It took a while before we could settle the date. Everyone seemed to have something to do - tests, research, etc. But somehow we were able to make ends meet and decided to go. The sad thing was our batchmates Ciel and Boggs said that they couldn't make it. Ciel had family problems and Boggs had research to do. To make things worse, JP wasn't sure about going. So now it was 6 (maybe even 5) out of 8 - still a good number though, since there wouldn't be any other time this many batchmates could go. Jacq, our beloved org president would be our sole guide. She was bringing with her 3 guest climbers - guys from TIP. All in all, we knew this would be a small group. I didn't know whether this was good or bad, because although there is safety in numbers, it would be easier for only ONE experienced mountaineer to watch over a few 'newbies'. And that's where the skepticism came in...

No one believed we could make it. Very few people in my org has actually seen the summit. Everyone, even the nice older members, discouraged us from even trying - ang lalakas daw namin man-trip! We didn't even do any physical preparation - no jogging or other exercises. Citos, former president of the org, said we'd be wasting our time; that we'd only make it to Tatlong Tangke (about 4 hours from starting point). Yes, the fact that my own orgmates didn't believe in us discouraged me a little - but I kept on thinking - you'll never know unless you try! I was happy that Jacq was with us all the way (although she never told anyone but us). She wasn't sure if we could do it, but she supported our high hopes. She said that it would be the perfect time to "prove our worth" to the older members. If we could do it, no one will ever call us the "Skwaking Batch" anymore. BANAHAW HERE WE COME!!!

START

It all started the same way all our climbs do. Meeting at the bus station 4:00 am. As always, I was the first to arrive (if I keep on doing this, they better give me an award!). The rest came a few minutes later. To my surprise, Ciel was there, too. I don't know how she convinced her parents, but it didn't matter to me. Then when we were all set to go, JP arrived - yes! 7 out of 8 batchmates! Jacq introduced us to her three guests - Noel, Aris and Mark. Nice and funny guys (parang three stooges). We left the station at 5 am - if you knew my org, that's rare! We actually started EARLY this time!

Along the way, we saw Mt. Cristobal, the "Evil Mountain". We went there in August '99 - our first mountain adventure. Seeing the mountain didn't exactly bring back good memories, and knowing that Banahaw was more difficult didn't make things any easier. The drop-off point was at Kinabuhayan, Quezon (a small, far-from-civilization barangay at the foot of Banahaw). Without wasting any time, we started the trek at 9:30. From the start, it was already hard - long, steep inclines and narrow trails. Jacq, our fearless guide, wasn't at the lead - she was the "sweeper" at the end of the line (a very heavy responsibility).

It was up to us to use our common sense and follow the trail. JP and I took turns at leading the group. Of course, we got lost a couple of times (first-timers talaga eh!). The trek to the first check-point (Tatlong Tangke) was long and hard. But we had a little trick - most of us used walkmans to distract us from the fatigue, and those without - they stayed close to Noel who packed a small radio in his pack. Thanks to Noel, our walking jukebox, we had Jaya, Jessa Zaragoza and April Boy to keep us going - "For Life!" hehe. I love Star FM.

At exactly 11:00 am we reached Tatlong Tangke (the name comes from the three bodies of water connected to a huge waterfall nearby). We were all surprised (and some, even insulted) - not because we actually made it there, but because of the time: we did it in only 1 hour and a half. That's it?! That's all the other orgmates thought we could do?!? Ha! By now, we were all DETERMINED to reach the summit. There are only two places to camp: Tatlong Tangke and a small clearing very near the summit (very far away). That makes Tatlong Tangke a point of no return. After taking a few pictures, we continued on with the trek upwards.

The advantage of a small group is that it's easier to keep everyone close together, which means less unnecessary stops; faster pace. Combine THAT with a group that doesn't want to rest, and a lot of determination...and you've got a bunch of really fast climbers! There were NO real "rest stops". You just stop for a few seconds (to take a picture or something) and continue hiking. The longest break, lunch, took only 30 minutes. Everyone was shouting "Lets go ORG!" every now and then. All in all, the hike was by far, the hardest and most challenging we've ever faced (for an overnight camp)...but IT ACTUALLY FELT GOOD. I didn't feel the pressure. I didn't mind the pain. We sang songs (those good ol' Eheads songs everyone knows). We laughed at little mistakes (everytime Ana and Val slipped - "picture! picture!"). We found time to appreciate nature; there were pretty yellow-green birds, little mountain monkeys, and lots of colorful wild flowers. Astig talaga.

The weather was pretty much okay at first - cool breezes really makes a difference. But as we got higher, the air changed from cool to chilly to frigid. At 3000-4000 ft, 'smoke' came out of our mouths. At 5000 ft, our hands were numb. After that we couldn't continue without putting on our jackets, bonnets and other cold-weather gear. Later, the trek felt like walking in a freezer! Then came other problems - cramps and possible hypothermia. JP lost his position at the lead due to cramps (he caught up with us later). For safety reasons, we decided to stick closer to each other as it got colder. But of course, that didn't stop us from reaching our goal. Push on! Sige pa! Let's go ORG!!!

At 2pm we reached our campsite: "Kapatagan" - the small clearing a few hours away from the summit. By this time, the winds were much stronger, the air much colder. Jacq decided to change the plan and said that if we still wanted to reach the summit, we'd have to ASSAULT it (to climb without load or with minimal load)...ALONE. She was going to stay behind in the campsite to pitch the tents and cook dinner. The reason for this was that going up to the summit would still take a few hours, and even if we stayed there for only a few minutes, by the time we got back, it would already be dark and very cold. Someone had to stay behind and prepare things. And so we left our bags behind, bringing with us only jackets, a few snacks, flashlights and extra batteries (and in my case, a camera). Sure, it was a dangerous thing to do, but I was so damn excited! That's what I call adventure!

After two hours of non-stop trekking, we finally reached the top. The summit of Mt. Banahaw. BATCH 99 - WE DID IT!!! The marker was a cross and a gravestone nearby. I forgot the name written on the stone but his nickname (in big bold letters) was "BULOY". He died in 1996. Strange - the song by Parokya ni Edgar, "Buloy" became a hit in 1996. Could it be that it was THE Buloy that we've heard on the radio for the past 4 years? My batchmates and I payed our respects. And as for the world around us - the view was spectacular and emotional. We could see Mt. Makiling in the distance. The landscape below was beautifully lit when the sun could penetrate through small windows in the clouds. And the clouds - most of them were BELOW us. The top-view of clouds is a beautiful thing to see; it's very different from the way we see them from below. When fast-moving clouds ram the sides of the mountain, they morph into various shapes. Everyone was speechless (I just don't know if it was intense emotions or because we were all shivering). Fog was flying through us like a storm. It was so strong, you could barely stand still. Ana and I went to an over-hanging rock at the cliffside of the summit. We were literally sitting on the edge of Mt. Banahaw - when you look down from the rock, you can't see the bottom - only mist.

We took pictures and stayed there for 45 minutes before climbing down. Believe me, after what we've seen and felt, it wasn't an easy thing to do.

BACK AT CAMP

Jacq did a great job at setting up camp. Dinner was good. We all freshened up and put on our "sleeping clothes" - several layers of shirts, jogging pants, socks, jackets, and for some, gloves and bonnets. At one time when the sky cleared up, we could see all the stars. And being up a mountain, higher than polluted air, it seemed clearer. We all huddled up near the two stoves for dinner (body heat just wasn't enough). But because we had to conserve on fuel, the stoves had to be turned off, and we relied on a candle, body heat, and the one thing every mountaineer must carry in his survival kit - gin. For health reasons, I didn't partake in their sacred drinking rituals. Ana drank a little before going into the tent. I had to stay inside with her while the rest..uhh..drank more than they were supposed to. From inside my tent, Ana and I could hear the Mark talking nonsense, Aris vomiting all over the place, Ciel trying to massage every guy in the vicinity (and cursing them at the same time), and Jacq laughing like hell. I believe the gin also had an effect on Ana, who now engaged in biblical and philosophical debate with me - with flawless English! Reincarnation really does become interesting when you seriously analyze it. Oh well, I guess everyone had their own way of passing the time.

NEXT MORNING

My alarm clock rang at 5:30. * Yup, it's a silly thing to bring up a mountain, but what the hey! * It was still very dark. Everyone in JP's tent woke up and said "Oh no". I was in charge of breakfast, so I had to get out in the cold and cook.

Noel got up, too, and helped me prepare (like last night, we frantically tried to start the stoves). I made hot chocolate oatmeal for everyone... Mmmmm. Over the edge of the site I could see tiny lights from the lowlands - it's like the view from an airplane. Later, when everyone was awake, I cooked spam and sausages. The winds were still blowing hard. My tent almost toppled over; it's a good thing Ana and Ciel were inside, anchoring it. The fly-sheet of JP's tent flew off (we found it later that morning). After eating breakfast and preparing lunch, we broke camp and cleaned up the site. At 9:30 am we started the trek downwards.

TATLONG TANGKE REVISITED

Amazing - it only took us one hour to get there. From Kapatagan, it was a non-stop, fast-paced climb downwards. Our early arrival at Tatlong Tangke gave us time to rest. We ate lunch, took a few pictures and sun-bathed a little. Val wanted to do something daring and asked me if we could climb the waterfall - which was higher than a 5-storey building. How could I resist an offer like that? It wasn't very hard, considering that it was dry season in the area - lots of footholds and little running water. When my batchmates saw us, they followed. Eventually, Ana and I climbed the highest. Jacq, who took our picture was as small as an ant from our viewpoint. From our private spot near the top, we talked a little and admired the view. We all rested for two hours and continued the hike down to drop-off point.

A LITTLE SIDE-TREK

We got there at 2:00. Our jeepney was supposed to fetch us as 4:00. Two hours to kill. Swimming anyone? Ana and I led the group on another trail that would lead us to a small secluded place called "Kolehiyo" (we've been there before - 1998). It had clear running water through huge basins in the rock - perfect for swimming. The water was freezing, but we didn't mind! It was so refreshing! The group went back to drop-off point in Kinabuhayan where they would be waiting for the jeep...except for Ana and I. We went on a little adventure of our own - cave exploring. Banahaw is known for it's many caves rumored to be sources of divine power. The cave we went inside was dark and had a narrowing path (it got so small that at one point we had to duck-walk). And there were bats. Lots of them. Flying over-head. They really won't bother you unless you make sudden noises and vibrations. But our cave-trek got cut short. Somewhere inside there was a crowd of people - probably Rizalistas - waiting in line to be "healed" by the sacred waters of the cave. One guy said he was standing there for hours and there was no way to get past the crowd of "patients". So we went back. There will be other times. And that was it. A little freshening-up and snacks concluded our Banahaw trip. A few minutes on the road and everyone was asleep - dead tired.

We did what everyone thought we couldn't do. The newest batch of UP-ORG finally proved their worth. The best part was that medic Ian didn't even have to go to work. We suffered only minor injuries - a few scratches and bruises.