Mt. Batulao

After many weeks of not blogging, finally something made me write again. And it was my most recent climbing trip that made me do it. You see, after many "inactive" months, I was once more able to conquer a mountain, this one called Batulao, in nearby Batangas province.

I went with a different group this time. And so for the first time in a long time, I was a "guest" again, with former labmate Leo and his gracious officemates as hosts.

The trail leading to the camp was easy enough, but except for a tree or two, most of it was exposed under the burning sun. And having neglected to put on sunblock, I got an unexpected tan. I actually got much darker and it's safe to say I--most unfortunately--got fried during that weekend.

Climbing from the camp to the summit was the hard part. The way that lead from the camp going up to the summit contained the steepest parts of the trail. A lot of times, the only way to proceed was to use all four limbs and kiss the wall. Some parts, because of the dry loose earth, had become slippery and it was hard to look for footholds.

I didn't expect it to be the tricky and challenging ascent that it was, but I gamely took all the experience in. I knew it was part of the adventure, even if your very life depended only on the grip of *the tip* of your shoes as you step from one tiny foothold to another. Besides, I thought, the descent was probably more scary, because at parts the soil had become so loose the trail would surely be dreadfully slippery going down. (Thankfully, it wasn't! Though I had to slide down on my butt from time to time, but with the big help of my trekking pole, going down turned out to be manageable enough.)

Finally, we reached the top alive and well after almost an hour climbing from our camp. The breathtaking view at the summit was well worth all the difficulties. We reached the peak just as the sun was about to set, and no time was wasted as we tried to capture the moment on our digicams. We had to go down before it gets dark, though, so after some jump shots, we headed back to camp.

Nighttime at the camp was dinner and socials. And for the first time in my entire camping history, I cooked a meal. I prepared penne with sardines in red sauce. It was a success! And the others seemed to agree. (You gotta love the the effects of having tired bones and muscles and high altitude!)

We went down the next day. But what torture the homeward hike was! The sun seemed hotter, and the trail had more upward slopes than downward ones. My skin was a roasted brown after that trip. Well, I had lots of fun though. I enjoyed the climb a lot, and a lot of that had to do with the right mix of thrills, hardships, and relaxation that Mt. Batulao provided; and the company of a fun bunch of friendly adventure-seekers.