Painting and Poetry - The Emerald Peak

 

Acrylic Painting: "Abstract Topography" 

(reference note: artwork is like a topography map, top-side is north)

I

I sailed through a rough sea; enduring the biggest waves that one could ever see;

Saw an island and landed on its shore, looked around wondering what was in store;

Then I started to walk towards south,  enduring thirst and a drying mouth;

II

Then to the west I saw a peak, hiked towards it wanting a peek;

Then suddenly I heard a thunderous ‘boom!’; I ran towards north, dodging rocks - escaping doom;

Exhausted but soon reached the far edge, then I rested safely on a ledge;

Then resumed and walked heading northwest, and suddenly found myself in a pretty forest;

Surprised – I found a big river, the cold refreshing bath gave me a shiver;

 III

Beyond it and past the tree line, a majestic emerald peak stands sublime;

Tackled its steep slope, the view filled me with hope;

And alas on the top I proudly stood,  to find beauty I say – explore we should;

For life’s blessings are not given free, face the danger and favor will come to thee.

Karakoram - Trek to K2 Base Camp

(from my book Akyat)

K2 (2nd highest mountain) behind me, at Concordia camp, on the way to the basecamp.  2001

 Godwin-Austen Peak, locally known as “Chogri” - popularly known as “K2”, is the 2^nd highest mountain in the world (8611m) but the toughest mountain to climb.  It is said that the death rate of K2 is 1 death for every 3 who made it on top - a lot more than Everest in terms of Death-to-Summit ratio. Everest used to have 1:6 but greatly improved over the years now I think 1:10.  Still scary - but better.  Anyway, I think K2 got its name from the old survey and expedition map with numbered peaks.  The Map of course covers Karakoram (“K”) and the peaks where numbered 1,2,3… so on.  Godwin-Austen was marked “K2” (Karakoram #2 peak), and so the name.   Movies such as “K2” and “Vertical Limits” popularized this mountain.  It’s the most dreadful peak, an extreme challenge to the most elite of mountaineers. Since I was only a tadpole-class mountaineer then, my plan was to do K2 half-half --  Hit the basecamp, and dream the rest. :) 

Climbing Mt Apo - Then and Now

1994 - my first climb in Mt Apo, with UP Mountaineer friends. (photo credit - Ivan Sarenas)

I first climbed Mt Apo way back 1994, as part of my team’s backpacking trip in southern Philippines including Leyte, parts of Mindanao and Cebu.  This was that time that reaching Tacloban (Leyte) by boat from Manila takes around 25 to 30 hours!  My group was the usual gung-ho type where fun is the priority, and planning was next to none.

Before the trip, one senior org member that we consulted told us that Mt Apo is “typical” and nothing to worry about.  Only to experience, unprepared - for a windy summit camp with temperature dipping to 0-degree C during the night!

Mt Everest - Summit Day

Group photo at the summit.

Celebrating my Mt Everest climb 10th year anniversary this May19, let me share these set of pictures during the summit day... FEEL the experience! :)

(from my book Akyat)
Camp 4, South Col, Mt. Everest, ~26000 feet above sea level

The night was cold, windy, unimaginably miserable. Even inside the
tent, the numbing temperature, the piercingly cold wind, the thin air
didn’t allow us to sleep or rest properly. I was still tired from the hike,
and I didn’t seem recharged a bit. The airstream’s constant howling and
whistling demoralized even the veteran climbers among us. Simple acts
like eating or putting on one’s boots became unusually hard and tricky.
Even breathing became difficult.

For seven weeks now, we had been within sight and shadow of Mt.
Everest. My team of four climbers decided to go for the summit rather
than wait for another day. My Sherpa lead guide, two Sherpa videographers
and I were on the final stage of the trip. I told myself, “Tonight’s
the night!” Either I join the ranks of the very select who had reached
the top of Everest or I go back down, defeated but alive.

After a few hours of sleep, we dressed up and put on our gear. At past
8:30 p.m., I stepped out of the tent in full gear. I peed, my last for the
next 20 hours. There was no one outside but me. Most tents were lit
from inside. That meant the other climbers were awake, their torches
switched on. They were all preparing for what was ahead. Or maybe
they were awake but still waiting for better weather.

With the unfavorable wind, all the climbers seemed half-hearted in
aiming for the summit. The conditions were far from ideal: a constant
50 kph wind above 26,000 feet with air temperature of -30°C and sinking
on this dark, starless night. Their indecisiveness was contagious. I
doubted and worried, too.

After another hour of preparing our gear for the climb’s final leg, my
team seemed ready for the assault. Despite the temperature, I couldn’t
feel it from the excitement. Or was it anxiety?

Mt Ama Dablam Photos - from a distance

Mt Ama Dablam, with its unique and iconic shape, has been a good subject of both photography and painting.  Here I experimented on a variety of foreground images with it as a backdrop... 
Enjoy...

The Yak bells will ring... (at a tea house along the trail)...

Mt Ama Dablam - Visual Tour

Mt Ama Dablam (6800m) - technical peak.
The short of the story was that, it was a TOUGH mountain requiring more rests and acclimatization trips to high camps.  As we're not yet well-acclimatized (slower than most), we estimated a 22h+ summit day due to C2 overcrowding (i.e. we have to take off from C2, summit and back all the way to C1), but given exhaustion when we arrived in C2 - we decided against it.  I think at least 3 more days could have allowed us to tackle the last 700m (from C2).

Well, the mountain will always be there - we can always go back... =)

Why we climbed Ama Dablam?
My personal intent was to promote a more technical version of climbing with the hope of inspiring (thru video/ photos/ stories) the next generation to climb more difficult, "walled" peaks.  The hope was that, Filipinos would soon start the "K2 project".  K2 (Godwin-Austen peak) is the 2nd highest peak, but more difficult and dangerous than Everest.   I believe that the next worthwhile project by Philippine mountaineering groups is a climb on K2.  We're done with Everest, with 7 Summits, and the way to climb the 14 peaks of 8000m family is to target the most difficult of them all -- K2!
With Ama Dablam as a 'primer' and a known training mountain for such, we hope to show what high-altitude technical climbing is about, and hopefully, lure our more 'extreme' climbers to climb such peaks.
Get on it, climb on!

Mt Cho Oyu Climb

At the summit with Lhakpa Rangdu Sherpa -  half a year later we'll be on top of Mt Everest together.

 Mt. Cho Oyu is the 6th highest peak rising to 8,201meters.  It is on the border of Tibet and Nepal. Access to its summit is through the northwest ridge on the Tibetan side of the mountain. Climbers normally fly to Nepal first, then cross the border overland to reach the base camp in Tibet.

The extreme altitude of 8,000-meter peaks is called a death zone. At that altitude, the human body starts to die.  The air there is only 30-40 percent, barely enough to sustain human life.  Acclimatization at that level is impossible because the body starts to shut down. The digestive system stops functioning while the other vital organs slowly dies. Advanced form of AMS such as pulmonary and cerebral edema are other potential problems. The extreme conditions in a death zone make summiting quite a challenge. The summit isn’t a place for humans. A climb to the peak is an endeavor sitting between extreme adventure and insanity. 

My challenge was to raise the Philippine flag on one of these death zone peaks, a first for the country.

Mt Makiling Traverse

At the starting point (Sto Tomas side)

My Nepal climb team had decided to do a weight training climb last weekend.  While multi-day with 5h+ each day of uphill hike would be ideal, we just have to make do of what our schedule allows us to.  Initially, I suggested Mt Daguldol but one member suggested that would be too easy.  And he was right of course!

Not knowing what the so-called "MakTrav" (Makiling traverse) was about, I just said "let's go!"
I only partially climbed Makiling once,  20+yrs ago and I can't recall any detail.

So was it easy?  With heavy packs, bad weather and relentless limatik attacks (jumping leeches), I can't say that the climb was easy, not even moderate!  It took us 9h+ to complete the traverse from Sto. Tomas jump-off, through the mountain's main ridge and all the way to Agila camp in Los Banos side.  Luckily, motorcycles and a kind of rickshaw were waiting there when we arrived late in the afternoon.

Why We Climb

Mountaineering is tough, but there were special moments, of peace, of solitude, of something spiritual. (Pic: sunset at Nido de Condores / Camp2 of Aconcagua).

I saw a recent thought-provoking article about mountaineering being all about empty egotism.  I may have felt instantly defensive - concluding that the writer was either a non-mountaineer,  or unfortunate enough not to experience the profoundness of “oneness” with nature.  And I can’t really blame him as this special experience is something personal.  And it’s also deeper and not empty. 

Managing Bad Odor

Rivers and other water sources could give one an opportunity to bath or wash.  Freezing water is sometimes a big challenge though so quick, spot-washing could do the trick. (pic: 2007. Hiking in Baksan valley, Caucasus Range).

If there’s something sure about someone who’s about to go on a long hike or climb – it’s that he/she will stink!  One may use an arsenal of preventive or masking solutions, but like a virus, our body’s smelly parts will find its smelly ways to be.. ahm.. smelled.  Unpleasant smell!

Climbing Carstensz

My team (Levi, Romi, Jemmy) resting at the ridge of Carstensz Pyramid (2011)

It was good that we started late, around 3 a.m. instead of 1 a.m. It was miserably cold and wet out there. Being cold was one thing, being cold and wet was another. The latter was worse!

It was still dark when we started climbing the wall. At night we only saw the immediate area that we were tackling.  If I had seen the huge, endless vertical black wall towering over us, I’d have mentally surrendered out of stress.

We slowly, cautiously and meticulously moved up the wall, taking deliberate steps or holds. The wet wall, constant rain and numbing cold made the climb harder and trickier. After hours of laborious vertical climbing, I exited the couloir, a little vertical passage or corridor in an otherwise smooth rock face. The next wall section was smoother and didn’t have many good holds. I had reached the most difficult section of Carstensz, the crux.  If the wall and our hands were dry and if we were using rock climbing shoes, the crux would’ve been manageable.  

Five Peaks in Five Days

My intention of pursuing this 5-peak challenge was really to promote our mountains.  The day-climb was a twist, and with added benefit of actually saving time and conserving the mountain (i.e. less camping).  It is also my wish to establish something aspirational - a doable but a bit difficult 'adventure package' (like 7 summits) but done in a local setting.
I would encourage our mountaineers to visit and enjoy our mountains - perhaps following this same scheme, doing a day-climb for each peak.  Even doing it faster or with added twist!

Recalling these climbs:

Mt Apo (highest) day-climb as part of GMA7's Born to be Wild 'explorations' show.  Took the EDC trail (Kidapawan, but not through Venado).  This is probably the shortest route, took me ~4:50 to go up. (3h down).  June2011.

Kalatungan One-day Climb

Related Posts:  Kitanglad and Dulang-Dulang One-day Traverse
 Five Peaks in Five Days - a Summary

Note: Before 2011, the 5th highest was Mt Tabayoc in Benguet. Mt Kalatungan is now officially the 5th highest peak in the Philippines.

UPM team at the jump-off. L-R: Romi, Dennis, Kenneth, Jaja. We were (wrongly) in shorts and short sleeves not knowing the itchy-scratchy-ouchy challenge ahead.

I started my 5-peaks-5-days project last 2011 and had climbed Pulag, Apo and the 'now-demoted' Tabayoc (6th highest). Time didn't permit me to complete it in 1 year, and owing to the postponement of my Nepal trip (Oct2014), I finally decided to go south and complete my unfinished business.
Few colleagues from UP Mountaineers joined in, wondering what kind of pain and suffering the series of climbs has to offer.
Dennis Lopez, the guy who was tasked to plan the trip - suggested we start with Kalatungan - the most difficult of the 5 highest in terms of walking distance.  I didn't even think and just said 'good to go'!
Looking back, the other option of starting with Kitanglad and Dulang-Dulang traverse didn't seem to be an easy start either - so there was no 'lesser evil' in this case.  Kalatungan was further from CDO so we thought, the last set of climbs should be fairly close to our exit point.

Kitanglad and Dulang-Dulang One-day Traverse

I've been quietly pursuing my "5-peak in 5-days" personal climb project since 2011.  This is nothing more than a personal challenge to climb the top 5 highest peaks in the Philippines, in a day-climb fashion (for each).  The hope is to encourage or influence other experienced climbers to consider doing day-climbs as alternative to multi-day /camping trips (less time, less eco-impact, more adventures).  Of course, we also want to establish an aspirational local objective in the hope of offering a 'good reason to climb' - to promote our mountains, and the provinces where these mountains are located.

Thanks to TNF for the continued support of this endeavor

Here below is a brief picture-story of our Kitanglad-D2 Traverse:

(Nov1/2014) From the base (waiting shed), we started dark in the early morning (with head torch), and got at this viewpoint in time to catch the sunrise. The trail to Kitanglad is pretty straightforward. Peak has communication towers/facilities and livable habitat for engineers, staff and military personnel guarding the place. (here posing with rasta boy, Jaja)

Death in the Mountains - Managing the Fear and Risk

A close-up view of the mini-avalanche that I encountered in Everest, 2006 

 

 

The recent accident in Annapurna, Nepal which claimed at least 30 lives – and which happen to coincide with my (aborted) trek and climb trip,  seemed to make mountain accidents closer and real for some. 

Especially for those who thought or considered joining the trip.   

While we don’t want to over think bad things that could happen in a trip, it pays to have proper preparation, should that black-hooded guy carrying a scythe invited us for a dinner.

Mountaineer’s Dilemma (A Poem)

practicing my 'rhymes' :)

Life is full of options,               and we like asking questions;

Like “should I carry a heavy pack”,                  which might hurt my back;

Or climb this steep rock,                      where I could fall with a ‘smack’;

Lost in a Mountain in Korea

Puk-an-san peak, I was in the wrong peak not knowing it has a twin

Dec1997.   

When I arrived in Seoul, I quickly contacted my (office) colleague and asked for the nearest good mountain peak I could climb over the weekend. (It was my first time in Korea, on a business trip, and I didn’t want to lose a chance to at least see or climb a local mountain). He offered me some options. The nearest from Seoul and the easiest to climb was “Puk-an-san mountain.” That was how I heard it called.

He wanted to go with me, but he had other plans. What he did was to leave with me precise instructions that he wrote down in Korean, telling me to show those questions to strangers so I could be told where to go. There was a tinge of doubt on his face because it was my first time in Korea.  

Nuisances in Climbing Mountains

Prepare for climb challenges like this, and for the nuisances

In a perfect world, visiting the mountain should be enjoyable day in and day out.  You take in fresh air, see nice sunsets, observe spectacular wildlife, enjoy the awesome view or make a wish in a starry, starry night.   

Reality and actual experience will tell you that not everything is pleasant.  Some of these are expected as part of the main list of challenges, but there are these small things that just make one’s life more miserable in the mountains!  Coping with these little stressful things adds to a better mountain experience.  And sometimes, even success.

Here are a few of these extra nuisances:

1.      Walking with crampons or snow shoes.  While one may easily get the hang of it,  it’s  not rare to see climbers tripping every now and then, sometimes with ripped pants or gaiters (from crampons). Even worse, a cut or wound in the leg (crampon puncture/cuts).  And crampons make a slow going, unless the terrain is icy-slippery.  Tip: suck it up and mind your ‘bukaka’ walk (steps wide apart).  No loose pants lest you make an easy crampon-catch/trap.

What to do when you have AMS

One of my worse AMS experience was on this mountain.
Mt Elbrus, Caucasus 2004. slow-going, acclimatization climb.

Before you read this post, read previous article about Acclimatization.   

So, you've got AMS.  Don’t panic,  there’s hope.  =)

If one is experiencing severe AMS (with edema), the only sure cure is to go down the mountain! Evacuate ASAP! If unable to evacuate, and if you’re lucky to have a gamow bag (portable chamber) and/or O2 bottles – then this may be life-saving tools.  Use gamow bag with big caution - make one mistake (like sudden release of pressure) and you could kill someone inside. 

This article below is more focused on mild AMS (characterized by headache, nausea, occasional vomiting, lack of appetite, etc.), how to prevent it from progressing to a severe form, or how to fix;

1.      Rest and avoid gaining more (sleeping) altitude.   It means, if you’re sick now, further walking up (to thinner air) to sleep or camp will worsen your AMS.

Acclimatization

Towards Aconcagua's Summit, with Paolo. (Jan,2005)

If I were to rank the reasons why people don’t summit, or reach their trek objective, I’d rank poor acclimatization as number1.  Bad weather (leading to lost of time) would be second only.

One should give proper focus and attention in his/her acclimatization program for a trip, be it during, or right before (1-2 weeks) the main trip.  Or risk failing.

Here are some tid-bits on this topic to help out those that are new in high altitude trekking or climbing.

 AMS, HAPE and HACE

Acute Mountain Sickness (AMS) is a temporary sickness (hence acute) when in a high altitude environment (maybe felt from as low as 9000ft or even lower for some); characterized by headache, lack of appetite, nausea, vomiting, headache.  Mild AMS in the mountain is NORMAL.  I’d say that in 50% or more of my past climbs, I’ve got AMS in varying severity, though mostly mild.  Expect to get headache, breathlessness (may or may not be related to AMS), fast heartbeat while resting, occasional vomiting, or lost of appetite.  Just fight it, take  medications, drink lots of fluids (3li), follow proper acclimatization technique described below.