I'd like to say I can't believe my last post was back in June, but to be honest, I knew I was being such a flaker, not posting on my blog for so long. Unfortunately, I've had no luck still finding batteries for my tablet stylus - but haven't really been that masigasig with the search. There is also that recent role change I've had at work, which I don't want to think about for one second more, seeing as it's the weekend hehe.
Yesterday was a holiday to celebrate the end of Ramadan and my husband suggested we go on a day climb to Pico de Loro in Maragondon. But but, it's a holiday! That means sleeping in and being bochog! Obviously, my defense wasn't that compelling and clean, fresh air and general exercise was the winning combination. This is what I get for marrying a mountaineer, I always think :-)
It was my third time climbing Pico (naks!) and I have to say this felt like the easiest time I had out of the three. Don't get me wrong, there was still a bit of whining (sorry, hun!) and pretty out-of-this-world threats ("I want to chomp your head off and spit it out to the waiting jaws of Meatball!"), because really, mahirap umakyat ng bundok okay?! What made this time easier for me was the addition of our new walking poles, which we use for our stair-climbing exercise (we sound so athletic and active! But we wolf down pizzas after...wenk wenk wenk).
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My savior!
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We started our hike at 7:15AM and reached the top at 9:30AM - not bad right? Right?? I know if my husband had a choice, we'd finish in an hour because:
1. I would stop "over-thinking" each step and just put one foot in front of the other (I was trying not to slip and die! - OA haha). As I so eloquently told him during our climb, "I am not Gagamboy and my steps are slower because my bottom is heavy. I am a pear!) LOL.
2. I would have the resolve of an athlete, the "don't quit" and "push it" mentality. Having never been an athlete and known to always say "But I'm delicate", this was going to be hard. In fact, one the quotable quotes from our climb was me telling J, "I've never known hardship until I married you" :-D
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| I had a hard time getting over how MUDDY everything was |
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| I guess I don't mind waking up early for this |
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| Thank you, walking poles! |
In all the times that J took me climbing, we never fail to see disappointing evidence of other people's careless disregard for Mother Nature. My husband is very passionate about taking good care of the environment, I think partly borne out of his gratefulness to the outdoors, because it restores balance and gives him peace. He would lament that mountaineering used to be the thinking man's sport, but nowadays, anyone can go climb, even without the proper disposition and basic knowledge of the Leave No Trace principle.
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Shame on you if you did this to this tree
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| People who litter don't deserve to climb majestic mountains, IMHO |
We've also encountered groups who blast loud music while in the campsite, making me wonder why they decided to leave their houses in the first place. If you're going climbing, isn't it better to get away from all the noise in the city and enjoy the peace and quiet? There are also those who offend my senses with their cigarette smoking - SERIOUSLY?? I came here for the fresh air, you know. On our way back down, we picked up an empty box of chocolates, discarded right in the middle of the forest. I don't understand how anyone can think that's okay.
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| View from inside our secret spot in the forest |
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| Look up :-) |
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