UPM invades Sabah, Part 1 - from sea level to 1500 masl

May 22, Kota Kinabalu - Eight years ago, I was roaming the streets of this city like a stiff mummy. Leg muscles tight from climbing up and down hard from Mt. Kinabalu, the highest accessible mountain this in Southeast Asia (at 4,095 masl, if you want to know). I don't look back fondly on those post-climb walks. I vowed not to end up like that again now.

the famous KK swordfish

Close Calls

(another retro-post from 2008)

Tragedy makes for a good screenplay; unless the tragedy is yours, then it sucks.

When disaster hits, it sometimes comes from the most unlikely places. The recent unfortunate incident in Pundaquit reminded me of some close calls I've had in "fairly simple/easy" destinations that I (we) underestimated.

New Pack!

Just in time for our Gunung Kinabalu trek this weekend.

I got a message a few weeks ago from Jane (ROX/Osprey), asking if I'm interested in trying out their packs. Of course I said yes! 

Ticking Off My ‘Bakit’ List

(This was an article I was asked to do for work last year, as a "special interest" piece. I'm posting it here as another "throwback" entry)

Ever since they came out with that film, The Bucket List[1], people have started doing their own list of things they wish to do before they kick the bucket (i.e. pass away, expire, go kaput, you get the idea). I am no different from them. I call mine the Bakit List.  Bakit being the Filipino word for “why”. Things on this list are mostly those that, when you are out there doing it, will prove to be agonizing, sometimes crazy, sometimes life-threatening, but ultimately rewarding—assuming you survive to reminisce about it. Like running a marathon or ultramarathon, or travelling from north to south of the Philippines on a bike, you will ask yourself over and over again, “Why the $^@#& am I doing this?  Bakit?”

In the past two years, I was fortunate enough to tick two items off this Bakit List. I remember them with sentimental fondness, now that I’m past all the suffering.

Our group on top of Kala Patthar (18,192 feet), the best vantage point to see Mt. Everest (the black peak with the plume of clouds at the center).

I Hate Sports Fiesta

Since becoming this year's officers, we've been thinking of different themes and gimmicks to spice up the monthly UPM general meeting. Last month, we had the Kalawang Chef cooking challenge. Now we have the I Hate Sports Fiesta, in the spirit of the local festivals that usually happen in May, complete with the banderitas.

Event poster done by Kerwin

Surprise new gear!

Cece surprised me with a new Therm-a-rest sleeping pad after I got back from Mt. Guiting-guiting. It's from their ProLite line. Yay! What a sweet gal!

I sort of knew what she was up to, especially when we both got our dividends from REI. I've been frustrated with my old UtraLite, which I bought nearly 10 years ago. There's a mysterious puncture in the sleeping pad that I couldn't find even after the "bubble test" (submerging the inflated pad under water and checking for bubbles). The pad loses air in about 3 hours of use. 

In the last decade, a lot of new technology has allowed manufacturers to make their products lighter and compact when packing. ProLite is Therm-a-rest's lightest product to date.

I'm excited to take it up the mountains, even back to the sawtooth ridge of Mt. Guiting-guiting! 

While waiting for the next climb, we'll use it indoors, for now. 

Akyat Na! - An Alpine Climb Open Talk and Orientation

Our favorite (and only) Pinoy seven-summiter, Romi Garduce, will have a FREE talk on May 22 in R.O.X. Bonifacio High Street about the fundamentals of high altitude climbing.

This will also be a sort of launch and orientation for his expedition in October in the Annapurna Region. Mountaineers interested in joining the trip shouldn't miss this event.

Throwback: The 2010 TNF 100

My Facebook newsfeed is littered with photos of friends with their medals after finishing various distance categories at The North Face 100 in Benguet this weekend. I toyed with the idea of joining this year even if I didn't have any decent run in the past couple of months. Better judgment got the upper hand, so I stayed at home.

To join in with the weekend's hype. Here's a throwback account of the 2010 race, where I joined the 50km category. It was the third year TNF 100 ran in the country and the first held in Baguio. Cece was graduating that weekend, so I decided to run 50km instead of the full race so I can head back to QC the next day and catch the ceremonies. That's my "press release" whenever anyone asks why I didn't run 100km. In truth, I knew I would just hurt myself with the full distance because of the proverbial "lack of training".

Rock With You

It's been over a year since I was last on the crags of Tinandog, Atimonan, so the invitation from Pastor Noel and Jane (ROX) to join their rock trip on Labor Day was too tempting to pass. 

My only problem was lack of sleep. I came home late the night before because of UP Mountaineers business. It was past 1 a.m. when I finished packing the gear; and the call time was 2:30 a.m. The group already left so I boarded the next trip out and met up with them in Lucena. Pastor Noel was cheerful as ever. We catch up on things on the drive to Paradang Rizal.

Brought Richard's Osprey Stratos 40. Roomy enough to fit all my gear.
Jane told me she'll help me upgrade. (fingers crossed)
[photo by Mark Anthony Santos]