why change?

Some of my college buddies and I met up in Texas Roadhouse Grill in Bonifacio High Street for a Christmas get together of sorts. I actually enjoyed myself save for the fact that everyone was late. I was there a couple of hours early since I had to go to the gym.

It has been a long time since I went out with these guys and it was fortunate we had a decent group. Through the course of the night, it seems that few things have changed, some of my thoughts:

1. Judd is still happy go lucky (still "studying" as well)
2. Jinko is still an asshole (and I do not mean offense by it... he'll agree anyway)
3. Twinx still likes to eat
4. Cris Tan still "tried" to make it hehehe
5. Almost everyone still did not make a lot of effort for the exchange gift (but I still love you all)


Some of the things that have changed or are new:
1. Bubu is married... and pregnant!
2. Cris Tan now says that he'll try to make it in English hehehe
3. Twinx's "brownies are moist"
4. Twinx's "fudge is thick"

After all these year's we are still friends, we still miss each other and tease each other for the most mindless of things. Pretty much what the group is all about...

paracord 550 rocks

I just came across this blog and I just don't know where to start! Beth gave me an whole coil of paracord 550 a long time and I've been wanting to use it for whatever hehehe

Paracord 550 is a very versatile piece of equipment despite its size (550 means it has a minimum breaking strength of 550 lbs). It is also considered as one of the essential survival gear. I've used it a couple of times for hauling bags down a cliff and as a clothes line. I bring as much as I can when I go outdoors, but now I can bring as much as 15 feet with me everywhere I go if I make a bracelet.

I can also make key rings, lanyards (various types), grips and what-have-you. Exciting stuff.

ding!

Finally got to Level 70 in World of Warcraft!

Got myself a flying mount as well hehehe. Now I wonder if I should buy the Wrath of the Lich King or level up my other toons or work on earning more money (flying mount was pretty expensive) and achievements on my main toon.

Holga update

I finally had all 5 rolls sent for developing last night, hope to get them uploaded by Monday next week. I can't wait!

I lent my Holga to Obet and Marian a few days (complete with 1 roll of film). Letting them try it out for themselves may just be the tipping point for them to finally buy one for their own hehehe. I hope their pictures turn out great.

I also modded my Holga last night, it has now 2 fully functional apertures! I had a bit of a problem removing the aperture ring and screwing the lens back in, but overall it was a painless procedure. I am worried I may have placed some dust on the inside of the lens from some sanding I had to do, hopefully it doesn't screw up the pictures much. Perhaps it will more to the character of my shots? We'll see...

I'm excited to try out my "new" Holga. I am considering taking pictures without taping it up at all... another variable in the wonderful world of Holga photography.

Post Pulag Post

First things first, I have to say a big thank you to Encircle Mountaineering Club and my new found mountaineering friends for sharing the experience of Mt. Pulag. Now on to my post...

How to get to Mt. Pulag - Ambangeg Trail (a rough itenerary)
1. Take a Victory Liner bus from Cubao to Baguio
2. Hire a jeep to take you to the DENR visitor center for registration/orientation (might be best to arrange the jeep hire beforehand and call the DENR center informing you of your arrival)
3. Take the same jeep to the Ranger Station jump off point
4. Hike up the mountain
5. Go down the mountain
6. Make sure you asked the jeep to take you back to Baguio
7. But probably stop over the DENR center first for some freshening up and chow
8. Take the Victory Liner bus back to Manila (you may be waiting for a few hours in Baguio though, depending on the time of year)

So, with that in mind... can anyone climb Mt. Pulag? I would say yes. I may be a reasonably fit person, but I have minimal cardiovascular endurance and definitely not a mountaineer (even though I have climbed a few mountains in my life). Here's my quick guide on how to survive Mt. Pulag:

1. Organize yourselves. I do not believe in a single leader in any expedition, but you can have an organizer with a couple of team leaders. That should help distribute the effort, especially for non-hardcore climbers. Things such as transportation, food and personnel issues fall into their area of responsibility.

2. Get enough rest. Sleep as much as you can during the trip. In the bus, in the jeep, after breakfast, after lunch. That is why sharing responsibilities helps.

3. Get enough energy. Forget the diets, you need energy to climb the second highest peak in the country. Eat lots of carbs. I swear by Ricoa flat tops, jellyace, beef jerky and peanut butter sandwiches for trail food and power food.

4. Climb the mountain at you own pace. This makes the climb easier and a lot more fun.

5. Bring the correct gear. A good bag is in order to carry all your stuff. Local mountaineering bags are pretty cheap anyway. Bring clothes that will help you with the cold. Bring a good tent, trust me you do not want to spend the night soaking wet in any mountain. An earthpad is a must.

6. Make sure someone brings a decent cookset. You will want some comfort food once your up in the mountain and in the cold.

7. Prepare for the climb. Yes it is easy, but all the preparation helps (I did the Men's Health Urbanathlon and jogged a few times).

8. I suggest climbing it in the summer months. I know Boracay or Palawan is beckoning but this should definitely be one for the books (and its cheaper :P). Going in summer brings up the temperature a bit and the chance for you to enjoy the views the mountain has to offer.

That's it I guess. Again thank you to my new found mountaineer friends and hope to see you guys again next time! I enjoyed climbing Mt. Pulag and will definitely go back given the opportunity.

Mt. Pulag climbed! the last part

And so it was, we where ready for our first night at the top (sort of) of the mountain. I changed into my evening clothes: thick wool socks, thermal underwear, tie-die pants, an old pair of jogging pants, thin long sleeved shirt, thick long sleeved shirt, sport hoodie jacket, TNF (The North Face) rain outer jacket, and boonie. It was quite ok, my feet were a little cold but should be fine with the malong. Or so I thought...

Somehow my malong was damp, probably got wet when I was setting up the tent. And I had to get up and out of the tent to take a piss and for Verchie to get settled in. So I got wet, our bags where damp, some of our clothes was damp and Verchie was wet (he went in and out of the tent from time to time).

Despite all that, we somehow managed to get through the night fairly well. Our tent did not get as much water as the others, and I stayed warm by eating beef jerky from time to time. I also wrapped my legs in a plastic bag to trap the heat as my socks where already wet from going outside for dinner and stuff. Verchie and I also brought out our secret weapons in the early mornings. A candle and trioxane for some hot soup and chocolate drink.



Soon after that we assaulted the peak of Mt. Pulag. I didn't bother changing to my hiking pants, I figured I would be fine. I was wrong again. The rain didn't quite let off and I was soaking wet when we came back. And it was probably a good 3 hours (?) before we arrived back in Camp 2. It was pretty surreal at the beginning as it was still dark and we couldn't see much with the fog. Until I realized some of the places we where walking through was a long ways drop off the mountain! It was pretty cool though to see glimpses of the rolling grassland of Mt. Pulag. It was still nice with the fog and rain... only when I decide not to hunker down from the rain and cold hehehe. I could only imagine how nice it would've looked in broad daylight.

After getting back to camp and drying off (to some extent), we had a quick breakfast of hotdog and peanut butter sandwiches (FTW!). I was hoping for it to stop raining completely but it was still drizzling a bit when we finally broke camp. Verchie, Benny, Katja, Trinka, Narod and I decided to head down ahead of the group as we where all geared up and just about ready to head home. As usual I started to lag behind a bit and found myself trekking somewhat on my own although there where a few times I was with a group. The descent was pretty fast actually, the weather somewhat cleared a bit and showed us bits of beauty of trekking Mt. Pulag.

Unfortunately I had no pictures as my batteries (2 of them) ran out... stupid me failed to fully charge them before leaving for the trip. Luckily I got my Holga out and took a few snapshots. Hopefully I get them developed soon.

It was quite uneventful heading back to Manila though. We got cleaned up in the DENR visitor center and had a late but wonderfully lunch. A 4 hour jeepney ride to Baguio, probably a 6 hour wait for the bus and another 6 hour bus ride home. It was fun. And I can actually say that despite not seeing how beautiful Mt. Pulag can be, climbing it was fun in itself. This is probably one of the best climbs I've done (not that I've done a lot). Would I go back? Sure why not, this time I want to get a chance to see the grasslands, the view from the peak and take more pictures.

The end. (But watch out for a post climb post... pun intended)

Mt. Pulag climbed! part 2

Unfortunately it was starting to drizzle even before we got started, and a few hundred meters into the hike I was already feeling my heart beat faster and some strain in my legs. I was screwed. I started thinking about how the altitude might affect me, all the travel just to get to the jump off point and the weather. Somehow I managed to keep going without being a complete wuss, I simply willed my heart to slow down a bit, kept the slight cold at bay and enjoy the limited view somehow. It was different from all the other climbs with the pine trees and all.


After that scenic part of the hike, we proceeded to get into the actual forested trail. It was pretty nice and reminded me somewhat of the Mt. Mansfield trail in Vermont. It was a bit rocky (and muddy), with lots of moss on the rocks and trees. It was colder here though, but it might probably be due to the rain (Mt. Mansfield does get covered in snow during the winter though).

In any case, I trudged along with the group for a while and somehow lost Benny, Trinka, Katja, Verchie and Narod as we really did not go as a group. I somewhat ended up alone with the rest stops we took. I actually liked it better that way, I was able to walk at my own pace, have stops as often and as long as I wanted. It was a lot more serene for me, and I enjoyed the hike a whole lot more. It was a bit daunting at one point as the trail seemed to be going down when I should've been going up. I was starting to wonder if I should start reversing all my clothes hehehe. I later found out that there was another girl who was also alone and thinking the same thing!


I knew there where people in front and behind me so it's either I will catch up with someone (highly unlikely) or someone will catch up with me. But I was starting to think about the possibility of being alone in the cold, rainy mountain trail. Survival mode! Luckily there was only one trail, and a few people decided to rest at the only junction.

I was getting really hungry at this point but luckily I had some Safari chocolate bars and beef jerky on hand. These things, especially the beef jerky, are really helpful in situations like this. But I knew I wouldn't last longer and I had to get a decent meal of sorts. Fortunately the lead group stopped on Camp 2, just before the start of the Grasslands of Mt. Pulag. There I found Benny and our stash of peanut butter sandwiches. I tell you, peanut butter sandwiches and beef jerky are lifesavers!

It was getting pretty cold up there, I was hungry and a little tired. The initial plan was to camp at Camp 3, however the weather was catching up on us and it was decided to camp right then and there. It was a good thing too, as it started raining just as we finished setting up our tents.

... to be continued again ...

Mt. Pulag climbed!

It's been a couple of days since I came back home from the Mt. Pulag climb early Monday morning, and still I am unsure about my feelings about the trip. It definitely was an experience though.

It started early evening Friday when I headed off to meet Verchie and Benny in Gateway, Cubao for some heavy carbo-loading in Italiannis. Benny and I also prepared our peanut butter sandwiches (more on this later) while we where there. We headed off to Victory Liner Station, which has a hefty walk from Gateway, which was quite ok as I checked the weight distribution of my bag which seemed fined. We met up with the rest of the group there, and to my surprise included Narod, an officemate of mine! What nice a coincidence.

From there it was a 2 hour wait for our 6 hour bus ride to Baguio. We arrived to a very cold Baguio morning and loaded onto our jeep that would take us to the jump off point. We had a two hour jeepney ride to our first stop over, the Ambuklao dam. Thank God for that stop over as I was ready to puke anytime. The smell of the clutch was pretty bad inside the jeep, not to mention the Initial D-esque driving style of our driver. I later found out that nearly everyone had the same sentiments.

not our jeep

After a few minutes getting our heads together, getting a few snapshots we headed off to the jump-off point. This time a group of us decided to "topload" or sit up top the jeepneey and our bags. Unfortunately I took no pictures as I had my camera in my pocket and I was holding on for dear life (just kidding). Too bad since the view from the top of the jeepney was really nice.

the only "topload" picture

We stopped over for breakfast in one of the towns along the way and proceeded to the DENR place for a lecture and registration. After that it was off to the Ranger Station, our jump off point. Some last minute preparation and a quick lunch (say hello to to peanut butter sandwiches) and we were off to take on the second highest peak in the Philippines.