Mount Apo-a Homecoming

It was nearly two years ago when I first stepped here but I still remember it like it was yesterday.  Four o’ clock in the morning on the third day of our hike I got up, took a glance outside of my tent, and saw that the sky’s all clear after a night of heavy …

The Beloved Mount Ulap

I used to hate Mount Ulap.  I thought it was overrated. Call me an elitist but I always preferred hiking on mountains that’s secluded and hard to get to over popular and touristy ones.  And Mount Ulap, with stories of throngs of crowd queuing up for photo ops at Gungal Rock on weekends like there’s …

The Kibungan Cross Country Experience

I’ve heard about the place called Kibungan before.  Located in the highland province of Benguet three hours north of Baguio city in Cordillera Administrative Region, veteran hikers and travelers alike would swear that Kibungan is the most scenic and awe inspiring of all the places they’ve visited in the Cordilleras. Stories of hiking on a …

Mount Irid Redeemed

“It was January 24 2016 when I first stepped foot on Mount Irid.  Hiking for seven hours straight with my right hand clutching on a trekking pole I made the final push trudging my legs upward while ignoring their pleas begging for me to stop.  This was my fourteenth hike but it’s much more difficult than …

AFTER A LULL, MOUNT SEMBRANO

For fit newbies, Mount Sembrano is just the right place to trek.  Located at Pililla Rizal, it stands at 745 MASL, is a relatively easy hike surrounded by breath-taking sights and not far from Metro Manila.  The mountain used to be a hideout for insurgents, and after it has been purged of the rebels, it …

MY YUSHAN(玉山) CHRONICLE-MY JOURNEY INTO TAIWAN’S HIGHEST.

I FIRST HEARD OF MOUNT YUSHAN AS A KID when my Dad told me that there is a mountain in his native Taiwan that is so high that it snows during winter and here I am in the highlands of Chiayi Taiwan staring at it.  Waking up after having a refreshing sleep inside Dongpu Lodge(東埔山莊)- …

Mount Napulawan Revisited

Located in the heart of the Cordilleras north-east of the famous Mt. Pulag, Mount Napulawan is renowned for being the place where Japanese General Yamashita sought refuge during the last stages of World War II.  A majestic mountain standing at 2,642 meters above sea level, legend has it that the general hid a stash of …

Reaching a new height in Nalayag Monoliths

It was early morning of January 13, 2019.  The craggy coastline of Lobo Batangas greeted us as we descended through a series of nausea inducing van ride on a mountainous road, depriving most of us of our precious sleep.  In the midst of the road trip I texted Russell Sioco, our very capable guide and …

My Top Five Climbs for the Year 2018

When I discovered my passion for hiking, I was very much into the pursuits of peak bagging.  Like an excited kid I was constantly in a race to increase the number of mountains I’ve hiked, rarely returning to the same mountain twice. Somewhere along the way I came into realization that while chasing peaks is …

Life and Hiking

My friend Stephen always compares mountain hiking to life.  And I used to give him the cold shoulder treatment when he mentioned the places he had been to.  But he always showed me those photographs he took.  It was always something new.  So, I, tired of the monotony of Metro Manila, decided to relent to …