden hammock as another layer.

 

I awoke an hour after midnight and I could still hear that foolish music and people talking in toned down voices. The latter were the campers I accompanied and a few of them were still awake. The dancing devils are still alive burning with their dervish music laughing and merry unmindful of other people trying to chase sleep. These people I am with worked in times when you are happily snoring and they deserve their rest.

I tried to catch sleep once more but I could not. It is so cold. Fogs have clasped the campsite in its grip and breathing in colder air melted away my resistance to cold. Even as I wear my shoes lying down with a cloth covering my head and ears. I lapse into unconsciousness once in a while but waking up now and then shivering. I thought I missed something during those moments. Budot was gone. Good riddance!

 

I wake up on the second day – February 11. The campsite is still asleep. I stoked a fire one more time in my Swiss Army wood burner. Boiled water for coffee and, later, for Japanese miso soup. Warming up and making subtle noises, I successfully awakened half the campsite. Sounds of zippers reveal poking sleepy heads into daylight. They asked me to lead them to the peak.

We follow a trail over a bare grassy saddle and up to a still forested ridge that goes steep over rocky paths. Ah, the view that matters most to all: Sunrise and “sea of clouds”. I doubt at the latter but it was there an hour ago when they were all asleep. Sunrise really mattered most and the warmth that came with it. It is a blessing after a long cold night and budot music.

 

After breakfast, we break camp and started downhill. Our noisy neighbors were very quiet. In an hour, the campsite would be scorching hot for want of a tree. Good luck to them. They need that. That would be the best time to play their unintelligible music and sweat it out. We arrive at the trailhead and motorcycles are waiting for us. I let the campers go first but making sure they are properly seated.

Christopher and I were the last to arrive at Tungkop, Minglanilla and everyone are all accounted for and safe. The hikers are quite satisfied with their weekend experience even with that annoying budot music. That kind of music associated with drunkenness is not welcome in my playground. Then we all take a KMK Transit bus bound for Cebu City.  

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