Starring:
Thumbie “Lady Gago” Remigio - Team Leader, Master Teaser, Talkshow Host
Jonjon “LA Lopez” Villareal - Kichen Scenestealer
Claire “Sollen Muros” Montemayor - Police Food Thief
Lei “Big Mouth” Mangubat - EB, Talkshow Guest 1
Sir Paul “SPV” Villegas - Man of the Hour, Talkshow Guest 2
Cherry “Pa-porter” Sy - Amused Audience
Dara “Reverse Trekker” Redulla - Inductee, Special Talkshow Guest 3
Jamel “Mama Texter” Pangandaman - Sweeper, Junior Teaser
Choy “Baboy ba Corned Beef” Calunsod - Photographer
A woman in leather vest, long skirt and flowing hair entered and stood in front of the “class,” and introduced herself as Miriam, Park Superintendent, and she briefed us on the impact we will be doing to Mt Pulag, and what we should do to minimize it. She was a quirky hostess, with a joke injected between lectures. She swatted LA with a long stick when she thought him sleeping during her all-important speech. Another time she cornered Jamel and demanded he define what a “sweeper”'s role is in a team. One was left speechless and the other horrified. She also talked about faith in God, and how that will determine if we'll see a beautiful sunrise on the summit. She told the Team Leaders, “if the going gets rough, don't resign.” And, “don't leave even biodegradables, because it will look strange if the grassland starts growing avocado and mango trees. Don't wash your clothes in the river, a katutubo might just be downstream drinking that very same water.” All in all, it was an entertaining lecture on environmentalism and culture-sensitivity.
We boarded a jeepney and tried to get a comfortable sleeping position as we rocked side to side because of the rutty road to the rangers' station. Claire got buried underneath a mountain of backpacks, and Thumbie's booted feet made a nice cross on top.
At the rangers' station, we ate our packed lunch. Porters offered their services to carry our backpacks to the camp for P250 each. Sir Paul and I grabbed at the opportunity. After a beat, Thumbie followed suit, “to support the tourism industry.” After 15 years of trekking, I think it's time to succumb to the pressure of bad knees and have someone else carry my heavy pack.
The weather wasn't good, but it wasn't that bad either. It drizzled the whole time, making us wear our outer shells during the trek. We had other company who wore denim jeans, mall sweaters and sneakers, and among ourselves wished them luck to the freezing night ahead.
After two hours, we arrived at a shelter in Camp 2. We camped beneath the local guides' sleeping quarters, offering us covered ground for our sleeping bags and a cooking spot. We hadn't laid down our packs yet when a bottle of Gin Premium is put down the table, and generous portions went around the group. Thumbie gave a rousing number of Pokerface as Lady Gago, adorned in matching blue and gray jacket and pants, head tube and shades. Claire came back from the water source with our bottles, and started doing hot poses as Solenn Muros. Both people didn't drink alcohol.
First meal: Steaming Nilagang Baka, complete with potatoes, cabbage, pechay and saba. After our second bottle of GP, we decided to ration our supplies, we only have three more for the remaining three days. How??? How can we make them last??? So we slept. Everyone got a decent sleeping spot, except for Claire, who slept at our feet. She is after all a police, the protector of us all.
photos by Choy Calunsod
