Talikasan 2007: Mt. Pantingan

"Take nothing but pictures.
Leave nothing but footprints.
Kill nothing but time."

Spent Friday night at April and Mary's apartment. Most of the time, I was busy packing, and unpacking, and packing, and unpacking, and packing. Get the drift? Hehe. I had a tough time deciding on what bag to use, what to put in, and where to put it, and visualizing myself carrying a ton of load on my back. Had second thoughts about using the bag that Eugene lent me after hearing this from someone who was "strongly supportive":

"Ang ganda! Bagay! San si Master Splinter?"

Thank you very much for that well-deployed sarcasm. Hehehe. I tried squeezing everything into a smaller bag but I was afraid it would burst at the seams. I still ended up using the trekking bag, which is only a few sizes smaller than me. Hell, if I looked like a fuckin' Ninja Turtle then... Cowabunga!

The assembly time at Five Star bus terminal in Cubao is at 4-fuckin-am. April and I forgot to bring a packed lunch so we looked around the terminal for food. Our best efforts rewarded us with two (Yep, not just one but two!) übernutritious and überscrumptilicious hotdogs! How deeply rewarding, ain't it?! Ha!

When we rode the bus, we immediately fell into a coma. Yep, waking up at such an ungodly hour can do just that. Ehe. The trip lasted for about 4 hours. From the Bataan bus terminal, we rode a jeepney going to an Aeta community in Bagac where we kicked things off with a couple of reminders from our Trek Lead, Tupe a.k.a "Trasher", and a little stretching led by Miles.

After making a couple of my joints snap, we began the trek to Mt. Pantingan. When we entered the rainforest, the sound of nature prevailed. The wind spoke in hushed whispers. Dried leaves and twigs cried beneath my feet. And the water, for lack of a better verb, kissed the rocks ever so passionately. Nyaha.

During the pre-climb, we were reminded to wear arm warmers and be as "covered and protected" as possible. And being the hard headed person that I am, I didn't wear any form of arm protection and I even wore capri pants. As result, I got myself a nasty set of scratches on my arms and legs.

We had our lunch by the stream. The hotdogs we bought looked pitiful. Hehe. Good thing Jeleni and Byron were generous enough to share their packed lunches. ^_^ After eating, I threw myself into the water to freshen up a little.

Mona then gave a lecture about the Leave No Trace (LNT) Principles of outdoor ethics. The principles are as follows:

1. Plan ahead and prepare. It's about knowing the regulations and concerns about the area to be visited. Preparing for extreme weather or any form of emergency that may arise.

2. Travel and camp on durable surfaces. That includes established trails and campsites, rock, gravel, or dry grasses. It is also said that good campsites are found, not made.

3. Dispose of waste properly. Pack it in, pack it out. Whatever you bring up, you bring down. Be it an empty bottle of water, a candy wrapper, or leftover food. But of course, human waste is an exception. You can dig a cathole for that.

4. Leave what you find. Leave rocks, plants, and other natural objects as you find them. Avoid introducing non-native species. Coz whatever change that you do will later have an effect on the environment.

5. Minimize campfire impacts. As much as possible, you should do away with building campfires. If it can't be avoided, you should keep the fire small, burn all woods to ash, put out the campfire completely, then scatter cool ashes.

6. Respect wildlife. Wildlife should be observed from a distance. Never feed them. For feeding them may damage their health and may alter their natural behaviors.

7. Be considerate of other visitors. Respect future visitors and protect the quality of their experience.

"Bad Boy" talked about reading trail signs:



Minutes later, the trek resumed. 'Twas a much tiring second half especially when we reached the grass land, where there were no trees that would block the sun's blazing fury.

Me: "Malayo pa ba tayo?"
Rey: "Malapit na!"

We reached leveled grounds, trekked up steep climbs, walked down, walked up, but the trail just wouldn't end, and Danny's Gate just wouldn't come.

Me: "Akala ko ba malapit na?"
Rey: "Malapit nang maging malapit. Hehe."

We finally reached Danny's Gate. Enjoyed the breathtaking views from the campsite. Jerry, our Group Leader, taught us how to choose the right site and how to properly pitch a tent.

Rey prepared our dinner which, I'd like to believe, was pininyahang manok. Hehe. It lacked flavor so we simply added salt to taste. Rey even tried to add orange juice to it. Nyaha. But in fairness to him, he is a good cook. We were just a little short of ingredients, really. Ehe.

The socials followed after dinner. Our group's presentation was a total disaster. After all the performances, there was this raffle where bags, shirts, and sandals were given away courtesty of our sponsor - Neptune Sportswear.

Those who wanted to drink, drank. Those who wanted to sleep, slept. And I need not say what I did. Hehe.

The three of us girls were assigned to prepare breakfast. We bought too much food - a pack of danggit and a pack of pusit, two packs of dilis, two cans of tuna flakes, and some eggs. We didn't cook everything, and that I regret, coz I had to carry them on our way down the mountain. -_-'

For me, the trek down was much harder. I really felt the weight of my bag pushing me forward. It rained a bit, and though it was refreshing, it also made the trail slippery. My shoes didn't have enough traction so I had to be extra careful or I'd tumble all the way down the mountain. Also, we had lesser rest stops. Seemed like everyone's excited for our side trip, eh?

When we got back at the Aeta community, we were all tired as hell but very proud of ourselves as well.

Rode a jeepney going to our side trip at Sun Moon Beach Resort. Tough luck, the Red Fairy came. But on second thought, I'd rather paint the beach red than paint the mountain red. Right, April? Hehe. ;)

Jerry cooked menudo for lunch. Out of all the meals I've eaten, 'twas the most filling. Maybe because I was no longer afraid of hearing and answering the call of nature since restrooms were conveniently available and digging catholes were uncalled-for. ^_^

We left the beach late in the afternoon. Angela lost her phone. We all doubted that one of us took it but for fairness' sake, all our bags were inspected when we reached the bus terminal. But after rummaging through each other's stuff, not a phone was found. Nothing that was hers, at least. Tsktsk.

Again, I slept through the trip back to Manila. And a very restful sleep, it was. We got off the bus at Cubao and took a cab home. Saw myself in the mirror and noticed that I am at least three shades darker and my scratches, swollen and red. But it was sure all well worth it!!! ^_^