CONQUERING MT. APO at 50!
FILLING UP A BUCKET LIST. I first saw Mt. Apo from Davao City during my Jesuit Volunteer Philippines or JVP days in 1984 and promised myself to climb it someday. I was 21 years old then. After my JVP days ended in 1985, I would still visit Mindanao, particularly Davao City for workshops, conferences and gatherings. Each time I saw Mt. Apo, I relived my dream of someday climbing it. Yet, found neither time nor opportunity to do so.
OPPORTUNITY COMES IN A WAKE. In the wake of the father of a JVP batch mate – Sarge Sarmiento and a UAAP basketball games classmate – Steve (Sarge’s brother) on 25 May 2013, a close buddy Gilbert Garchitorena out of the blue asked if I wanted to join his and Steve’s group (who play badminton regularly and just
By 2 August 2013, I found myself in an airplane with Gilbert’s group to Davao City. Arriving at Davao airport at 12.45, the Social Climber’s Mountaineering team picked s up. We then ate lunch at the FLYOVER (the restaurant not the road!) and by 14.30, drove to Kidapawan City where our jump off point would be.
“WHAT CONDITIONING HAVE YOU DONE?” You know you are in trouble when you do not really know how to answer this question before a climb. On the way, Osler and Benjie Lizada– our guides would ask me,“ Anong conditioning ang ginawa niyo sa paghahanda? Kasama ka naman umakyat sa Mt. Pulag? Nag- babadminton naman kayo lagi? On the last two questions – neither did I join the group to Mt. Pulag nor do I play badminton with them! As for conditioning, all I could answer was “Naglalaro ako ng basketball tuwing Linggo!” hoping to assure both guides I would be able to climb up and descend down in one piece!
THE CLIMB (3 August 2013; Saturday)
PRAYER BEFORE THE CLIMB. Jump off point was Site H in EDC- about 40 minutes from Silver Spoon Inn where we slept the night before and watched SMART Gilas 
defeat Jordan in the FIBA games. Breakfast the next day was 05.30 in a nearby karinderia– rice, adobo, egg, and ampalaya! Then off to Site H. We were six (6) climbers in our group plus a woman (Tina); five (5) Social Climbers guideswith Cleo (a dog), and 15 porters carrying our backpacks, etc.
Tasked to lead the prayer before the climb, all I could pray for was thanking God for the beautiful nature around us, for the journey ahead of us, and for the accompaniment of guides and the porters with us. Then off we climbed!
THE CLIMB. We started walking by 08.45. Based on my website research I thought the initial climb would be plains first then uphill. I was totally wrong. It was uphill from the start. Our guides mentioned once or twice that we may reach the first stop – the bunk house by 14.00, and then the peak by dark. For the record, our group (as one group was fast and reached the destinations ahead of time) reached the bunk house at 12.30 p.m. or 3 ½ hours from Site H. We had lunch and rested, then proceeded to the peak at 13.30. We reached the peak by 17.00 or another 3 ½ hours with darkness still nowhere. It rained at the middle of our trek to the final assault (2 ½ hours of high ground) causing all my clothes to get wet.
THE PEAK AT NIGHT WITH WARM TINOLA UNDER MODERATE SHOWERS. Once at the peak, our first order of business was to change into dry clothes which we did promptly. Temperature was less than 10 degrees Celsius, food was just about to be cooked and moderate showers blessed the camp site. Tired from the seven hour climb, I decided to skip dinner and tried to sleep by 18.00. But one porter brought me food in the tent – rice with warm, tasty tinola that energized me enough to join the group in the kitchen tent for some light talk until around 20.00. Then off to rest in the warmth of a tent (though the earth was wet.)
ON TOP OF THE PHILIPPINES. At 05.30, us climbers walked a short distance to one of seven summits around us and started taking pictures. There is only one word to describe the feeling and surrounding around us – AWESOME!
THINKING ABOUT IT. By 07.00, we were asked to come down for breakfast and prepare for the descent by 08.00. Tina once mentioned that she was worried about the descent more than the climb- a similar fear I kept inside. Coming down a mountain is faster but definitely harder.
I MADE IT. By 08.20, we took our last pictures at the peak, Osler led the prayer before descent and down the mountain we went. Our group reached the bunk house by 10.20 (2 hours from the peak) for some rest and lunch. 
By 12.00 we started to our descent to the final destination Site H. Along the way, Jemor (the porter carrying my backpack) and I got separated from the rest of the group. Still, we were able to reach Site H by 14.30 (2 ½ hours from the bunk house.)
BEING CONQUERED BY MT. APO AT 50!
(Nature’s Gift of Humility – in a Journey Full of Accompaniment)
POST CLIMB (4 AUG 2013)
Before driving back to Davao City, our aching bodies (specially our legs) were treated to a 30 minute sulfuric ater pool therapy at Lake Agco resort – a 5 minute ride from EDC. The therapy was apt and FANTASTIC!
By 17.00, we drove back to Davao City, eating dinner at Digos City along the way. We reached Davao City by 21.00, put our backpacks in Room 301 of FTC hotel and surprisingly still had strength to enjoy ice cold beers at a restaurant until midnight.
I still remember Benjie Lizada asking me while driving back to Davao City, “Were you apprehensive before the climb?” I could have proudly stated “not at all!” having finished the climb. But nature has a way of humbling us! So I answered honestly “Of course I was (particularly because I did not have any conditioning, suffer from high blood, was 50 years old and a shorter left leg (polio) to go with it!)” I made it- because in the journey I was not alone. I was blessed with God’s gifts around me– with nature, people, and faith!
KAYA’T MARAMING MARAMING SALAMAT sa…
D Social Climber’s team – Osler, Benjie, Dave at Cleo the dog, Buboy at siyempre kay Fred.
D 15 ‘porters’ lalo na kayJemor – 18 gulang na binata na pangarap makatapos ng kolehiyo!
D Aking co-climbers –Bong, Eric, Martin, Steve, Gilbert at Tina!
D Aking asawa si Judith at dalawang “awesome” na mga anak – Iella at Gesu!
AT HIGIT SA LAHAT…SA DIYOS – para sa Kalikasan, sa mgaTaong nakasama, at sa Paglakbay sa Mt. Apo!
