Our fund-raising climb at Cristobal last weekend was a success. Over 30 climbers joined our group in our climb of Mt. Cristobal in Dolores, which is part of the Banahaw Massiv. After a bit of apprehension over the forecast of another brewing storm, we pushed for San Pablo early Saturday morning. As part of the sweep group, I was with the tail people who spent more time sharing jokes and swapping laughs than the actual climbing.
The air was cool and nippy at the campsite. Owing to the small size of the main campsite at the ridge, four of us pitched our tent far from the maddening crowd, so to speak. It's rewarding to enjoy a cool, quiet night of sleep after our socials got cut short by the evening rain.E ven through my tentmates' loud snoring (and another f word, hahaha, which stands for a loud, smelly noise), I had a good night's sleep.I pity Dan who kept imagining the (mythical?) tumao to open our tent door any moment after I turned off my headlamp and dozed off. No such "spooky" moments for me.
On behalf of my groupmates, let me thank our invitees for sharing in our cause and having fun with us in the process. P.S. I had the opportunity to meet Fernan, whom I found out has this site among his bookmarks. Thanks bro! Sure feels good there are people who actually read my blog, hahaha.
Climbing Mt. Cristobal info: Elevation: over 1,500m • Difficulty: major climb, moderate (allow 3-4 hours for ascent, 2.5-3 hours for descent) • Trail: mossy forest • Permits: none, but please leave names of participants at the Montelibano's house at the jump-off • Water source: none, get water at Montelibano's • To get to San Pablo: ride bus in Pasay bound for San Pablo City (fare: around P110, 2-3 hrs. travel time); in San Pablo, hire jeepney bound for Dolores • Must bring: insect repellent, arm protector
