Tirad Peak Assault Oct.31st 2010

Tirad Peak Assault Oct.31st 2010

by Mark Anthony Villacorta on Friday, November 5, 2010 at 3:27pm

I cant believe that i remember the trails going back especially when darkness looms in the horizon. Not to mention that everyone was not equipped to be in the trails that time especially given the historical background the mountain has. Remembering piled bodies, thanks to Abi's creative way of story telling about how she saw the actual pictures of slain soldiers and the young Gen. Gregorio del Pilar aka Romnick Sarmenta (a Philippine actor who played the young general in a local movie). What i did is focus, remembering tidbits of details of the trail, like for example, fallen logs, streams where we rested and trails were we talked to the wasted faces of the hikers going back to camp from an early morning assault.


The trail was the longest assault i have ever done without a pack! The summit was breathtaking not to mention life-threatening! i even dropped my drybag containing my money and ID and the picture of the Our Lady of Manaoag. But i managed to get it back, thanks to the grass covering that part of the summit, i was too freakin' scared to catch it as it rolled down the trail, too scared....


We, knew that we have little time to head back to camp, knowing that we are not equipped to be in the dark. We are also in the impression that if we are not back in time, the local forest guards or guides guarding the shrine would fetch us, only to find that there was no warm bodies at camp or to fetch us in that matter.


We are all alone in that trail...


There is a couple of trails which are covered by dense bamboo trees, foliage that is so dense that the setting sun is no enough to shed light on it. This is the times in the trail when from light to dark are to be experienced. Adrenalin is already at an all time high, i even bump my knee (again) on a rock, it hurt like shit but after a couple of seconds the pain is gone again. Focused on the trail ahead. Seeing the setting sun, i reckoned it will give me 1-2hrs ample light until i reach camp... then after a few stops and glances on the sun, the clouds are also blocking it not to mention i am on a downward trail. Now i guess, i have 1 to 1 1/2 hrs max of sunlight. Must go faster.


I am already asking myself what provisions i have even the probability that when night falls, the guides/forest guards will be there to fetch us. But i knew that what is more important is that i don't have a flashlight! then, i remember telling Abi that i only have one penlight, one led bulb that is attached to my uber small swissknife. That would give me ample light but i also know that the battery life is not dependable, i even considered using the flash of my slr as light source if i have no more choice.


I reached a stream that is pretty much exposed to the setting sun, given the feel and look of the surroundings, its between 545-6pm already. I readied my light and drank some water, i even consider replenishing my hydro bag just in case but i know that i can make it back in camp in time for all my stored energy to be spent. I ate some mixed trail nuts, gulped on it actually hehehe.


Then, i remembered my cellphone! and it has a torchlight on it!!! thank God!


Now, bring it out, putting it in a ziplock and bring out also my mini Rosary, putting it in the same ziplock, thinking (and hoping) that it would bless the light and pave the way to the right path (it did actually!). Now i am moving in the darkness...


A couple of darker than dark bamboo trails, one trail (im kinda scared now... as in writing this!) was different... it gave me the goose bumps, the hair in the back of my hair is suddenly acting up.. the stories of Abi again popping back...hehe


I could not catch up with Sir Pete and company no matter how fast i am, i later learned that Sir Pete and Abi has no available lightsource at their disposal, so they really need to buckle and run along the trail. They arrived around 6pm in the campsite with no one there.


The only instance i got lost is then i was just 1-2 minutes away from the "kubo" that marks the start of the Tirad Peak assault and the fact that i heard someone talking. I shouted "tao po!!" a couple of times and the man on the kubo answered back, "kayo ba yung guide??" that then i recognized his voice, it was DocLest!


Back tracking for about 2-3meters i saw the cogon covered trail.
Then atlast, i reached the kubo where DocLest was, talking with someone in his cp. i rested a bit, after 15mins or so, we decided to resume the trek (its already so near the campsite that one can reached it less than 5mins walking). I remembered the doppelgänger and was scared that DocLest was one of them (peace tayo Lester pero naalala mo na imbes sa lupa naka tutok yung trekking pole ko eh parang espada hawak ko, ready to swing..hehehe). I was getting this cold feeling, because after a couple of minutes resting in the Kubo, the wind started to howl its cold strong current again to the mountain....
Campsite...
We saw Sir Pete and Abi, cooking dinner already... and the fact that they mentioned that no one is already present when they arrived. We were left by ourselves!


I remember Abi telling us, why of all mountains we trekked in a place where many people died and sa araw ng Undas... (it would be the night of the 31st, Hallow night it is....)
It is good that years of experience and good training has paid off... And new lessons learned *wink


Now, balik sa tanong....
"paano ko nakita ang mga tamang trail ng patakip-silip na???"
... and i answer,


Thank you Lord for the assistance.

- Mark "Maj" Anthony Villacorta   Tirad Peak Oct.30-Nov.1, 2010