Lagataw's Not Dead

Ten years of climbing doesn't mean there's no room for discovering new trails

When I climbed Mt Batulao last weekend, I had already come to terms with the reality that mountain climbing in the Philippines has become as clicheic as going to the beach.

But what happened today proved that the outdoors has not become fully saturated with weekend warriors altogether. Ten years of climbing doesn't mean I can no longer find a destination near Manila that is not crowded. I just had to activate that heart of a lagataw, who will just look at a faraway vista or a hill or a gorge and believe that I will find something that can make me stop running to relish the view. That's all a lagataw needs to take the first step in a journey to discovery.

This may not be as vast as Asik Asik Falls but equally charming nonetheless

Today, I found a trail that could give me at least 15 km of hill training. As an added bonus, I found the birthplace of a river. It may not be as grand as the Asik-Asik Falls but the fact that I could have the place all to myself for as long as I wanted makes the destination equally enchanting and much more worth visiting.

And a river is born!