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!!!

It became bright and hot very quickly, but we didn't care. The sun is up, after too many days of absence! We all scrambled to hang our wet clothes, packs and stuff to dry while the sun asserts its rule over the sky. Dry clothes and gear means lighter loads on the climb to Peak 1.

We followed the same schedule of deployment as last Monday. The guides sped off to pick up where they left off, then Bunny followed, then Levi with the day's meal, then finally me. 

I was more comfortable now moving across the still aggressive trail than the first time. Familiarity makes you mentally prepare yourself on what lies ahead, thereby reducing the stress. I am also now wearing the Lagalag technical pants to protect my legs from the punishment the shrubs have in store for me. That's another stress off my mind. I moved a little quicker this time. I can see Levi hanging around at a distance, as if waiting for me; and started to move again once saw me on the way down the trail.

Find the dot that is Levi

The clouds soon closed in, covering most of the vista, except for the drops on the left and right of the knife ridge. If you find yourself falling suddenly, pray that is on the left side, where the drop is less severe and there are more trees to catch you. 

While the hike seemed a bit easier, the sun and the heat made me use up my water supply quicker than I planned. I stopped a few times to rest and calm down a bit rather than overheating and prematurely emptying my bladder. Still, I made good time. I got to the tree where we left the dromedaries and climbing gear. I caught up with Levi, and he said he saw the three making their final approach to Peak 1 at a quick pace.

What looks like the final approach to Peak 1

As I move in closer to the main ridge of Peak 1, I could see the way getting steeper. I am now about 8 kilos heavier with the water I picked up from the tree, so progress for me is slower. The last obstacle to Peak 1 was this hump of an S.O.B. The vegetation has thinned out a bit, now mostly small plants and grass. Each step and hold must again be deliberate. Being less than a day old, the trail hasn't acquired a certain stability older, more established trails have. Levi said this is similar to walking into freshly fallen snow as you climb peaks in the Himalayas. Maybe this the closest we'll get to alpine conditions here in the Philippines.

Levi on the "deception peak" before the actual Peak 1

Levi told me to leave the haul bag containing one of the dromedaries before moving on, since the trail is situated in a sketchy area along the hump. My breath was heavier now because of the load. It would be great to lighten my pack a bit. But I didn't want to leave it too far away then going back to get it later. I relented when I saw a good tree placement.

I knew I finally got to Peak 1 when I saw Bunny's bag on the ground. I made it! But they are nowhere in sight. So I moved on to follow Levi. At 1,560 masl, the forest cover at Peak 1 was still thick, and I found no ideal to set up a small camp. We might end up sleeping sitting down.

The path descended, and soon I saw Levi looking at Bunny and the guides a bit further down. I also saw for the first time Peaks 2 and 3, previously hidden by the massive molar we were standing in right now. 

Lakai looking at the 4 remaining teeth

Levi and I studied carefully the problem routes up Peak 4 and Manong Lee's Peak. The rocky walls grew larger still as we got closer. This blew away any false notions that we were in for a cakewalk. It trumped my expectations by a factor of 10.

huge rocky walls on the last two peaks in the background

We saw Bunny and the guides heading back up. They said there's a short vertical drop on the descent to the saddle between Peaks 1 and 2. The way across was again a mix of thick vegetation and rock outcropping. Our fears have been confirmed further, we'll need to hack our way all four peaks just to get to the final rocky ascent to get to the knife ridge on the other side. 

That was the end of the exploration for the day. Before Isong and Binoy head back to ABC for the night (to re-supply and bring Ram-mon with them tomorrow), we took this photo. For all we know, we were the first five people to get here and see the mountain from this angle. True that we are just halfway into our goal, but this was quite an achievement already. Bunny proposed to name Peak 1 as "Lorna's Peak", in honor of Lorna Partosa, one of our four brothers and sisters whom we lost nearly three decades ago.

The sun was still in full blast as we looked back into the trail going to ABC. We've definitely come far in the few days we were allowed by the weather to work. A tribute to the hardiness of Isong and Binoy, who are, like Bulod of old, the backbone of any exploration in Guiting-guiting.

ABC or Peak 1500, as viewed from Peak 1

I "dropped trou" and slipped into my malong so that I can hang my only set of clothes to dry in what remains of the afternoon sun. We cleared a small flat area and set up the tarps and groundsheets for what will become our bivouac site. No tents tonight; let's hope the weather holds.

A clear view of Mt. Guiting-guiting's summit and the infamous sawtooth ridge.

We headed back to the viewdeck where the summit and the "teeth" can be observed. Over the radio, we heard news that Punks, Twylah and Drei are back in Tampayan, while the four Kabit-tubi boys are well on their way to Mayo's Peak. Ram-mon was holding fort in ABC, waiting for Isong and Binoy.

My Haring Solomon shot

The weather was so glorious, we just had to soak in every moment, even if our skins were burned to a crisp by the ever-descending sun. That moment couldn't have been better.

Bunny ears. Mayo's peak in the background

Mr. Lagalag

Bunny whipped out the Malagos 65% dark chocolate he was saving for a special occasion in this expedition. 

As the sun faded into dusk, we headed back to our bivy site. My pants never got fully dry, nor did my speedos. But as long as the weather holds, I'll let my body finish the drying process.

Mabuhay ang UP Mountaineers!

Dinner was a simple affair of canned goods (it's near impossible to still cook fresh meals by this time). Levi, who abstains from pork and beef for the longest time, has had the hardest time with our diet. But he's not one to complain.

Not even enough room for all three of us to sit while eating

As we watched the moon rise at the view deck after dinner, we radioed ABC, Mayo's and Tampayan so we can cast our beacons at one another. There's something comforting in getting that little bright response from your comrades far away. A confirmation that despite the relative isolation, they are just there in their respective nooks; and the team will be whole again in no time.

The weather was getting colder and the clouds were rolling in again, but it never got dark like previous nights. Our cramped bivouac is surprisingly cozy. We made light of our situation; finding something positive to describe what has become four walls of our "room".

Our posh sleeping quarter

Our expedition is drawing to a close. Tomorrow is Good Friday. We will push further, hoping to reach Peak 2, until it is time to part ways with Bunny and Isong.