Get your spiritual high from mountain climbing

It was my sons’ long weekend. I decided I would try what my brother has been doing with his kids — and that is mountain climbing. Now, which mountain to climb?

 We asked the advice of a Mountain Hard Wear-C.O.R.E. consultant, Manny Batungbacal, and he suggested Mt. Daguldol in Batangas. We were not disappointed.

My right shoulder was still smarting from a bike accident, but it was good enough to go. Also my last mountain hike was in Mt. Mayon. That was difficult for me. It was my difficulty on the way down that led me to find out I had osteoporosis. That was several years ago. Since then I have been taking supplements, exercising, and have been able to reverse the trend. 
It was a beautiful climb. I left my house in Quezon City at 7:30 a.m., got to SLEX where I met the group: UP mountaineers and MHW-C.O.R.E consultants with all the gear. I brought my cook, two security, my two kids, the kids’ father, the driver who tagged along — so we were a total of eight. Three UP mountaineers, MHW-C.O.R.E team leader. It was a major endeavor since I wanted to spend the night on the mountain.
It was an exhilaratingly pleasant climb with stops along the way where we had an abundance of buko water. The foliage was amazing. Seeing the sea at the bottom was even more amazing.

When we got to the top, the view was spectacular. It was cold and windy! But, no matter how windy it was, in the tent it was warm and I felt safe and secure. Eating on top of the mountain after a four-hour climb definitely has a kick to it. 

In the evening by 8:30, it was too windy to play the deck of cards that I had brought, so we all retreated to our tents, only to be woken up by the sound of people partying at around midnight. But I was too groggy to let it disturb me. My meditation the next morning was amazing. Then Manny showed me a spot where he would do his yoga. It was much warmer in the morning. It was a solitary hill; I would climb the mountain again just to go to that hill. Unfortunately, I did not have much time to enjoy the place because we had to retreat before it got hot. My meditation was deep and intense: splendid. Even the day after, I am still reeling from the effect of the mountain on my energy.

Going down was so much harder for me. These are the pointers I learned for my next climb:

• Have a pedicure or cut my toenails before endeavoring a climb. Going down, my toenails were cutting into my skin and no one had a nail cutter. The shoes I wore had a hard top that just made the situation worse. My poor security man: I had to lean on his backpack going down to take off the weight from my toes. I was told Columbia is a good brand for mountain climbing gear. I have a problem with balance so my Nordick walking sticks helped a lot in keeping my balance.

•I would also assign guides to my kids so they could go at their own speed. My eldest got frustrated having to wait for me. He went up and down the mountain like a pro. He could have done it in an hour and got bored waiting for me. 

• Get in shape. I need to build up my muscles. Manny says I need to build my core strength to be able to make the climb. I am determined to try. There was improvement over the Mt. Mayon climb, so I know I can get better if I just set my mind to it.

I loved talking to people. It disturbed me that they still do kaingin. Now what I want to do is to help all the communities alongside the mountains so they stop raping the environment. Everything really needs to be more organized. For example, there was no orientation before we went up. And what would have been great is if the guide could point out the different plants, etc., making the trek more educational. That’s what they do overseas. Then schools can also go there because it is educational. 

I really think they should charge more and be stricter with rules. 

So that’s another star attraction of the Philippines: its mountains. But promoting as destinations needs to be done in such a way that the communities benefit. For example, I ate in a coffee shop before the climb. I would have rather eaten at the foot of the mountain in a native restaurant. They just need a little investment. From my experience in my other projects, it doesn’t take much to get communities like these out of poverty because they are living beside a place that is so beautiful. All it needs is a little altruism, plus systems and structures to make sure that everyone benefits.
What impressed me about the climb was the number of people also endeavoring it that day. There was a GEO group, about 40 people from San Juan; there was a Rotaract Group from San Juan; I saw a few people from Accenture, others from Quezon City, some from Taytay.

The local government of San Juan organized the Hugom Environmental Guides Association (HEGA) to take care of the place. All climbers are required to register and pay appropriate fees and take along a guide. It’s very affordable (Green Fee P35; Guide P350 for a group of six people; Porters P300, one-way.)

Here are some sample rates for the following mountains: Mt. Pulag Mountain Province (P1,500 to P5,600); Banaue Trek (P3,800 to P7,000) and the mountains around Batangas, Laguna, Bulacan area (P1,800 to P4,000).

Most of us have no idea how absolutely gorgeous the country is. I am just discovering it now. It would be great if we could keep it gorgeous for future generations. The key is to let people benefit from the care of the environment.

Try mountain climbing: it’s a physical and a spiritual experience.

To set up a climbing experience, contact Coach Manny Batungbacal at (0918) 936-3849 or e-mail him at irok_5@yahoo.com or visit emmanuel.batungbacal@primergrp.com.

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I can be reached at regina_lopez@abs-cbn.com.