Plan B

Last Friday at the get-together in BGC, Romi put the final nail in the coffin of the planned expedition this October to Mt. Himlung (7126m) in the Annapurna Region, Nepal. The number of people initially keen on going slowly trickled down because of various (and generally valid) reasons.

Himlung Himal a no-go (photo from the Internet)

GiG Talks - September 5, 2014

Friday next week (September 5), the UP Mountaineers will once again hold the Green Is Good (GiG) Talks at the College Architecture of UP Diliman. This will be the fifth in the series, and third to be held in UP.

The forum is patterned from the popular Ted Talks in the US, but focusing on social issues that are somehow related to the environment. Past speakers come very varied fields, from architects, to artists. From people from the academe to hobbyists with a passion for mother nature.

[New Book Find] The Hard Way, by Mark Jenkins

I passed by the used bookstore in Galleria after an errand, and surprise, surprise!

Single Track Riding in UP

A spark of inspiration got me off my bed and on my bike on a lazy Sunday afternoon. Weekend plans were scrapped (including two rock climbing trips and the alternative long bike ride), and except for that brief venture out to SURP, I was slowly decomposing in bed in front of my laptop.

I was supposed to meet Cece in about an hour so I knew this would be a short ride. I pedaled out to UP CHK to check out the bike trails the built around the idle lands there.

DOMS

As I regressed from my regular (almost daily) training last year, while trying to at least climb once a month, usually with a heavy pack, I've started to suffer more frequently from DOMS.

I'm talking about Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness, and not Dirty Old Man Syndrome (though some would contend that I am also afflicted with this). As the name implies, DOMS is a delayed reaction of the muscle tissues from a strenuous workout, usually appearing after 6 to 8 hourse, peaking around 24 to 48 hours. I initially thought that lactic acid build-up was related to DOMS, but upon further reading, scientific findings have rejected this correlation. Sources say that DOMS comes from muscle inflammation caused by micro-tears in the muscle after eccentric (i.e. lengthening) exercises. I don't have the complete grasp yet of the science behind this condition; all I know is that after every extended climb up mountains, I get this, forcing me to do the "penguin walk". 

Mt. Arayat - An Island in a Sea of Rice Fields

Since it was decided that the application period for the UP Mountaineers will be moved to the second semester (which is basically next year), we will take this free time to have more climbs within the organization, and just have fun. I invited the continuing applicants from last year to join the team so that they can remain in touch with the organization (should they still be interested in finishing their quest to become UP Mountaineers). I was worried that we won't have enough people in the team, but the anxiety was replaced by excitement, as 16 people signed up to climb.

(photo: Nikko Cayaga)

Inside the Cobra Ironman 70.3

Last Thursday we flew off to Cebu for the 6th Cobra Ironman 70.3; after almost missing our flight, which got re-scheduled without our knowledge. This was my 4th time to volunteer in this huge triathlon event. Since I've been away from the sport for almost a year now, this would be the closest I'd get to experiencing the excitement of the race.

Treating ourselves to Cebu's warm welcome at the airport