Outdoors

Featured in www.pinoyapache.blogspot.com on February 20, 2009

THE URGE TO SHED off the extra poundage I have accumulated in the short span of November 29, 2008 to January 3, 2009 pushed me to go backpacking again to the trails of Mount Babag on January 4. The food prepared on the eve of New Year's Day and after, I have eaten to my heart's delight like there was no tomorrow, were now taking its toll. Besides, I need to sweat out those firecracker smokes which I inadvertently inhaled ...

Featured in www.pinoyapache.blogspot.com on February 1, 2009

FOR THE LAST few months or so of 2008, my activities and those of Boy Toledo's and Ernie Salomon's would revolve between Guadalupe and Mt. Babag and back. It was by chance that Ernie brought Boy T and me to this particular trail and I kind of liked it the first time I tread my hike shoes there. Boy T felt the same way. That was on August 17.

This trail is different from all the other trails that criss-crossed ...

Featured in www.pinoyapache.blogspot.com on January 10, 2009

MY OPPORTUNITY CAME on April of 1994. I've prepared more than a year for this physically, mentally, emotionally, technically, materially and financially. The chance of climbing the country's highest apex, Mount Apo, who stood at 10,328 feet above sea level, have been on the forefront of my attention and, at the same time, at the back of my mind. It came at a better time then – Holy Week! Although, back then, I was just a ...

Featured in www.pinoyapache.blogspot.com on December 16, 2008

MOUNT MANUNGGAL HAVE endeared to us all members of the Cebu Mountaineering Society or CeMS, for upon her slopes on March 17, 1989 CeMS became an inspiration of the first ones who were there before: Sir Joe Avellanosa (+), Daddy Frank Cabigon, Dr. Abe Manlawe, Mme. Penpen Mitchell (+), Sir Rex Vecina, Claribel Delgra-Abrahan and Boy Olmedo. Through the years CeMS have alloted two of their yearly activities at Mt. Manunggal ...

Featured in www.pinoyapache.blogspot.com on December 1, 2008

“TOK-TOK-TOK, TOK-TOK-TOK, TOK-...”



My Nokia 2350 delivered its pre-set challenge at 4:30 AM. Grudgingly, I accepted the dare despite a swollen and stiff right knee and rustled myself up from my bed to the bathroom downstairs. It was the end of the Ramadan season, and an official holiday was declared which fell on October 1, 2008. I don't have to go to work today and Boy Toledo made sure of ...

Featured in www.pinoyapache.blogspot.com on November 17, 2008

I HAVE A NEW FRIEND. He may be about 12 or 13 years old and a sixth grader of Napo Elementary School, located in Sapangdaku, a mountain barangay of Cebu City. Everyday he wakes up at four of dawn to help his mother prepare breakfast and packed lunch for him and his younger sister. At half-light of 5:00 AM, he and his sister starts to go down the trail for Napo and reaches their school several minutes past six. Then they ...

Featured in www.pinoyapache.blogspot.com on November 8, 2008

ON AUGUST 23, 2008, Cebu Mountaineering Society or CeMS celebrated its 19th anniversary by climbing Mt. Manunggal from its traditional starting point – in Tagba-o. There were fifteen of us that tackled her trails: Lilibeth Initan, Andrew Flores, Boy Toledo, Joy Tongco, Dennis Legaspi, Glenn Lao, Jon Consunji, Sam Lim and me plus member-applicants Canqui Potamio, Ernie Salomon, guests Nathan Cannen, Myla Ipil and Harold Alcontin ...