Monday, January 24, 2022

2022-004 | RESTING ALONG A TRAIL

OUTDOORS COMMON SENSE TIPS: When you are somewhat tired, do not sit. Just lean over forward, grasping pants with both hands and let the weight of upper body and bag transfer to your arms and lower legs, thereby relieving the middle torso and upper legs of the load. 

First seen in Facebook

October 2, 2018 

=> => => o0o <= <= <=

 

This is a technique I learned 29 years ago from the late Dr. Abraham Manlawe when I was with the Cebu Mountaineering Society. In the early ‘90s, I tried to fit in to that sport, hefting 70-liter bags from trailheads to the campsites and to the trail’s end. We practically carried the whole house and it was heavy.

Jump-off areas to the camps were very far back then, unlike now, where you only have to walk a few hours. Back then, you have to walk from a day to three days to your campsite, depending. If the peak is three days away, first day would be easy since you are still fresh but, by afternoon, you would feel the toils of carrying the weight from behind you.

On the second day and third day, although food and fuel are taken from your bag’s weight, it is still heavy. It would be much heavy if it rained, drenching your old canvass-cloth bag. At this time where frequent rests are needed, I have to execute this rest position. It is so simple and there is economy of movement.   

You only need little strength to stand erect again as against sitting from the ground up even without a load or from a seat with a load on your back. Besides, you have control of the mind which signals your whole body to fits of drowsiness (laziness?) when it finds something comfortable like sitting down under a shade. 

I also discovered that with this position, your lungs could inhale more air than standing erect or an upper body in vertical position since there is no tension of muscles to hold your lungs. It is like you are lying down. Your ribs would not get in the way as you inhale extra amounts of oxygen which your circulation system direly need in stressful moments to supply your brains.

This rest technique is much relevant than ever when I guide paying hikers over each segment of the Cebu Highlands Trail, which has eight, or leading pilgrims over Cebu’s Camino de Santiago. These are long trails. The latter is 175+ kilometers long and walked in ten days. Some of these pilgrims are non-athletic and this technique applies perfectly on them. 

When I did the first thruhike of the former, I walked it 26 days with extra three days’ rest. It was 408+ kilometers and you could just imagine the length and breadth I walked. It was on this moment, as were the guided walks after that, which I used effectively for my own benefit, especially at its most unforgiving stretches. It is easy to teach people about this and it helped to my cause while leading people.

=> => => o0o <= <= <=

 

WARRIOR PILGRIMAGE BLOG, personified by this writer, is synonymous with the Outdoors, since Bushcraft and Survival is its niche. Safety and Security are its bedrock when it ventured into organizing outdoor events that involved people as in adventure/pilgrimage guideships and seminars; and explorations and expeditions. 

Through tutorship, experience, folk knowledge and good old common sense, this writer was able to collect useful information which he is currently documenting in a book titled, ETHICAL BUSHCRAFT. He shares some of this information and knowledge in his training sessions; in his social-media account; and in this blog.

Photo Nr 1 courtesy of Apol Antenor.

Photo Nr 4 courtesy of Boblyle Balverde.

Photo Nr 5 courtesy of Raymund Panganiban.

Monday, January 17, 2022

2022-003 | THE GENUINE OUTDOORSMAN

WISDOM TRAILS: Hard Work, Creativity and Stamina are the hallmarks of a genuine outdoorsman. Maybe of Patience and Humility too. 

First seen in Facebook

November 11, 2018

=> => => o0o <= <= <=

 

IN THIS AGE OF INSTANT GRATIFICATION, I find myself many times at the tip of the spear. Would I yield to the temptations of the promise of something greater? Of capitalizing on the opportunity of the moment? Of letting myself be swallowed by other people’s schemes? Would I have to overstretch and overstress myself to achieve something which borders on madness, greed and arrogance? 

Or of success?

Many have tried even when they have not yet arrived. The lure of something bigger is so great. Then again, immaturity would be the mother of failure. Even when you are in the right place at the right time but your strides are lacking, you are bound to stumble on your obsession because you simply are not ready in what you embarked for or pretended yourself to be. 

I understand many would love to be a compleat outdoorsman. I know everyone has the industry, even willing to walk that extra mile. But how far can you go then beyond that extra? Can your mindset create something from out of nothing like I did with the Cebu Highlands Trail? Without big-name sponsors, without local guides to help you as you stitched 408+ kilometers of routes, and then walking it later in one single continuous line for 29 days?

Do you have the confidence to organize and host the Philippine Independence Bushcraft Camp, like I also did, and then subject that event, to the criticism of detractors who thought the outdoors was their exclusive domain; and from armchair experts who have seen it all in YouTube and Netflix? I can proudly say that, after 10 years, it had become a premier event here if you want to learn advanced outdoor skills.  

Would you gave up your club membership so you could enjoy the outdoors better and organize your own like I did with my Camp Red Bushcraft and Survival Guild? Would you find satisfaction when the one you organized is the only one of its kind in the Philippines and it is peopled by individuals with the same mindsets? Those that love and understand the outdoors better? Well, I did and it is SEC registered.   

Would one be willing to exchange their comfort zones and subject themselves to the wrath of nature, of landscapes and people, and of their own designs? Would one walk the extra ten kilometers because the box they were in has no answers yet to what lie beyond? Would one lead without even trying? Would one be bold enough to make a statement that would shake the foundations of an established culture? 

The outdoors is one uncontrolled environment and it needed creative people. People that could think beyond templates of human behavior and psychology. A kind of creativity that does not move on a conventional pattern yet unmistakably so simple at the end. That same creativity which worked best with their own stamina. A stamina that is forged by the wild landscape that they so loved to tramp upon. 

Would you still want to be a genuine outdoorsman? If you have the patience and the humility, you might.

=> => => o0o <= <= <=

 

WARRIOR PILGRIMAGE BLOG, personified by this writer, is synonymous with the Outdoors, since Bushcraft and Survival is its niche. Safety and Security are its bedrock when it ventured into organizing outdoor events that involved people as in adventure/pilgrimage guideships and seminars; and explorations and expeditions. 

Through tutorship, experience, folk knowledge and good old common sense, this writer was able to collect useful information which he is currently documenting in a book titled, ETHICAL BUSHCRAFT. He shares some of this information and knowledge in his training sessions; in his social-media account; and in this blog.

Image Nr 2, Nr 5 and Nr 6 courtesy of Ronald Abella.

Image Nr 3 courtesy of AkyatCon 2.0.

Image Nr 4 designed by Jhonrey Armilla.

Friday, January 7, 2022

2022-002 | ADRENALINE ADVENTURE HIKE: SEGMENT IV-B

TEAM ADRENALINE ROMANCE HAD walked through the first half of Segment IV and came out stuffed with better appreciation of the Cebu Highlands Trail. The challenges of the fresh sceneries that the “no man’s land” route provided have excited Team Adrenaline Romance so much so that they filed a leave of absence the soonest time possible.

 

When we breezed past Mount Manunggal on our way to Lawaan, Danao City the last time, they begun to enjoy the landscapes of their backtrail and picked off the familiar landmarks which had given their confidence a shaky ground to stand on. The second part of Segment IV – Segment IV-B – has different difficulties than the first and it offers another different side of Cebu. This is still a “no man’s land”. 

We choose the Cebu North Bus Terminal as our meeting place on October 13, 2018. Gian Carlo and Sheila Mei arrived first. Later, Apol came, and we found an empty bus bound for Danao City. The bus left Mandaue City at 05:30 and arrived at Danao at 06:45 and we found a small eatery to take breakfast. We also bought extra food for our lunch which our itinerary says 12:30 at Mount Mago. 

We left the busy city center at 07:30, each astride in tandem on a motorcycle-for-hire, bound for the village of Lawaan, our last place of engagement two weeks ago. We arrived there at 09:10 when the motorcycle I rode conked out and we waited for another. We hit the trail at 09:15. We were following a paved road that was quite shady and very peaceful. We faced a road junction and followed the one on the left.

 

The road rose in elevation and we were now exposed to the morning sun. As we walked over a ridge, we saw Mt. Kalabasa of Danao City; Garces Peak of Asturias; Mt. Matun-og, Mt. Mauyog and Mt. Manunggal, all in Balamban; and – surprise! – Mt. Babag, Cebu City. These were the great landmarks that we saw on our northerly quest that created furrows on our foreheads. As we checked our backtrails, these were now just drops of water in a pail. 

Walking on, we passed by a farmer harvesting pomelo from his fruit-laden trees and gave us two which Sheila Mei and Apol devoured without a trace and brought another with us. We walked on and we arrived on the trailhead in the village of Pili, Danao City. There is a trail that goes to Mt. Mago but I have to make a courtesy call first to a military detachment located nearby. 

After my business with the authorities, we pushed north at 10:20, following the trail that go over the ridges of this unnamed mountain range. The path is soft earth blazed by generations of feet while all around us are green meadows. It is rolling terrain without forest cover. On a rise, I read an elevation of 755 meters from my Casio Pro Trek.

 

We still brought a pair of Versa Quicktalk Go UHF/FRS transceivers which we used for our communications in Segment IV-A. While I took the point, Gian Carlo swept last and Apol and Sheila Mei in between. We used the radio to check each other out when visibility is hampered by rolling terrain or when a branch of a trail placed Gian Carlo in a bind. 

We arrived at the camping grounds of Mt. Mago at 12:40 and quite famished. We spent noonbreak here under the shade of one puny tree, enjoying lunch from food we bought earlier and finishing the one last pomelo for dessert. I noticed a pond. It had always been there the two times I was here. I excused myself and made a brief inspection. 

I found out that it is a seep that overflowed to a very tiny brook. I deduced that it became a small stream, ultimately dividing Carmen from Tuburan, until it became a river that flows out to the Camotes Sea. This unassuming pond could be the headwater of the Panalipan River! We took water from the pond and washed our plates, spoons and forks from twenty meters away dowhill.

 

We left Mt. Mago when dark clouds appeared with the clap of thunder and followed a trail in a forested area. The ground is dry and plenty of loose soil and pebbles. We came upon a very steep part which was kind of tricky. This path is so enchantingly silent that only locals know and, of course, me. Overnight campers would never go beyond Mt. Mago. We rested after that descent and rehydrated. 

From then on it would be rolling terrain once more, passing by solitary houses and farms and, sometimes, a family of cows blocking the way. The trail goes down to the remote village of Bangkito, Tuburan. We passed by a public school, going into their center where there was a basketball game in progress. Everyone stopped playing and looked at us. 

This was one of the critical areas during the insurgency problem in the ‘80s until the early years of the third millennia and everyone wanted to make sure that we were not armed. When they resumed their game, I released a sigh of relief. Then and there, I did a courtesy call to their village council while Team Adrenaline Romance stayed behind to fill water from a water reservoir.

 

On the way back, I brought a cold big bottle of Coke. We emptied it fast and we hoped we could produce another one later. We prepared our campsite and then our dinner. When the food was almost cooked, I went back to the community store to buy another cold big bottle of Coke. But it was the last they sold to me earlier. 

We had our dinner and pairing it with warm Coke was not bad after all. That night there was another basketball game and there were many onlookers from the different places. After the game there was a disco. The noise interfered in our quest to snatch that sleep. Motorcycles would park nearby and leave. Nevertheless, it did stop at 03:00 of the next day, October 14. 

We woke up collectively at 05:30 with eyes that hungered for more sleep. We prepared breakfast and, after eating, we broke camp. I went back to the village center to give the village council my appreciation of thanks in the form of a certificate, as I did yesterday with the villages of Pili and Lawaan. This was for their hospitality in accepting us in their localities and aiding me and my team during the exploration phase of the CHT and that epic Thruhike.

 

We left Bangkito and went east for that deep valley under the shadow of another mountain range found across us: Ngipon-sa-Ilaga. I almost missed a trail were it not for a girl who was observing us. After asking her directions, we followed the trail down the deep valley of Anahawan. It would twist and wind its way among the lower foothills of Mt. Mago. 

Cows and carabaos were tethered along trails and we have to make wide detours. When we reach a stream we rest for a while from the brunt of the morning sun. This was the same stream that I suspected to have originated from that small pond at Mt. Mago and this could be the upper portions of the Panalipan River. Downstream of me are small waterfalls and Team Adrenaline Romance had to change to Project BLUE t-shirts for a photo ops.     

After a generous rest of thirty minutes, we resumed our journey. The trails pass by meadows and farms and a very old oleander-leafed euphorbia (Local name: soro-soro). The biggest I have seen. This marked the start of the ascent to Taguini. The trail is well beaten and easy to follow.

 

We arrived at Taguini so early at 10:00 but it was empty of people and traders. I expected a market fair. I missed by a day! Anyway, we are two hours early for a noonbreak and we decide to have that at the village of Caurasan, Carmen instead. So we spent rest here and bought locally-baked bread and paired it with cold soda drinks. 

After twenty minutes, we resumed the last few kilometers of Segment IV-B. Team Adrenaline Romance, perhaps, assured that the last half of the CHT was about to end, walked with a confident and springy stride this time. We reached Caurasan at 12:30 and checked in at their village center with our identification cards with a civilian interloper who insisted on voter’s ID! 

After that, I did another courtesy call on a military detachment nearby and then we ate lunch there. We left Caurasan for the town market of Carmen astride motorcycles-for-hire. The ride down to town was a long one and we arrived at 14:00, time good enough to take it easy for our return to Cebu City. Team Adrenaline Romance celebrated their feat with an early dinner in a Japanese restaurant inside SM City.

Team Adrenaline Romance had achieved one-half of the CHT by finishing Segment IV-B, which was 17.68 kilometers in length. With that, they extended their mileage total to 207.73 kilometers which was quite impressive! They had adapted to the rigors of what it was like when walking a long trail like the CHT which is partly wild, very humid, unimaginable difficulty in terrain and somewhat dangerous!  

The lands we passed by in all of Segment IV, to include parts of Segments I, II and III, were indeed very dangerous if we walked it in another time, say 1987 or 1995. That is the reason why adventure tourism and outdoors leisure activities did not grew beyond the known safe havens. Many have tried to open these corridors among Cebu’s mountains but it never prospered. 

The exploration of the CHT and its opening to the public as a guided adventure hiking tour came at a favorable time when such threats and troubles to foot travel have disappeared although residues of it remained which comes in the form of suspicion and distrust. By and by, people will come to terms with their past and embrace change which is harmless, fun and productive.  

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

Cebu Highlands Trail Segment IV-B: Lawaan, Danao to Bangkito, Tuburan.

Cebu Highlands Trail Segment IV-B: Bangkito, Tuburan to Caurasan, Carmen.