HOW I WANT TO SPEND MY CHRISTMAS BIRTHDAY

It's a great feeling to immerse with the humble people in the mountains. It's my desire to be exposed to the way they live everyday. If given a chance, I would spend months living in their peaceful community, away from everyday's humdrums.  

While exploring the outdoors, I pass by mountain villages and meet people with innocent but curious looks. While conversing with them, I get to know more of their happy and hassle free life. And I understand that their very simple living teaches them the art of contentment that keeps them the happiest people in the world.

THE MOUNTAINEER'S PRAYER: A Poem by Anita Atina

The Mountaineer’s Prayer
by Anita Atina

O honourable mountain
Allow me to walk to your peak
There are you, timeless, elegant
Framing the sun, the moon and the stars 

THE JOY OF BEING ON TOP

How does it feel to be on top? I love mountains, their vegetation, their landscapes, their forms, their slopes and their heights. Climbing a mountain for me is not just tiring myself for a long hike. It is escaping away from everyday's humdrums. It is panting fresh air. It is communing with nature and appreciating its Creator. And for somebody like me who is extremely in love with heights, it's truly a different feeling being on top.

So how does it really feel to be on top? . . . Well, it simply makes your knees shake.

MY MOST ECSTATIC ENCOUNTERS IN 2012

2012 is my most trekked year so far. The past year has been filled with new explorations, new discoveries, new acquaintances and new fulfillments. As I reminisce my numerous treks and trips, all of them are truly worth sharing. I can't just simply identify which among them is/are the best, so I'm giving you my 20 most ecstatic encounters (in chronological order).

1. MT. KITANGLAD CLIMB. A solo climb was really a great year-starter. My 7th climb to the country's top 4 highest peak was like a first time. Though I was treading through the same trail, the experience was totally different from my other climbs. This is my only unguided 2-day climb. I got to meet other hikers, though. This 2-day strenuous climb tested my stomach without rice intake. I only thrived for burger buns, eggs, canned goods and a lettuce clove.  

MT. ARAYAT: THE LONE MOUNTAIN

From the highways of Pampanga, one can hardly resist the tempting splendor of Mt. Arayat. The 1,026 meter high mountain is known to be an extinct volcano. It has no eruption record.

Another unguided solo climb. Due to rebel infestation, I decided not to push through my planned Mt. Arayat trek but a day-stay in Luzon is a sheer waste without doing any adventure.