I still can’t believe I did it. Wow! I climbed the highest mountain in the Philippines and I did it with the woman I have fallen deeply in love with.  I didn’t sleep well in the uncomfortable tent and when I did sleep I kept dreaming about hanging from sheer cliffs. But somehow Geejay and I both managed to sleep a few hours. After a nice leisurely breakfast we packed up and began the final ascent. There was no more cliff climbing, but it was no walk in the park.

We went up a rather steep and slippery path with lots of rocks. It was very steep and very scary. At times there was a sheer drop-off beside the narrow rocky path. It began raining soon after we began the climb from the campsite and it rained most of the day. After a couple of hours our guides and porters unfurled a large tarp and supported it with stakes. We sat and rested under it. Our goal was still more than an hour away. The view was incredible! In fact, from the moment we began our walk on the first day, my eyes were beholden to one incredibly awesome view after another, though my fear of heights prevented me from thoroughly enjoying much of it.

Mt Apo has seven peaks, the highest of which is over 10,000 feet. It is the highest mountain in the Philippines. I was very slow because of my fear but Al and Smol were very patient with me and were constant companions to Geejay and me. At one point we stopped to rest and Smol and I had a discussion about nature spirits and dopple-gangers. Their term for dopple-ganger is mirror-mirror. Smol is a good man. All of the mountain guides and porters seem like good, decent people.

Al, Smol, Geejay, her friend Carlo, and I reached one of the peaks together while some of the others made the difficult climb to the highest peak. They had to down into a valley before ascending to that peak.

Throughout the whole journey, starting early the first day, the guides kept telling me not to crawl up the mountain. I don’t know how many times Al said, “Stand up.” I would crawl up the path instead of walking whenever the combination of height, difficulty of terrain, and proximity to a sheer drop triggered my fear.

The top of that peak was incredible! I know I have used that word a lot but what else can I say? It was incredible! The whole experience was so incredible! Mark Twain warned against using too many exclamation points, and said it is the equivalent of laughing at your own jokes, but when describing this mountain-climbing experience, it is hard to refrain from using them.

Finally I got enough courage to stand up on the peak for a brief spell. I looked all around. The view was so awesome! Incredible! Unbelievable! Indescribable. And scary!

The trip from the peak back to where the tarp was set up took about one-half hour.
Geejay says it was less than that but I think it was at least a half-hour. The trip from that point back to where our vehicles were parked took another four and one-half hours and it rained most of the time.

On the way back we took a different route. At first it was a trail that hugged the side of the mountain and had a very steep drop on one side. It was wide enough so that I was not extremely scared, but there were places where it narrowed. Eventually we made our way down a long, rocky path on a ridge. Oh my God, there is a steep drop-off on both sides and our path is steep and slippery! I could only look at where my feet had to go. Al and Smol were wonderful the way they helped guide me through the most difficult parts. At times Al would hold my wrist while I held his and he would literally pull me up during the climb. At other times Smol did the same thing. During the descent they sometimes guided me carefully. Sometimes I was with Al and Geejay was with Smol. At other times I was with Smol and Geejay was with Al. As I pointed out earlier, Geejay told me that Al is a porter, not a guide, but as far as I’m concerned he is a guide, and a damned good one. He was very good to me and extremely helpful. In fact I don’t think I could have made it through the most difficult parts without him.

After a few hours the terrain became less difficult and much less scary, though there were still a few places where the proximity of a sheer drop-off unnerved me a bit. Eventually we came to easier terrain. The terrain was changing constantly all day, as was the view. At one point we walked through dense forest. The things I saw on the way back were fascinating and beautiful. The scenery was constantly changing but was always breathtakingly beautiful and totally fascinating.

Finally we had to scale the mountain the we descended at the beginning of our trip on the first day. This time our path up the mountain was a steep trail instead of a cliff. I was told that this was the way we were supposed to have gone on our ascent the previous day but the path was closed because of a threat. What kind of a threat, we were not told. I was thinking to myself, “Thank God it is not closed now!”

Sunil told me that I had conquered my fear of heights. I told him that I had not. I had faced my fear head-on but not conquered it. I’m sure I would be just as scared if I had to do it again tomorrow.

Smol is going to go to Maryland to work as a nurse in a hospital there. I think he said he has relatives in Maryland. He is a wonderful person and I wish him luck.

When Geejay, Al, Smol, and I reached the place where the vehicles were parked, there was still another group in the woods. It was dark already and we were worried about them. About 30 minutes later we saw the light from their flashlights as they emerged from the woods. Soon we began the long drive back to Davao.