Day 1 Mt. Apo Challenge: A New Journey

In my previous post "Mt. Apo Challenge: The Preparation", I shared to you the things on my check list that I prepared before the climb. Then came the big day, April 04, 2012, it was the day for me to embark and start the trail of my greatest summer venture: The Mt. Apo Challenge 2012! The challenge that changed my perspective.

That very morning of Day 1, my things were not yet complete. So I just texted my friend and my co-climber Ivy to help me in completing my stuffs since I was still in the office giving instructions to the faculty. Supposedly our call time at the Ecoland Bus Terminal was 1:00 PM but we weren't able to achieve such since we were still busy completing our stuffs. Again, we just had a day to prepare for that venture. 

 

Without lunch, I went to downtown to complete my things before heading to the terminal. After buying the remaining items on my list (sunblock, sunglasses, hat, tissue, burner/butane ) I just ordered a take-out lunch. I arrived at the terminal like 3:00 PM and met the other climbers from Surigao who were scheduled to traverse another trail (Bansalan Trail) and ours was Kapatagan Trail. The route was: Davao City-Digos City-Kapatagan-Mt. Apo-Kidapawan-Davao City. Instead of commuting by bus, we decided to hire a van to transport us from Davao City to Digos City.

The ride was pretty comfortable. We arrived at Digos City by 6:00 PM. Unfortunately, the last trip for Kapatagan Camp just departed. We were late due to the extended preparation but we considered ourselves since it was a rush decision. So we were left with the option to really spend our night at the public market while waiting for the next trip at 4:00 AM the next day.  

Upon arrival, my body longed for some caffeine, so we had coffee in a local bakeshop. While sipping, we reviewed our things if we didn't miss anything. Then I found out that I left my trekking pants. Wow, so how can I survive the 0 degree celsius at the summit huh? Well, not a problem at all. A nearby ukay-ukay solved the issue. Another thing was our documentation since my camera had some technical problem so we were at the mercy of my iPad and other unstable cams. 

We killed our time by discussing the pros and cons of the climb. Possible issues were raised, considering that were first timers. Then we had our dinner in a local chicken barbecue house, it was good! Then it was time to rest for the big hike the day after. But the question was...where? Hmmm. Well, I am proud to say that I survived (for the first time) lying along the side of the public market street! Hahaha!

Really now? Funny but yes, I was "game" for that idea because we can't afford to miss the next trip. But a kind hearted jeepney driver offered his parked jeep to be our accommodation while waiting for our 4:00 AM trip to Kapatagan Camp. Truly, I had a taste of an authentic street life, hahaha!  

As expected, we weren't able to get a good sleep then, but at least we were safe. I started to enjoy our misadventures. I started to feel at ease with THE CASTS: Myself, Ivy (my friend), Jemar (a student), and Harris (our guide, our porter, a mountaineer for years, and the brother in-law of my friend Ivy). 

Time check: 4:00 AM. Then came Day 2/ April 5, 2012, the second day of the big challenge. It was time for us to go to Kapatagan Camp. 

So what happened on the second day of the challenge? What was our transportation to Kapatagan Camp? How was the registration and the orientation process before the climb? How was the first day of hike? Stay tuned and discover more about my Mt. Apo Challenge 2012!

Your Trailblazer,

Dave