When hikers say that the best view always comes after the hardest climb, they really mean it. Literally and figuratively. Hiking is no easy feat – much more if prompted with extreme weather conditions, fatigue, altitude sickness, hunger, and unstable emotions. Yet, hikers continue to push to their limits, to see how far they … More Philippine’s Most Beautiful Crater Lakes
Sirao Peak comes in various names – Mt. Kan-irag and Sibugay to name a few. Whatever suits you, I’m sure you’ve come across or even hiked already this familiar highland within the borders of Cebu City. Despite the ongoing commotion and healthy arguments among local outdoorsmen, the highlands of Cebu remains as a beautiful sanctuary … More Sirao Peak – A Beginner’s Perspective
‘Ano bang pinaglalaban mo?’ What are you fighting for? When the excitement subsides and exhaustion takes over, every hiker is doomed to face this daunting question. Why am I doing this to myself? Ako pa nagbayad, ako pa ang nahihirapan! Behind all the smiles and perfectly captured panoramic shots of the summits are struggles made … More The cost of Mt. Hamiguitan
The more you experience the outdoors, the more you’ll crave for more – more challenges, more adventure. As if long dayhikes are not enough, Epifanio came up with another crazy idea over the weekday: to hike at night our beloved Spartan Trail. Though I have been familiar with such trail and have experience three days … More The Real Horrors of Night Trekking
Ah, it’s that time of the year again – time to rephrase the resolutions that failed for several years. Another attempt to make oneself better. But if we looked back on how we used to, aren’t we all getting better, if not wiser, thanks to all the failures we made? Do we really need a … More Pursue what you feel like doing, No Resolutions needed
Are you willing to pay the price of what you want? This is one of the many questions prompted by our moderator yesterday as we went along our annual workshop. He emphasized that we have stop enumerating the things that we want in life – as if the world is a giant wish-granting machine; instead, … More Exes Baggage and the many times I’ve failed with Light Packing
I didn’t like my first Mt. Talinis major climb. No clearing. No proper camping gear. No meal planning. No proper orientation on what to do and how things should be done. I could have chronicled years back how awful being left behind by the pack, getting drenched under the heavy down pour, meeting a snake … More Mt. Talinis (Nacolon): Maybe love is sweeter the second time around
Working for over six years in the same institution made me realize one thing: people come and go. As much as you wanted to keep the dear ones, you have to accept the fact that their roles in your life must change so as to open doors for new ones. Of course, the process is … More Mt. Manunggal and Mt. Mauyog: Traversing Down Memory Lane (2018 Update)
My choice of words depends on the people I deal with. Since I’m working in a learning institution, you’d expect me to talk formally because, you know, “modeling”. But of course, when pressed with all the deadlines and demanding people, I turn into a Super Saiyan and that’s when all the foul words learned from … More Mt. Baloy-daku: Four Days Cursing the River, Leeches, Ragiwriw, and everything in Between
I used to despise Sundays when I was younger. To me, it was equivalent to doomsday. Back then, the only thing I feared, aside from being whacked by a brook stick (or hanger), was to have my tooth extracted by my father. Whenever he finds out about a loose tooth, he’d eventually say that I … More My Life with the Spartan Boys
