The first day (Wednesday) was spent on simply travelling to Mindoro by boat and re-packing and shopping for the food and equipment needed for the climb the next day (Thursday). Ana and I were greeted at the terminal by some of the HALMS boys (Roy, Christian, and Richard). I've heard lots of stories about them, but it was my first time to actually meet them. Jac, our orgmate who arrived a day earlier, helped up with everything and made sure we'd get along well with HALMS (partly coz she was an "adopted" member of HALMS herself!). It all went very well. They allowed us to use Base Camp, the HALMS headquarters, for re-packing, pre-cooking, and other climb preparations. While waiting I was looking at the pictures on the walls inside Base Camp. A complete picture-documentary of their adventures.

We slept at a monastery that night (c/o Marvin). Why we chose that place is beyond me...either coz it was for free or we needed extra blessings.

The 1st day of the climb (Thursday) was tough. Really tough. It started with a 3-hour steep trail with very little shade. The intense heat sapped our strength early in the trek, and most of us took rest stops. My walkman was no help at all. With all the apin in my legs, I just couldnt appreciate April Boy's singing. But then again...who could?! But it was the only radio staion I could pick-up! Oh well. The 175 climbers were divided into lead, middle, and sweeper (tail).

Ana, and I were in the lead probably coz we were the youngest and it was Ana and my first time in Mt. Halcon - they didnt want us to lag behind or get lost at the very end of the trail. Surprisingly, we still finished in the lead (they all thought we'd finish with the sweepers). We met a lot of new friends along the way. The most memorable people were the guy who thought he paid the 400 bucks registration fee to watch the bikini open but instead got this, and the girl who, after having said she had a linta (leech) in her butt, all the other guys nearby offered to take it out saying "lahat tayo dito'y magkakapatid". Crazy climbers.

That was only day 1 and we reached a place called Aplaya (camp1). It was still VERY VERY far from the summit which we could see looming in the distance. It wasn't the only thing I saw. It was funny to see all the blank expressions on the newcomers' faces (mine included)...coz after a gruelling climb under the hot sun and up to 5,000+ ft, we still seemed to be at the bottom and not even half way. Well, if you're climbing HALCON...I guess you should expect that. For the lead group it took us a total of 6-7 hours non-stop (not counting the 30 mins lunch break) to get to Aplaya. The other groups arrived late in the afternoon and even at night.

The next day (Friday), we were supposed to make our ascent early in the morning to the summit and camp there but the hosts decided to abort the summit camp because of bad weather (why does that always happen in the mountains?). That got Jac pretty disappointed.

We spent Friday resting, swimming in nearby Dulangan River (cold! very cold water!) and regaining strength. The new plan was to "assault" the summit (to climb up and back down on the same day) on saturday. Although we would only be bringing with us snacks, water, and a few clothes an assault is not necessarily easier than a climb with a full-load on your back because of the fact that we'd have to climb DOWN on the same day (so there would be no rest for us on that day!). Friday night was all about excitement, restless anticipation, and serious perparation. When we woke up early saturday morning, the sky was clear.

Tuloy ang assault! We left Aplaya at around 7am, our clothes and boots still wet from the morning mist and minds set on expecting the worst. The pressure was all there - we had to reach the peak by 12:00 or else we'd be forced to back-track to avoid a dangerous night-trek.

We climbed up, up, higher and higher without rest. It seemed like forever, and every step was more painful than the last. But we couldn't stop - we had to be there in 6 hours and the trail (being MUCH harder than the one we took going to camp1) wasn't any help at all. Paahon lahat, wala talagang patag. There were even times when we had to cling to the sides of vertical rock-faces...just like in MI2 (eh di siyempre enjoy ako!). One memorable experience was the ladder climb near the peak. I've never been on a climb with a vertical obstacle so high that you needed rope and a bamboo ladder to get over it. It was a short but worthwhile experience.

Then of course, there was the knife-edge summit trail. Yep, so narrow that, at times, it could only accomodate a single-file arrangement. Ana and I were very tired upon reaching the summit, but not too tired to appreciate the beautiful bonsai plants lining the trail and the picturesque landscape all around.

Eventually we made it to the peak, but we arrived at 1pm. The host climbers waiting at the top were kind to us, and since they had a soft spot for UP ORG, they let us stay and take pictures for 30 minutes. That in itself was already a gamble because it increased the chance of a night-trek going down. Not all of the climbers made it. Some gave up in the middle of the assault, others got injured, and others chose not to leave Aplaya at all. Of course, Ana and I were proud to have reached the peak. Parang nasa heaven! We stayed there until 1:35 when everyone else had gone down. We were the last to leave and say goodbye to the peak of Mt. Halcon.

But then came the REAL test. You see, going down a mountain is sometimes tougher than climbing up. This is because when you climb up, your thighs (the stronger part of the legs) simply push your weight up at a pace you decide. When you go down your lower, weaker leg muscles (calves) ABSORB (painfully) the impact of your weight and your bag at every step and you literally put the brakes on the pace dictated by the cliber's worst enemy - gravity. Such was the case in climbing down a trail that was so steep in going up. It took us a longer time to go back to camp1 than when we left it in the morning (due to fatigue na rin). AND we got more injuries going down. Nasty wounds on our legs and arms. To make things worse, the clouds that were below us when we were at the summit, cooled the mountain and made the trail WET so our boots had very little grip. Yes, many if not all of us stumbled, tripped, and plummeted...more wounds and bruises. Basta ako, I kept on repeating in my head: "pain is only a state of mind, pain is only a state of mind, pain...". and there's MORE! We were all so slow, we had to NIGHT-TREK! Oh perfect - now we were climbing down half-blind and with only one available hand, the other holding a flashlight (for those that didnt bring headlamps).

Ana was scared to death at one straight, long and narrow path. Just remembering it makes me shiver. And the GRAND FINALE? A river-crossing in the dark! The final stretch to reach camp1 was through Dulangan and by that time, our batteries were either low or dead after hours of night-trekking. Saya no? We waded through waist-deep, refrigerator-cold water.

After making a short ascent back to Aplaya the climbers were either screaming with joy, or dizzy from shear exhaustion. I shouted "DINNER!!!" and hugged Jac who prepared everything for us. Ana and I gobbled up cold spaghetti in the rain (mmmm...best meal I had that day!) even though we couldn't feel our legs and hands anymore (ready for amputation, doctor). Our tent was suddenly the best place to be, warm with trapped body heat and a cozy sleeping bag and blanket. All in all, that Saturday with the 12 hour hike turned out to be our most physically and emotionally challenging day...since our induction camp in Matulid.

We were one of the last to wake up Sunday morning. That day was a blur to me coz after pushing myself to the limit the previous day, all I could think about was going home. The climb down from camp1 was around 4-5 hours but it seemed much shorter to me. When we reached drop-off point at the bottom we all went for a swim in a nearby river with warmer water than Dulangan (thank God!). The older mountaineers got themselves drunk with beer during the jeepney ride back to the city. Sunday night, the host climbers threw a part for all of us, complete with live band, lots of alcohol (none for me of course) and a certificate-giving ceremony. At around 11pm everyone in the gym was either sleeping or dizzy from all the beer...while the band was still playing loud and out-of-tune Pepe Smith music.

We went home Monday afternoon. The boat ride was relaxing and the long bus ride to Cubao didn't seem very long because we were both sleeping. Going back to reality isn't so easy. Part of us still wants to be up there, lost in nature. Even our bodies had a hard time adjusting (even now, actually). It's already Thursday and I still feel the pain in my muscles and Ana gets short nightmares every now and then (from the Saturday climb, no doubt). The climb is an achievement I'll never forget, but if you ask me, I hope I never have to go back there in a long, long time.