Cantabaco crag

by Maria Eleanor E. Valeros, #CebuBloggingCommunity

caption: Presumably a million-year-old gift to a community. The Cantabaco natural limestone formation is not only breeding ground/playground of rock climbers, it is also a reservoir that ensures water supply even in the weak El Nino phenomenon experienced here these days, putting the maximum heat index in Cebu at 39 degrees Celsius.

CANTABACO, CEBU, PHILIPPINES (June 4, 2015) — Rock climbing newbies Cedie Ong and Raymund “Digoy” Acojedo Rodrigo meet local guide Enie Yonson today for the consummation of their “lime lust” at the renowned natural rock formations here.

As assessed by Climb Philippines, an authority in the Philippines when it comes to rock climbing and the accompanying bolting and spotting projects, it was learned that Cantabaco is considered to be the best crag to date in the country.

Offering five areas, with all route possibilities graded 5.11 to 5.13 in the level of technical difficulty, Cantabaco natural wall offers promising rock trips to enthusiasts. The bolted part has reached to some 12 meters or nearly 40 feet. The highest point of the wall is placed at 160 feet, says Climb Philippines in its webpage.

True enough, Cedie and Digoy have their fill here today of adrenaline rush, rock romance, swearing they will be back to finish the fifth area that offers a cliff overhang which to them is not so hard but very technical to tackle for neophytes yet.

Enie, himself, who has rock climbing experience since 1994 said that climbing is not really proving you have the mastery over routes and can do climbathons. “It’s important that you enjoy what you are doing. You may finish half of the route today, complete half tomorrow. One guest even said in jest that’s already equivalent to one route, and that he is happy about his achievement. That’s the spirit. Enjoy what you are doing. You will master endurance later.”

Enie also shared that some climbers come and get frustrated at not arriving at their expectations. “Some swear. Thump on the wall. Some even punch the wall. How could you embrace a sport like this with an attitude like that? Come with a mirthful spirit, completing the routes will come easiest.”

This writer lives in Cantabaco’s adjacent barangay and has her fill of glee upon touching the walls – again – (call it déjà vu!) after decades of being literally detached from what used to be a childhood playground.

In the 80s to the 90s, near these natural limestone formations rush out refreshing waters. An area was developed as a public laundry site where neighbors converge on weekends. This was “social media” then; a wet platform for socialization, back when neighbors know each other so well and immersed in camaraderie.

Today it still is a source for potable water. In fact, the Toledo Water District taps service water in here. However, the number of springs has dwindled. Some crevices where water used to drain have in fact already dried up. Locals have it that detrimental activities such as small-scale to big mining operations may have angered the “elements” that guard the springwells, since mining involves chopping down of trees and blasting of boulders.

Moreover, Enie announced of a convergence come October of rock climbing enthusiasts all over the world to mark an anniversary of the official creation of a federation. This will be a busy time for the area to be used exclusively by fed members.

For companionship services and rates to this crag venerated by the “hardcore rock-ers,” email eleanor.newmedia@gmail.com or message FB: Eleanor NewMedia. ###

Wrath of Daragang Magayon

by Maria Eleanor E. Valeros, #citizenmedia

caption: This blogger joins specks of dust near the Cagsaua Ruins, a belfry that serves as memorial of a past eruption of Mount Mayon that buried scores of Bicolanos alive.

ALBAY, BICOL REGION, PHILIPPINES — What force attracted me to Albay is the very same force that obliterated rice fields and homes in Guinobatan and Daraga.

Mount Mayon was ablaze almost every night from July 18 of 2006 with the number and size of incandescent rockfalls from the active lava dome increasing. And while volcanologists warned on August 10 of a major explosion as Mayon continued to eject lava down its slope, which spelled disaster, there I was gaping at the TV in our old newsroom admiring at the beauty and power of her activity.

As Albay was prepared to escape from magma buildup, typhoon Durian instead lashed, triggering deadly landslides. Mud, rocks and volcanic ash swallowed vast rice farms and inundated towns throughout Albay that were once subjects of postcards for their panoramic and charming rural life. Lahar flow killed scores and covered large portions of the village of Padang in mud up to houses’ roofs.

The wrath of Daragang Magayon (or “Magandang Dalaga”/Beautiful Maiden, believed guardian of Mount Mayon) spilled lahar flows from the roof of the mountain in Guinobatan to the town of Daraga. Amazingly, the floodhead spread to form two rivers upon reaching a good distance from the Cagsaua Ruins. Yes, the Cagsaua church which became a refuge to some 1,200 people two centuries ago. When lava flowed on February 1, 1814, the most destructive eruption of Mayon, it buried the town of Cagsaua, the church and the townsfolk. Only the belfry remained above the new surface. It stands anew today as a memorial after nature spared it from being smashed by tumbling, rumbling boulders.

It stands here today, beautiful but still haunting to serve, perhaps, as a living testimony as to how alive fire-spewing mountains and towering fountains are. And on how helpless we are before nature’s fury.

If there was one very bad experience in coming to Legazpi City, at a time when it was recovering from a series of disasters, had nothing to do with mocha-colored water pouring out of the tap. It was the overcharging of fare rates that hurt me most. For somebody unaware of actual rates here, most drivers asked double to triple the real rate.

“Kanya-kanyang diskarte talaga. Sa hirap ng buhay ngayon dito pagkatapos ng Durian, kelangan talaga mag-survive ang mga drivers,” a trike driver explained things. But was kind enough to charge me fairly when I directed him to bring me to a cheap hotel where my partner and I could wash up. We were “caking up with ashfall” as earlier that day we passed by Irosin in Sorsogon on our way to Legazpi. Irosin was on zero visibility because another volcano, Mount Bulusan, was spewing columns of ash.

The hotel, across a mall, was indeed for travelers on shoestring budget. Since the mall is nearby, my partner and I shopped for chocolate-coated and caramelized pili nuts (all-time favorites!). Its proximity to the city terminal allowed us to walk from the hotel in going there for our next trip.

At that time farm managers turned to nurturing not grains anymore but making hollow blocks out of volcanic materials deposited in rivers, as well as artstone pieces carved from volcanic rocks.

Mang Jun, 42, for example, sees a new livelihood in sculpturing Santo Nino icons from the volcanic rock deposits. He also carved designs taking on inspiration from Atlas (that piece with globe on shoulder), Madonna and Child, and the Pieta.

While volcanoes fascinate us, they frighten us at the same time. Volcanic mountains burst into flames as glowing rocks fly from the depths of the earth and cause enormously devastating lava flows.

But volcanic activity never stops to fascinate me. This adulation had drawn me to Mayon – this admiration for something inanimate, yet so full of life and power it is able to direct the course of some Bicolanos’ destiny.###

Transcentral Walk Year 2

by Maria Eleanor E. Valeros, #newmedia specialist

:for#microadventurism

caption: Selfie taken by Kyle Basalo with this writer, Janskie Libre, Raymund Rodrigo, Renzo Reoyan, Arvin Ska Gonzales, Earl Haha, and Kerwen Repoylo.

CENTRAL CEBU PROTECTED LANDSCAPE, PHILIPPINES — Even crazy ideas work.

My #NewNormal series of microadventure pursuits kicked off last year via a 44-kilometer Transcentral Road Moon Walk (or Luna Trek, after mythological claim that Luna is goddess of the moon). It happened as planned because though connecting with somebody who shares same interest is a challenge, the universe conspires beautifully to such scheme.

One day, in my routine commuting to Cebu City for my job, I happened to sit behind two young backpackers. The convergence inspired me to start a conversation. I learned they were from Talavera, Toledo City and were headed for Osmena Peak in Dalaguete town in southeast Cebu. From there, they would cross to Kawasan Falls (Badian town) via a five-hour hike.

If there’s an apt word to describe the camaraderie, I would call Renzo Reoyan and Kyle Basalo my ka-wavelength (of the same wavelength), ka-bandwidth (or sharing the same bandwidth capacity/coverage). We believe that even crazy ideas can work perfectly. We went to complete our very first Transcentral Moon Walk! Or the very first done on that part of earth.

Pain soused the journey, literally! The backbreaking uphill at the start of the walk and the steep downhill past Barangay Ga-as (part of Balamban) were just too much to bear. It was the silliest hike I’ve done in my life, 44 kilometers in 14 hours. We started late afternoon of Feb. 15, 2014 (Sat.), and reached Brgy. Aliwanay at Poblacion Balamban at the burst of a Sunday skyline. That’s about 3,300 feet for every kilometer covered!

Kyle’s foot hurt badly, so when I joked about a “return trip” (tackling the walk this time from Balamban back to Cebu City), he groaned at the idea. Or was it roared?

By December I realized it was more of a roar from a hiker with a lion’s heart.

It was December when he tagged me on FB a shirt design he made marked “The Walk First Anniversary,” so I was kind of surprised. I thought he would never ever sink his teeth again into the idea. But I was completely wrong, as there Kyle was preparing for the shirts, calling on his friends to join, preparing trail foods. And there I was tinkering on my keyboard not sure whether I should pledge for a “reverse walk.” I presume my ego was hiding somewhere, rolling its charcoal eyes at me, huffing and puffing with a litany of expletives. Should I say to Kyle, I’m outtah here? But Kyle’s desire is Medusa out of Zeus’ cranky head.

It was offbeat. It was off the beaten track. But the three of us committed to a “return trip” to seal a fact that we were the first bunch to do that – and to have done so both ways – undisputed in the annals of Cebuhumankind.

It was such an absurd idea indeed. We have not done it on a February 3 with a full moon. We did it on a 15^th again which means Luna’s phase is headed to a new moon. So we can’t be on a pitch dark road for a long time. We decided to do it on broad daylight. And that was when I almost succumbed to heatstroke. I hate the timing, but love the company so much because it has grown to eight pax. There’s Arvie Ska Gonzales, Earl Haha, Raymund “Digoy” Rodrigo, Kerwen “Settle Bus” Repoylo for additions, and Janskie Libre, a friend I have kept since Bisrock days.

We failed to beat our record of 14 hours. We left Balamban at past 8 a.m. and reached JY Square in Lahug by 1 a.m. already. We had to rest a number of times along the way, seeking shelter at a DPWH field office at high noon. Newayz, we have mutually agreed to meet our goal. But also changed our bloody minds about any further transcentral walks. The anniversary already sealed a consumed effort.###

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To join the second anniversary walk on Feb. 15, 2016, email me at eleanor.newmedia@gmail.com or FB: Eleanor Newmedia. Probable route: Mantalongon, Dalaguete-Alegria, south of Cebu.

Major, major climb to Mount Talinis

by Maria Eleanor E. Valeros, #newmedia specialist

caption: The 1926 explosion of Talinis left behind “sculptures” of trees in Kaipuhan, where a number of bubbling sulfur vents confirms ongoing volcanic activity.

VALENCIA, ORIENTAL NEGROS, PHILIPPINES — Sheer will catapulted me on Mount Talinis (5,905 feet above sea level) on an open climb organized by the Cuernos de Negros Mountaineers Club, Inc. based in Silliman University, Dumaguete City.

Like other “connoisseurs of geologic forms,” I was among 54 participants from Tacloban, Bacolod, Cebu, Masbate and Dumaguete for the trek cum cleanup drive.

In a previous blog (“Casaroro Roars!”) I shared about my intense desire to finally climb Talinis after four years of waiting. So glad to have waited for the right time to be with the right people. At first, I had apprehensions I might not be fit anymore for some strenuous activity after going through the knife via Caesarian Section. Because of the level of difficulty, all climbers are warned of the nature of the climb and are required to be in “good physical condition.”

Read: Mt. Talinis is a Level 3 mountain, signifying a major climb with a certain level of difficulty in terms of steepness of slopes, dense vegetation cover, and requirement of more than a day’s climb. And that though Bidyao (also spelled Bediao) Trail or Route 2 is considered a “tourist trail” which means relatively easier, average tourists may have difficulty climbing this trail. This may have been considered easier by the local guides because it takes less time to climb over Apolong and Lunga Trails.

I was grouped to take Route 1 or via Apolong Trail. This is of medium difficulty. Lunga is reserved for the more experienced climbers.

I noticed trails passing by gullies and waterways which should be avoided being risky in events of flashfloods and erosions. I also passed by four quicksand areas before reaching the campsite. Whew!

With Everest summiteers Romy Garduce and Peter Hillary (son of Sir Edmund Hillary) for inspiration, I “moved at my own pace.” And when in a situation, I had to “stick to my gun.” Their words of wisdom, sort of, assisted me in navigating the contoured trails for a total of eight hours, or two hours delayed from the estimated time of arrival at Lake Nailig – designated base camp. Nevertheless, my arrival there despite the dragging half steps is classic example of triumph of the human spirit!

It’s a good thing I followed the advice of carrying lightweight pack to minimize difficulty in climbing and descending the mountain. I got contented with trail food – biscuits, marshmallows, and a load of dark chocolate with mint to boost serotonin (feel-good brain chemical).

I’m also grateful to the god of forests for conspiring with me at some points. Two trekkers from Bacolod City, Roy Domingo Raymundo and Brian Joanes, experienced thigh cramps the way I did, so we moved in the same pace.

Sometimes I would walk in solitude for around 40 minutes, contemplating if it’s indeed mortal sin to set aside the buddy system. But as a freelancer, I have to literally walk the distance by myself and to rely on instinct should common sense fail.

It’s just amazing to note that everything about the forest assures me I am pursuing “a life.” Yes, climbing is a life. In fact, climbing provides that deafening silence which gives that voice within a chance to speak. It also gives me the blessed chance to recognize the Awesome I know of, not the one shaped by religions, dogmas, doctrines, cults and occults, nor the one molded by pretentious philosophies and easy syllogisms.###

Casaroro roars!

by Maria Eleanor E. Valeros, newmedia specialist

Photo by Aldo Nelbert A. Banaynal

VALENCIA, ORIENTAL NEGROS — Some would miss the old trail to Casaroro. It was more challenging. Reaching the Casaroro basin would earn for one the bragging rights. I remember a post from a friend in high school: “Nindot gyod to sa una, (you) hold on to vines and big tree roots. Then you slip a little, tumble a little, here and there. Unlike today…”

Yes, unlike today, Casaroro Falls then was free of those concrete pathways and steel chairs and hanging bridge and the viewing deck that didn’t last that long. Unlike today, it was not accessible to everyone. It was more for the adventurer — not merely picnickers who leave behind trash and the impact of their noise to plants. Today, it carries a diminished level of difficulty and challenge.

But whether it’s already in its “concrete state” or still with a muddy path, it was not the big deal to me. I made a side trip to Casaroro two years ago because it was there, I believe, that my pack’s dreams to summit Mount Talinis would take shape.

I was supposed to arrange for a Valentine Climb to Talinis for my group of six trekkers. Four middle-aged men I met in Dumaguete City advised me to come to Casaroro and look for veteran porters to Talinis – Junior and Daloydoy. The two were working on the view deck structure when I came. At lunchtime, I shared a meal with them – a mix of rice and corn grits and anchovies in vinegar placed in shiny coconut shells.

“How much would it take to ferry my things to Talinis,” I inquired – the slosh of that frothy water from single-veiled Casaroro cascaded to score the conversation and with that gentle breeze easing a humid post-noon.

I heard P1,500. No, I was given the chance to haggle.

“Would you take P1,000? I’m no big earner. Just big spender,” I tried at being comic.

“No” was the answer. “Rate is fair.”

In observing my own pace, the climb would take three to four days if good weather permits. For backtrack, such entails a steep trail if rain prevails. “Or we can make it to Lakes Yagumyum and Nailig and then back to Casaroro,” Junior proposed in the lilting, sing-song tone of a Sibulanon. “No, I want a glimpse of the summit,” I retorted with dogged determination.

“P1,500 then plus (Vino) Kulafu and cigarettes. Kapoy baya’ng Apolong Trail.”

I understand. Apolong Trail is of “medium difficulty.” But to the porter’s rate, my entrails protested. “No way, we’re not climbing to party or to pollute the air,” I said.

“Just for us to (be able to) relax. P1,500 for two people on alternate. Summit, then exit at Dauin (two towns away from Dumaguete).”

Agreed. I got bombarded with text messages afterwards. But after a few exchanges, I failed to return. I had a date with the stork. Furthermore, my pack began pursuing the next best thing to mountain trekking. One works in New Zealand, two in Canada. Still another is with the Balangay Expedition in a record attempt to trace the balanghai route in Southeast Asia with the Diwata ng Lahi team. Adn one tries to amass fortune with his stint in the forwarding industry. After giving birth, and rearing my now two-year-old son, what am I supposed to do for the rest of my life? Just work and babysit, perhaps.

Recently, I went back to Valencia in Negros Oriental and passed again at Casaroro. I still want Mount Talinis badly! The universe raised a thumbs up this time because I discovered a different road. One that Romy Garduce took when he was with the UP Mountaineers in 1996.

The trail considers the degree of difficulty for plain “tourist trekkers” over enticing the more seasoned climbers. Garduce’s notes pointed out that in all trails, the area acclivity can reach up to 80 to 90 degrees. This makes it very difficult to climb the trails and very dangerous on the way down. People become prone to leg cramps and heat exhaustion. Area soils often become loose, crumbly, and rocky and very muddy when wet. The nature of the area’s soils makes the trails and pathways very slippery, offering little traction. Trekkers are required to be extremely careful when hiking alongside ravines/cliffs or descending.

“Although one encounters dense forest cover along the major parts of the trails, some areas lack forest cover and are dominated mainly by cogon grass which increases the possibility of snakes in the area.”

“Also, thorny ferns and poison ivy grow abundant along the trails. Trekkers should be careful lest they become itchy and irritable during the rest of the climb. And warned against limatik or alimatok (leech) and other wildlife like civet cats and wild boars in the area.”

Nevertheless, I still have Bidyao Route – my last option to quench a lust for lakes Nailig and Yagumyum and of course, the zenith of Talinis. I must take it or forever wonder what’s the view from up there – 5,900 feet above sea level – where cloud clusters are just an inch away. And worse, regret not ever experiencing what impression the peak could create on me.

Some would certainly miss the old trail to Casaroro, the same way I do. It was more challenging. Reaching the Casaroro basin would earn one the bragging rights of being a certified nature freak. There, the hiss of the 70-foot drop continues to score the echo of Junior’s and Daloydoy’s voices: “P1,500. Take it or leave it.” (First published in The FREEMAN Lifestyle Section, 2012)