Sunday, January 19, 2003
BACK FROM THE MOUNTAINS
PICO DE LORO CONQUERED

I arrived at home at 4:50 PM of Sunday, 19 January 2003. Met the gang at 6:00 AM at Chowking's Baclaran but we left rather late. We registered at DENR and started the climb at roughly 10:30.

10 minutes into the climb

Yes, I can do this, I kept telling myself. Just take it one step at a time, without checking how long we still have to go so as not to be disheartened.

15 minutes into the climb

Ok, I never thought it would be easy, but are things really this hard?. Add to that the fact that my knees are already getting wobbly and am starting to be real bothered by the sun.

25 minutes into the climb

If there is a God, please see me through this. Please allow me to finish the climb unscathed. Please don't let me fail my team by becoming too much of a burden. And please let me breathe... Meanwhile, I haven't been really talking all that time, concentrating more on each step I was taking and listening/watching with some amusement at Jojo prodding his sister on.

1 hour into the climb

Mec, this was a stupid thing to do. How can you even think that you can do this, I mean, you've been a slouch potato ever since! Look at you, panting, sweating, getting dirty. I swear, you'll just drop dead. To amuse myself and ignore the fact that am actually left by the entire gang, saved from Aldrin and Adrian, I rehearsed in my head what things i'd be posting in my blog. Aldrin keeps checking on our progress (he's the scribe) while both kept telling me to just relax and remember that there's no pressure.

75 minutes into the climb
Oh God, please, just see me though this and i'll stop this mad wish to become a climber. Just please, please deliver me from this mountain and I won't ever come near any mountain again. If you can, please just either take me away, NOW, or allow me to just drop dead...Oh please....Pleeeaaase.. Who knows how many times i've called for rest stops because I simply cannot go on any longer. Heaven knows I really wanted to cry.

2 hours into the climb

I started worrying about getting dehydrated, not really because my water supply was already low, but because I was already consuming it. Wasn't really in the mood to eat since breakfast, and my siopao proved very bland and nauseating. Panting leads me to feeling all the more nauseous which doesn't boost my appetite nor my will to go faster. Great thing, my sweepers were very supportive and kept on engaging me in conversations. Aids (Adrian) kept sucking on his water bottle and kept lying on the ground whenever I call for rest stops (which absolutely made me envious and long for my bed and some milk). Both men also kept talking about ice cold drinks and soft beds (supposedly, some things you reward yourself with after a climb) and I had to restrain myself from killing both (what if i lose the trail?) because images of comfort as I know it don't really help much. Besides, vanity aside, I still cannot shake the shame of being the weakest climber of the pack. But of course, I didn't kill them, nor did i kick them or anything. They were really turning out to be good companions when you're lagging and a little insecure.

3 hours into the climb

Thanks to the good weather, we arrived at our camp site at around 1:30 PM. I was still alive.

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We set up camp (I didn't help, didn't know how without getting in the way and making myself feel all the more vulnerable) before heading off to the summit at around 4:30 PM. Good thing we could leave our backpacks at the camp site because it was a mostly vertical trek. And I did get to reach the summit. I did get to feel the free and delicious mountain air on my body. I did get cold. I did see the setting sun. I did feel the long-awaited reward of conquering a mountain (again...). Going back to the campsite was another challenge in itself but again, my sweepers didn't fail me (we even talked about LOTR, by golly).

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

It's often been said that the reward for climbing a mountain is reaching its summit (of course, apart from the friends you meet along the way). I realized that my reward is slightly different.

The summit itself was bliss to behold. And I thank God for making such a beautiful world. And I thank him too for gracing us with perfect weather and allowing me to go home generally unscathed (except for my blisters, and Aldrin did try to prevent such a thing from happening). And alive.

But it's going down the mountain that I realized mountaineering's rewards. It's knowing how to pace, so as not to spend too much energy and effort. It's knowing where to put your feet for better hold. It's not slipping as many times as before. Going up, the mountain challenges you. But going down is when you feel that the mountain has finally welcomed you into its fold.

In the book, THE ALCHEMIST, it was said that "when you want something, all the universe conspires in helping you achieve it". Thus, life converges to allow for some success so as not to dishearten the dreamer. This climb was a success, and the dreamer was not dicouraged.


by ~me~ at 1:55 AM ©

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