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Hiking matters #561: Mt. Akagi (赤城山) Kurobi-Komagatake Loop in Gunma, Japan
TOKYO, JAPAN – For the second hike of my 7th Japan hiking trip, I headed to Mt. Akagi (赤城山) in Gunma, Japan. Though a little bit outside dayhiking range of Tokyo, its hiking course – through two...
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Hiking matters #562: Mt. Fuji via the Fujinomiya Trail
TOKYO – After two warmup hikes – Mt. Tsukuba and Mt. Akagi – the highlight of the Pinoy Mountaineer Mt. Fuji Expedition 2017 loomed ahead of us: Mt. Fuji itself, at 3776 MASL Japan’s highest peak and...
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Hiking matters #565: A dayhike of Mt. Tanzawa (丹沢山) in Kanagawa
After a rest day (and Mont Bell outlet shopping) in the beautiful city of Kanzawa, Jeshua and I proceeded to do another Hyakumeizan: Mt. Tanzawa (丹沢山) west of Tokyo, near the port city of Yokohama....
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Hiking matters #566: Mt. Kumotori (雲取山), Tokyo’s highest peak
Despite my reluctance to plod on for a sixth consecutive hike, my passion won over my fatigue and I ended up doing yet another Hyakumeizan – Mt. Kumotori. Part of the Chichibu-Tama-Kai National Park,...
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Hiking matters #572: A four-day hike up Mt. Baloy Daku, a legendary mountain...
ILOILO CITY – I am back in Iloilo after completing an exhilarating four-day hike up Mt. Baloy Daku (1958m) at the border of Antique and Iloilo! One of the toughest hikes (Difficulty 9/9) in the...
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Visually-impaired teenager Jerald Polintan reaches his 2nd summit in Mt. Batulao
After joining the Zero Visibility event last year and reaching his first summit (Pico de Loro), visually-impaired teenager Jerald Polintan accomplished another milestone in October 2017 as he scaled...
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Iloilo Mountaineering Club reports successful Panay Trilogy traverse
Photo from IMC Facebook page / Ross Lini The Iloilo Mountaineering Club has reported a successful traverse of Panay’s three major peaks: Mt. Madjaas, Mt. Nangtud, and Mt. Baloy Daku. Dubbed as the...
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“May kasama kasi kaming babae”: Women’s issues on the trail
by Pat Labitoria Hiking is a challenge – of course many of us reading this already know this by heart and experience. But for us women, hiking comes with extra challenges that are unique only to us....
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How to avoid leg cramps (pulikat) while hiking
Photo courtesy of Kevin Jason Manuel by Gideon Lasco, MD Leg cramps (pulikat in Tagalog) is a common condition experienced by hikers, particularly in long ascents and descents, and especially in hot...
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Letter to a young mountaineer, XI: The friends inside your backpack
by Gideon Lasco Friendship is not a word one would normally use with non-humans, let alone non-living things, but it is a good way to think of your relationship with your hiking gear. As you keep...
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Letter to a young mountaineer, XII: Unfollowing one’s self in social media
You opened a Facebook account and people started ‘following’ you, amazed by your adventures. Slowly but steadily, your number of followers increased, which gave you some pride and confidence that...
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Hiking matters #573: Mt. Canumay, a worthwhile dayhike in Antipolo, Rizal
ANTIPOLO, RIZAL – I really enjoyed hiking up Mt. Canumay in Sitio Canumay, Brgy. San Jose, Antipolo today. Though easily still over an hour away from Antipolo proper, this hiking destination stands...
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“Go before the crowds discover it!”: Dutch hikers offer praise for Kibungan
by Jip op den Kamp and Anita Hardon Blogger’s note: Jip and Anita are Dutch hikers who have traveled extensively in the Philippines and around the world. Go to Kabungan before the crowds will...
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Hiking matters #575: Karangahake Mountain (544m) in the Coromandels of New...
QUEENSTOWN, NEW ZEALAND – For my final big adventure of the year I decided to head to New Zealand, joined by my Hyakumeizan buddy Jeshua Sales and my good friends from Tacloban – Edgardo and Jezebel...
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Hiking matters #576: Mt. Taranaki, highest in North Island, New Zealand
QUEENSTOWN, NEW ZEALAND – From Mt. Karangahake we proceeded to Rotorua to see some Maori cultural sites, geologic wonders, and kiwi birds. Then we took the long drive to New Plymouth – over 300 kms –...
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Hiking matters #577: The Tongariro Alpine Crossing in New Zealand
The Emerald Lakes of Tongariro Alpine Crossing. QUEENSTOWN, NEW ZEALAND – One day after climbing Mt. Taranaki, we did what is widely-regarded as the most famous dayhike in New Zealand, the 19.4-km...
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Hiking matters #578: Ben Lomond, Queenstown’s iconic dayhike
QUEENSTOWN – Upon arrival in Queenstown we were awestruck by the many mountains that surrounded the town and Lake Wakatipu. Thus instead of driving all the way to Milford Sound or even Te Anau we just...
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Hiking matters #579: Roy’s Peak Track in Wanaka, New Zealand
QUEENSTOWN – Because we’ve been doing so much tramping and driving the day after Ben Lomond was intended to be a rest day, but Jeshua and I nonetheless managed to end up in Wanaka (an hour drive from...
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Hiking matters #580: Climbing up Single Cone, summit of the Remarkables range...
QUEENSTOWN – A day after Roy’s Peak Track we went up Single Cone (2318m), which we now consider to be the mountaineering highlight of our trip. This rock peak – the actual summit of the Remarkables...
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Hiking matters #581: Hiking in Lindis Pass and Mt. John
CHRISTCHURCH – From Queenstown we drove the 500-km stretch of roads to Christchurch but we took “hiking breaks” along the way, most notably a peak in Lindis Pass, and the Summit Circuit Track around...
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