Guiting-guiting Exploration - Our Thanks

The tale of our adventure will not be complete without expressing our gratitude to all those who made it possible.

at the house of Kap. Bibo (photo: L. Orticio)

Guiting-guiting Exploration - Easter Laundry Day

I woke up in the warm suffocating air, and the sound of people scrambling around my bunk bed. I saw the familiar lights of the industrial complexes lining the Bay of Batangas. We're getting closer to home!

It's deceiving, though. As you appear to get closer to the port, the longer it seems to take to reach it. It probably took us more than half an hour to dock, and another thirty minutes to disembark.

We said farewell to Adrian and Kerwin, who were riding different buses from ours. I couldn't sleep on the bus, so I punished myself by watching three repeats of Pagpag on the TV. We got back to QC by the time the movie was starting again. Whew!

5AM. Warm bath. Hot, home-cooked meal. My soft bed. I was home at last! I dozed off after talking to Cece. It was almost noon when I woke up.

Guiting-guiting Exploration Day 9 - On Our Way Home

The drinking session went all the way into the morning. I dozed off around 3 a.m.; I can still hear the voices of Ram-mon, Punks, Neil and some others discussing something or another. I gave up on getting a decent sleep at around 5 a.m. Most of the people were already up and packing. The jeep will pick us up around 7, taking us to Cajidiocan.

While watching Punks pack, I couldn't believe how much gear he brought in this expedition. For one, he had a big-ass tent you can stand inside in (good for 8 persons). His total haul was 4 big packs, which he loaded into a small stroller. Talk about commitment! At least they had a very comfortable stay in Mayos' Peak, bar non-stop rain.

Pack for 1 (photo by Kerwin Nicolas)

Palace at Mayo's Peak (photo by Twylah Rubin)

Guiting-guiting Expedition Day 8 - The Long Walk (Part 2)

(conclusion of Part 1)

Good Friday, 2:30 PM - I started walking down, ahead of the others. Now the real fun began. As I reached the lower elevation, I started to miss those shrubs and underbrush lashing my skin. At least with those I got relatively secure footing. The trail opened up at the forest line, and from here on in I was walking in wet, muddy, and slippery ground.

Even with my trusty trekking pole, I was no match to the virtual friction-less terrain. I was lord of the trail slide. The back of my pants is now laminated with a film of mud. I couldn't afford to be distracted by some errant thought while walking lest I miss my footing and slide again. Isong overtook me in due course, and it was hopeless to catch up to him no matter what I tried.

Further down, the dry riverbed we walked through is now sort of alive, and slimy. The rainwater from days before mixed with the moss covering the rocks created a Teflon coating scared the hell out of me, that I slowed to almost a crawl. I was surprised at the length of the riverbed that was part of the trail. A week ago it didn't feel we walked here very long.

Without a watch, it seemed I was walking for days on end. We went pass the long descent where the last water source can be found; now a bubbling brook. After which came the hard climb before we got back to the contour of the ridge. The forest added a dark and eerie feeling to the trek.

Guiting-guiting Exploration Day 8 - The Long Walk (Part 1)

(Warning: A very long entry)

Good Friday, 4 a.m. - It has been raining since midnight, and our bivouac site had little resistance to the incoming water. I've been sitting on the last dry spot while Levi and Bunny slept, sometimes snoring, oblivious to their soaked state on the flooded groundsheet. I've been missing my bed at home. 

In between sleeping and waking states, I've been telling myself, "this day better be worth it".

6 a.m - Daylight finally came, and the rain appears to have concluded its mission to make me miserable. In hindsight, sleeping beside a natural drain was not the best idea we've had. Unfortunately, we didn't have a lot of options on where to sleep.

Mga basang sisiw

It's a complete "180" from the awesome weather less than 12 hours ago. Visibility was just about 20 feet. A testament to Mt. Guiting-guiting not giving a rat's ass on what we wanted. 

Guiting-guiting Expedition Day 7 - The Glorious Day

I woke up with the sound of Ram-mon cooking breakfast. The crisp morning air greeted us with a promise that this would be a fine day.

Moonset at daybreak. Not a cloud in sight

 Everything can be seen clearly at daybreak. Mt. Guiting-guiting was devoid of any cloud cover, as was Mayo's peak, and the rest of the mountain, for that matter. But deep inside I knew that this was just a trick to lull us into slowing things down and enjoy the sunrise that was displaying a slew of colors in the east.

Actual sunrise!!!

Guiting-guiting Exploration Day 6 - There's a Calm Before the Storm

ABC - Another near-sleepless night. Though the LPA kept on raging past midnight, it was the hard bumpy "bed" that kept me tossing and turning. There's that feeling that I'm being hit by a gigantic boxing glove in full force but in slow motion. Why the hell did I leave my inflatable pad at home?

Adrian and Neil couldn't wait to get packed and head down to Kabit-tubi, where the conditions are a lot drier and there's more room to move (without getting hammered by the rain). They almost skipped breakfast had we not insisted they eat something before they leave. (I also made sure I got the last drop of Neil's powerbank to recharge my phone)

Raring to go

News from the other teams came around 7 am. Ram-mon is going up with the guides before lunch, bringing additional supplies and water. On the other side, Punks told us Drei and Twylah left for their summit push with Bermar (Toto). It appears that the conditions at Mayo's was improving.

Bunny called us to go out and see the sky clearing up a bit. After two days of whiteout conditions, our hearts got cheered up by the sight of the sea of clouds below us and the pointy outline of Mt. Guiting-guiting. 

Bunny calling Punks on the radio

As if to call the weather's bluff, Bunny kept singing "someone told me long ago there's a calm before the storm..." ("Have you ever seen the rain?" by Creedence Clearwater Revival).

I felt bad for Adrian and Neil. The whole time they were up here, they saw nothing but clouds and a wet campsite. An hour to their descent, the clouds parted and the sun almost made an appearance. Perhaps there's some truth in their weather jinx?

Guiting-guiting Exploration Day 5 - Cabin Fever

ABC - It was difficult to get a good night's sleep when it's pouring outside and you only have a leaky rainfly and water-accumulating groundsheet as shelter. We were in for some really wet weather today, according to the forecasts. Moderate to heavy rains was the order of the day.

What can you do when you're stuck inside a tent crammed with 5 people as you wait out the passing of the low pressure area? Pretty much nothing except talk, move your legs around to prevent cramping, and avoid looking at your watch to see how slow the minutes pass. 

Most of our morning was spent discussing the merits of alcohol burning stoves, and the slow conversion of Niel to the "Trangia cult". I'd have to agree with the pros of zero moving parts (less need for field repair) and the very quiet operation of alcohol stoves, but I'm not about to buy one and waste what stoves I now have. Maybe in the future I'll consider replacing my gear.

The High Priest of the Cult of Trangia

Guiting-guiting Expedition Day 4 - Weather-weather Lang

Levi recalled something Isong said yesterday afternoon, as we were enjoying the sight of the rainbow:

Isong: Sabi ng matatanda sa amin noon. Kapag may lumalabas na ganyan (rainbow) sa hapon, masama ang panahon kinabukasan.

Levi smiled politely, thinking to himself: Diba dapat maganda ang panahon? Kasi yun yung promise kay Noah? (then decided not to pursue the issue).

Late last night it started to rain. It was different from the drizzle the night before. This was a legitimate rain shower. It rained again after breakfast, and it appeared no to be ending anytime soon. Manong Isong was right.

We've been monitoring the weather even before we left Quezon City. By the time we got to Sibuyan, tropical storm Peipah (Domeng) has fizzled out into a low pressure area. The problem is ex-storm Domeng decided to linger in the eastern Visayas, remaining almost stationary in the past few days, then decided to inch northward before heading west. We're smack in the middle of its path.

storm trajectory (www.weather.com.ph)

Guiting-guiting Exploration Day 3 - On to Peak 1

Yesterday, it dawned on us the immense work we had ahead of us. We have seen for the first time in greater detail the vertical obstacles going up to Peak 4, and again, but triple in length, up Peak 5, or Manong Lee's Peak. These rocky sections are at least 50 meters, and could probably be more than 200 meters. With this new information, we tried to figure out the best way forward. But the picture is far from complete. We need to reach Peak 1 so that we see Peaks 2 and 3, which are obscured from our vantage.

Our objective today was to ferry our equipment and water across the ridge until we reach Peak 1 (see arrow), the first major "tooth" about 1.2 kilometers aerial distance, and 60 meters higher than ABC, based on the topo maps.

Yellow arrow shows Peak 1. The peak behind the foreground is Mayo's Peak.

Guiting-guiting Exploration Day 2 - ABC

My back suffered quietly while I tried to sleep my way into morning. The temperature dropped around 2 or 3 am and a slight breeze delivered it right into my skinny body. All I could do is spread the tent fly and cover myself and hope it gives enough wind protection.

Breakfast was ginataan na daing na bulad (dried parrot fish in coconut milk) and some leftover ulang (a type of river prawn) from the night before. We must load up on food since this is a working day. From Kabit-tubi, we will hike up to Peak 1500, which we designated as ABC (advance base camp), where Ram-mon and the others will be waiting for us. With the help of porters, we'll be carrying liters upon liters of drinking water to sustain our stay up there while breaking trail. Bunny already told us that the way up is steep and the trail heavily vegetated, so I expect myself to be all sweat again by the time we reach ABC five to six hours after. The porters already went ahead, since they need to get back down before dark.

Out of the safe shelter and into the wilderness

Guiting-guiting Exploration Day 1 - Welcome to Kabit-tubi

We arrived in Romblon, Romblon around 4 in the morning. I had some trouble sleeping past midnight, when the crew brought down the tarpaulin sheets (to protect passengers from sea spray), effectively suffocating everyone with stale, warm air. The ferry connection to Magdiwang arrives around 7 in the morning, so we had time to kill. We took advantage of the power outlets at the port terminal to recharge our phones. Levi and Bunny ventured out to buy the famous Boknoy's siopao, while I sleep and guard our things.

It was a Friday, and MV Maria Querubin was at standing-room capacity. We found a quiet and shaded corner at the top deck, and took turns dozing off. Bunny busied himself sewing the heck out of his Brooks Cascadia; a veteran of countless expeditions. The sun spoiled our quiet moments not long after the ferry left the port. We were hard-pressed to find some protection from the scorching rays as we wait for the ship to move eastward, thus bringing back the blessed shade.

Guiting-guiting Exploration - Day Zero Dash

Frantic preparations have been underway since a week before, after we had our final pre-climb with the whole team. Then just to be sure, Bunny, Levi and I ran through the plan again last Monday over a few bottles of beer at the Lagalag office in Kamias. We needed to fine-tune our final traverse, should it happen. By that time, we're supposed to be on our own, with only limited support should. 

Fast-and-light

We had to figure out how to do the thing fast and light. Garduch reminded me again last night to avoid the common mistake in fast-packing: bringing a smaller pack, but carrying the same 20-25 kilogram load on our back.

I borrowed the Osprey Stratos 40 of Richard so that I'll maintain discipline in minimal packing. with about 20 liters less room, I gave up some luxuries--like my old reliable thermarest ultralight--to save space. I didn't even pack any spare clothes other than what I'll use during the traverse (but I did ask Twylah to carry a drybag of clothes for me up Mayo's Peak). My pack will be filled mostly with ropes, climbing hardware, and water (about 8 liters each). All in all, my pack's weight will be in the realm of 15-20 kilograms. Not good.

Waiting for the bus

JAM Transit station was in chaos. It has been that way the entire week. What was usually a 30-minute interval between rides have become 1 to 2-hour waits. Passengers bound for Batangas had to get a number to make sure they get a seat on the next bus. I was nearly the last person to be called to the bus; and almost lost my seat while I was loading my duffel bag at the compartment.

Boogie Wall Revisited

One week to go before our expedition, and we've only had a couple of roped-in sessions under our belt. Everyone was so busy on their own things (Levi with the opening of the Lagalag Store in SM City; Bunny and I with our office duties) that we couldn't find the time to go back to the crags. This is our last chance before heading for Sibuyan.

I picked up Levi and Bunny along the way. Levi brought his prototype Lagalag fastpack to test during the climb. Bunny brought freshly pressed coffee for breakfast. We got to Wawa around 7 in the morning, and hiked out to the base of Boogie wall.

I've been to Boogie once before this; with Henry and Levi. I've led the second pitch without any real experience in placing traditional protection (i.e. stoppers). A pretty sketchy first experience, but I've learned a lot from that. At the base, we took some time planning the sequence of our climb: who will lead, come second, and clean the pro.

"selfie" before the climb

Guiting-guiting Exploration - One of the last great problems

Ever since Mt. Guiting-guiting's summit was first reached in 1982, the serrated ridge from which Guiting-guiting gets its name ("gunting-gunting") has fascinated mountaineers. The desire to cross this ridge from end to end has only grown stronger through the years, but only a couple of legitimate attempts has been recorded. A year after the summit was reached, Bubut Tan-Torres, Mon Ruiz and Fred Jamili hacked and climbed their way, but the expedition got cut short when water got scarce (their rappel down to Cantingas River and subsequent 2-day river trek in itself was already epic). Almost thirty years after, in 2012, a team led by Jong Narciso tried again. But because of days of bad weather, the only got to scale the gateway peak, which they named in honor of Manong Lee Tansiongco. Both attempts started along the traditional route going to the summit from Magdiwang. 

The serrated ridge in 2009