SPORTS UNLIMITED

 

March 29, 2008

We did it! We survived the forest, everyone is in one piece! Great job team, now we're staring at the last face of our climb to the top. We all took a deep breath and braced ourselves for the boulders. Who knew that there was this after the forest?

Talk about a complete transformation of the mountain. From being covered with lush greens to getting a complete shave and left with huge boulders. Let me tell you, it is overwhelming to see for the first time where we came from, down there, and where we are going, all the way up there!

 

Climbing rocks

 

Seeing the group ahead of us climbing the boulders so high up sends a chill up your spine. I'll be honest, I am not a rock climber so looking at how high we have to climb is scary, but this I can say now, you need courage to climb Mt. Apo.

 

This is the first time we get to see a real view, clear of trees and bushes, absolutely beautiful. Now you can look and stare all you want, but for amateur climbers, here's a helpful tip, do not climb and look at the same time.  Climb, stop, look, admire, then climb again. Don't we normally have a harness when we do this?

 

Talk about natural rock face. You won't get any more outstanding than this if you are a rock climber. Now this is one of the unique things you will experience when climbing Mount Apo, this we have never done or seen before, picking wild berries from berry plants that are growing straight out of the boulders.

 

Picking berries

For many of us, eating these fresh fruits after munching on dried preserved fruits since we started this climb is a total treat. Now how cool is this. Marc, Jackie and myself can't get enough of these berries, it's past our lunchtime so these berries are a great unexpected appetizer.

 

All right, we can't get carried away, back to climbing. Whatever you do when climbing these boulders, .especially if you've never been in this situation before is don’t look down.

Can't help it, we needed to stop and take this view all in, it's just spectacular, stunning, super. I think you get the picture.

 

Amazing view

 

This makes every ache you are feeling worth while, this view. We are so overwhelmed and so proud that our team has made it this far. It's one thing to climb the mountain, it's another thing to be climbing and shooting a show at the same time.

 

We have not reached our goal of the summit yet, but we can see clearly now where we are going, not too far now. Marc and I cannot help but feel so proud of our Sports Unlimited crew.

All right Gang, we got to get going. See that smoke?  What is that? Nothing to be worried about we are assured by our guides, but definitely something we need to see we're told, alright crew, follow that smoke. Sulfur steam coming out of the mountain?

 

Sulfur side show

 

This mountain is constantly surprising us. You can look at it like you are at a party and your host is constantly dishing out things throughout the night to surprise the guests, that's how I feel. We're guests at this climbing party, Mt. Apo is our host, and we are constantly being surprised.

 

First the unexpected wild berries, and now a "sulfur side show." Terrific! More picture taking.  We were warned that sulfur smells, but at this point, the smell takes a back seat to the surprise of seeing such a sight all the way up here.

Our guides tell us that now we are not far at all from the summit, but that the last ascend is the toughest so we will be stopping at Camp White Sand which is in the peak of what the mountaineers call "Baby Apo."  I took that as a very encouraging statement because we all know that where the baby is, the mommy is nearby.

What a relief getting to the top of Baby Apo. Climbing those boulders was really an unbelievable challenge. It seems like everybody is here, all that rock climbing made us very hungry.  

 

Rain before the final ascent

 

While having lunch we felt the rain, that's fine, we brought out our raincoats and just prayed that the rain stops by the time we make our final ascend to the summit. Our guides tell us that Mt. Apo saves the best challenge for last, check out how steep an ascend we have to make before we get to the peak.

 

We've come this far, nothing will stop us now. We just have to wait till the rain dies down and then we will tackle the final face of this climb. This is what we were worried about, rain.

 

We have reached our last stop before reaching the peak of Mt. Apo. This is the crater lake. We have come this far and we are not taking any risks, we decided to wait here at the crater till the rain stops and then just a few more minutes of climbing, and we will be at the top of the highest mountain in the Philippines.

 

Mt. Apo's summit

We are finally here! After taking, who knows, hundreds of thousands of steps, our team has made it to the summit of Mt. Apo. Words cannot describe what we are feeling. Saying that getting to the top is a great feeling is an understatement.

 

You feel more than great.  You feel a certain empowerment. You feel a voice shouting from inside you that's saying, I can do whatever I set my mind on doing. You feel very proud of yourself.

At the peak of Mt. Apo, we were surrounded by fog and could not see what was below us, but that did not get in the way of us knowing and feeling how high we have come and what we have achieved.

 

After many minutes of celebrating at 10,311 feet to be exact, it was time for us to trek about 10 minutes down where we were staying the night, the Summit Camp.

 

Setting up camp at the summit

 

We got to the peak of Mt. Apo about 2:30 pm, by 3pm we were at the Summit Camp and by 4pm, when we got settled both physically and emotionally, it started to rain cats and dogs, so everyone retreated to their tents and used this time to give our bodies a much needed rest.

 

After an hour or so, the rain stopped and again, one by one, armed with caps and jackets, everyone started coming out of their tents to do what the Pinoy does best, celebrate!

 

You can tell that everyone's spirit was uplifted, that's just what the peak of Mt. Apo does to you. Aside from layered clothing, the group found other ways to keep warm, good drinks and dancing.

 

Fire at Mt. Apo

 

When night comes, you need light, fire gives you that. When night comes, you need warmth, fire gives you that. So the group hit two birds with one stone, we got the fire we needed when we were all treated to a fire dance. Again, another surprise during this climbing party.

 

We could hardly believe that we were watching this kind of entertainment that we normally only expect to see on the beach, yet again, Mt. Apo surprises us. After the fire dancer treat came dinner, and then, everyone was psyched to wake up the next day before the crack of dawn to get back up to the peak to see the sunrise.

 

The sun rises

 

We have seen the sun rise from numerous places in the Philippines, but let me tell you, to see it from the highest peak in the Philippines sends a certain chill up your spine! You suddenly feel all these different emotions, and then you think this in hindsight, climbing a mountain can be contradictory, with the hardships come accompanying joy.

 

From this peak, on a clear day, you can see all of Davao and the oceans that surround it. From this peak, even on a dark and cloudy day, you can see the bright and jubilant smiles of all that have made it here.

 

Day 3- Time to go

 

March 3, third day, early morning, time to leave the mountain. I'll be very honest with you, this climb was one of the most fulfilling things I have done in the Philippines, this group started climbing this mountain as friends, and I can say now that we are going down the mountain as family. We have conquered a tough challenge together, and that calls for…. Make up! Hahahahaha!

 

Well, like I have been saying, a climb to Mt. Apo is always different with Jackie Dizon. The thought of leaving the mountain conjures up many thoughts, most of it though honestly is related to a nice shower and finally, after three days, feeling squeaky clean. Can’t wait.

 

The trip down

 

Our trek down Mt. Apo was a totally different experience from climbing up. Normally, if you really take your time, this trek down takes about 4 hours, Again, being able to see where we needed to get to from the top of the mountain was a great motivator for all of us.

 

After a few last pictures by many of us from the top, we all started to make our way down. Like we said earlier, Mt. Apo lies on the borders of Davao, North Cotabato and Bukidnon, and we were told that the end of our journey will be in Kadapawan City, North Cotabato.

 

The end of the adventure

 

Marc ran down the mountain and made it to the bottom in record time. I arrived about an hour later and the rest of the group, a few hours later, going down was also a very beautiful and enjoyable trail. After we reached concrete, we were given a very warm welcome by  the City of Kidapawan.

 

They prepared special certificates for Sports Unlimited and the rest of our group saying that we have completed our climb to Mt. Apo. Everyone in Kidapawan made us feel so special, it reminded us of the special place we just came from, a peak 10, 311 feet up, the majestic Mt. Apo.

 

 

Next Week:

Enjoy Parasailing and Horseback riding in the Island Paradise Boracay.