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)
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| 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.
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| Bunny calling Punks on the radio |
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| 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?
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| A mountain slug visited our tent |
We were still stuck in camp, but at least we can move around. Housekeeping was top priority. We didn't want Ram-mon seeing his meticulously-maintained campsite turned into a dump in just two days. I managed to fill the smaller water containers from the jug I refilled with rainwater (yes, it got full again after the incident last Monday). The only thing I missed is that we don't have any free source of water now that it wasn't raining.
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| Good housekeeping |
I found a plastic bag whick looked like it had adobo in it. This, another bag of Chinese soup, we called it brunch!
Bunny and I moved back to our old tent (recently vacated by Adrian and Neil), while Levi chose to stay and will sleep with the guides and Ram-mon. I'm hoping that tonight's accommodation would be kinder to my aching body.
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| Dr. Ram-mon, as Punks kept calling him. |
Ram-mon and the guides got to camp early afternoon. Now, we are in a position to give this thing another go. Weather updates say better conditions in the next two days, and the successful summit of Drei and Twylah brought us more encouragement. With two days left the complete traverse is now out of the question. We'll just push as far as we can until late Friday.
Levi suggested we stay another day so that we can make use of the entire Friday to gain ground. Bunny has to catch the boat on Saturday along with the rest of the team. I considered my options carefully and decided to keep Levi company until Saturday, then we'll head home on Sunday. It would be very difficult for me to get another set of leaves for this expedition in May, so I will just make the most of the time I have left here without adding another day to my leave (I just have to explain to Cece that I won't be home by Easter).
We were pretty much set here in ABC for the remainder of the expedition. There was no reason for the Kabit-tubi team to linger on awaiting instructions. On the night's radio update, we told them if they were interested, they can head on down tomorrow and go climb Guiting-guiting via Mayo's Peak. We will help coordinate with Punks and his team to leave some tents and supplies at Mayo's so that the next team can move up quicker with much lighter packs.
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| Clouds rolled in, but somehow the outlook seems less bleak |
A bottle of Emperador Light accompanied us as we enjoyed the first "clear" night in so many days. The moon rose with an eerie glow as we talked about the many issues in Sibuyan and the threat to its environment from people are coming in wanting to exploit its resources. I don't think I want to see the day that this small island and its unique and magnificent mountain is littered with quarries, open pit mines, logging concessions, and mercury-laced rivers. I hope the community resists the temptation of get-rich-quick schemes at the expense of their homes.
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| moon over ABC |
I caught a glimpse of the moon for the last time before turning in for the night. I miss a lot of things back home. Being stuck here for almost a week now made me realize how much I have in the world. All the things I'm lacking here that make my life more convenient, I appreciate it more now. But at the same time, I come to terms also that despite missing a lot of convenient things, I am surviving with the bare essentials. That's some heavy stuff to think about this close to sleeping. Maybe it's just the Empie talking.
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| Bunny ears and the night sky. I sure hope your song earlier does not ring true tomorrow. |
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