Independence Day Rock Trip

June 12 - It's been a week since I came back from that not-so-secret 10-day trip. The one that left me sprained and gashes all around; making me miss out on a rock trip in Wawa the day after my return. Those who did get to climb told me that the route they took at the Uling wall was not the easier ones in the area (looking at the old guidebook, there is a scarcity of routes below 5.8). I told the guys that, weather permitting, I'll take them to the Rook area for a proper intro on the crags of Wawa.

Bridge leading to the limestone walls

A Typical Workout Week

With the traffic and all the big and small problems in the country not going away any time soon, having a routine that de-stresses you is becoming more and more important. Without physical exertion, all that pressure inside you will slowly crush you until you get sick. 

As October gets closer and closer, making sure that I'm in peak form is a priority. Good thing I can rely on the U.P. Mountaineers for some motivation. My typical week is segmented into a) domestic duties and taking care of the dog; b) work and trying not to get fired, and c) physical training.

Tuesdays. Mountain rockstar training (MRT) is going well. Master Thumbie celebrated (in advance) his birthday with us with a lung- and gut-busting workout. Two days after the workout, I could still feel the burn on my obliques, which I hope would translate to a stronger core. 

Go Climb A Rock!

Last Saturday I put my training to the test and joined a "novice" and "fun" competition in Power Up Tandang Sora (or TS). I've been going to TS regularly now for the past month (plus the occasional mountain rockstar sessions), and I can feel some progress on my overall strength. Besides, they said it's a fun event, so no pressure to win (as if I would!).

Let's Get Physical

October is fast approaching, and the Dream Climb is 80% sure. Time to panic. 

A lot of things have to happen before October. The biggest one behind money matters and making sure personal matters are in order, is to get fit. I've harbored the illusion that I'm fit enough to catch my dream. But if the past two weeks is any indication, I'm miles away from my required level of fitness.

Amping our core muscles (photo: Cleve Mallari)

[Plan C] Saturday Climb in Atimonan

It was a warm, mostly sunny day at the walls of Tinandog in Atimonan. The first chance I got, I took off my clean shirt and changed to my climbing singlet. I wouldn't want to get my only shirt soaking in sweat on the bus ride home.

Cece and I weren't supposed to be there that weekend, but the universe has other plans for us. Out plans got cancelled. But I don't regret it. I've been longing to go back here since last year. As always, Pastor Noel is there to welcome us warmly to his playground.

Cece at Yema

[New Gear] New shoes, enough motivation?

Last weekend, while nursing my bruises, I got a package which I hope would rekindle my training fire. Inside were a new pair of Five-Ten MoccAsyms and a set of Omega Pacific quickdraws. The whole weekend I've toyed with these items in every way, most eager to try them out. (Atimonan was waiting for me. That would have been a great first climb for these gear. But life has other plans.)

Hot humid climb day

So many missed opportunities for rock climbing happened in the last year. I've used plenty of excuses, and all of them seems lame (buzzword of the moment) in hindsight. Just to be different last weekend, I took on the invite of Ian to go to Wawa and feel the rocks again, despite still nursing a nasty sprain I got two weeks ago.

Back to wasak. #Wawa #AngHeat #noupperbodystrength

A photo posted by Dennis Lopez (@dencius) on May 8, 2015 at 9:17pm PDT

Getting where you want to be

At best, I would describe my relationship with fitness as "casual". I know and like fitness, but committing full-time is much too hard. I envy all my friends who have embraced a lifestyle that lets them do all the physical things on a daily basis--sometimes complaining that it's hard, but more often, just happy to have done it. I have made countless excuses why I haven't found a way to commit to be consciously active--from spending too much time at work to basically saying my body wasn't built to run everyday. All these excuses fall short of acceptable because I see people around me who are no different than me and my situation, and they find ways to get out.

Yet I continue the struggle to be active. To fight the urge to just plop into bed, log on to the Internet, and live my zombie life. There's a big world waiting to be explored. Mountains to climb. Friends having fun outdoors without me. I need to be in shape. 

pool sessions

Independence Day Climb - Plan B

It was an overcast and rainy Independence Day morning. Our plan to go to Wawa for a intro session to outdoor climbing was effectively cancelled on Wednesday afternoon, when it started to rain hard. 

To save our day from the disappointment of having wet crags, Jojo suggested we go indoor climbing instead. Power Up Centro was their gym of choice.

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]

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