How a minor hike in Mt. Kapaynutan turned into agony

The entire process took about two weeks before I got over the trauma and started checking out the schedule of my next target mountain. Yeah, I don’t think I’m done. There’s still little left in me that wants to continue chasing waterfalls.

So, was it worth all the pain? Totally! In fact, this goes down my list of the things I want to do all over again.

Mt. Fato and Mt. Kupapey: Why It Matters to Revisit the Mountains

I don’t hike for the view. I do it for the inexplicable joy of having conquered my limitations after going through breathlessness, slipping, tripping, getting wet and cold, having cramps, and getting painful joints and muscles that last way after we get back to our homes. Call us crazy, but this is the kind of high that we don’t care to explain to those who struggle to understand.

Seeing Mt. Talamitam from another perspective

The trail was familiar, but the perspective was new. This was how The Art of Noticing: Reading the Land renewed my love for hiking the mountains of the Philippines. I came across this 3-part workshop series on Instagram and immediately signed up for its first installment, held at the La Mesa Ecopark in Quezon City,…

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Beginner-friendly dayhiking in the Philippines: Mt. Manalmon, Mt. Gola and Mt. Matinik

I was running low on water, and wondering how I’m still standing. I was struggling to fight back dizziness and nausea, telling myself that this is not how I would want to die. No, really. I have heard of much younger hikers who never finished a hike out of sheer exhaustion, and this Madlum trifecta has claimed at least one, according to one of our guides.