Author: Katie
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Damas traverse
I will give it to you straight. Steep. Yes she had fabulous views at the peak, refreshing river crossings and the thundering drop of Ubod Falls, but, what stuck to me about Damas is her killer ascents and knee-busting descents. The guides may insist the slopes are gradual, but they are not. With the jumpoff…
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September pic(k) of the month
Dangerous as it seems, here is one for the books: planking at 400+ MASL. An instant adventure is what happens when you do something risky and over-daring. Taken at one of the rock faces of Mt. Marami with the verdant landscape of Cavite in the background.
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August pic(k) of the month
Just look at a rosy sunset, And wonder about running off into his rays. Before sunset, after sunset, There’s the ruddy glow of the sky. And I quote: “Clouds come floating into my life, no longer to carry rain or usher storm, but to add color to my sunset sky.” – Rabindranath Tagore
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Bicol express returns
The train service to the southern region (from which the famous spicy dish was named after) is back. Chugging and snaking its heavy metal body through a 10- to 11-hour track ride, the Bicol Express makes a formidable competitor to the lazy boy bus rides and the quick plane trips. Offering three types of service,…
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King of the country’s mountains
So there we were, at the peak, shivering from head to foot in the cold mountain air and rainfall. Ah, Mt. Apo – indeed the grandfather of all Philippine mountains (2,956 MASL) . Halfway into conquering him, we have already had our fair share of shifting landscapes and contrasting trail types. As nighttime bade hello,…
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July pic(k) of the month
July was a lazy month. Save for my foray into a race upgrade at the end of the month, I was mostly an onlooker and cheerleader at the sidelines. I waited and watched like the Matabungkay audience in the photo during a local sports event.
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Lucban’s annual fiesta
We celebrate festivals in every region and province: to give honor to patron saints, to thank the heavens for a bountiful harvest, and to celebrate legends and folklore. One of the Philippines’ famous and most colorful celebrations is the Pahiyas Festival of Lucban, Quezon. Staged every 15th of May, this year’s festivities fell on a…
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Tarak and its windy ridge
My first climb for the year took me to one of Bataan’s highest points. Tarak left me with two things. First, like a wordplay, I now understand how it got its name. The initial portion of the climb involves the usual wide trails through grasslands and flatlands. Three hours into this type of trek, you…
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Arayat: the case of the missing trail
And I thought guides are supposed to know and lead the way. Up until this climb. An ambitious dayhike traverse from the Magalang to Arayat trails ended on a rather mischievous note as we learned from the lead pack that our juvenile brothers from Brgy. Ayala on the Magalang side seemed to have lost the…
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June pic(k) of the month
Thank You, Lord, for the endless blessings and the sheer joy of my being in this world: treading, enjoying and wandering. I have had my tests of faith and physical limits; but You are always there when I start to think it all ends. “Above all else, know this: Be prepared at all times for…
Always Wandering 