Back then, I was residing at Toril Davao City when I was still in college and I used to ride a Jeepney going to my University in downtown. Inside the jeep, I always had the chance to take a glimpse on a gigantic figure. Sometimes it's very vivid due to the morning sun, and sometimes it's vague when covered with fogs. Each and everyday that I look at it, I felt its mystery, always calling me, waiting for me to unearth its mystifying world...the world of Mt. Apo.
Mt. Apo is known to be the highest mountain of the Philippines with an altitude of 2,956 meters above sea level. There are different trails to choose from to reach its peak. Mt. Apo is a national park and this volcano is one of the most popular climbing destinations of the Philippines located between Davao City and Davao del Sur province in Region XI and Cotabato province in Region XII.
In Davao City, there are so many mountaineering clubs who climb regularly. Whenever I see these guys, I can't explain why but I really have high regard with them. Maybe because of the connotation that what they do is truly hard, and not for all. They have a common aura that calls me to be one of them. I heard a lot of stories about Mt. Apo: thrills, success, and even death. But every time I look at it, it's always inviting me to unravel its danger and fun.
I never expected that I was going to Mt. Apo that sudden, it's not even part of my trails for 2012 as posted in my travel series page. But I was feeling something inside me that I can't explain. I felt like a loser that I am a total stranger of my own mountain. Whenever I read success stories from the people who were not from Davao and even foreigners who traversed the mountain safely, I had this feeling that I need to do something.
Though very sudden, the right time arrived. It was time for me to do my very first climb, and my very first mountain, ever. The perfect time for me to unravel its danger and fun came. It was time for me to not just look at it from afar while riding a jeepney but to commune within its heart. It was time for me to listen to its call and unearth its mystifying world...the world of Mt. Apo.
So how many days was my preparation? What were the things on my check list? Stay tuned and discover more about my Mt. Apo Challenge 2012.
Your Trailblazer,
Dave
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