Introduction
INTRODUCTION
MOUNTAINEERING, HIKING OR BACKPACKING?
This webpage was published to share to the readers the rich destinations we have in our beloved country. But what do we call the activities we will be doing when we explore this destinations ?
Is it mountaineering, hiking or backpacking? Before we begin with the destinations, let us first define the basic terms used in this webpage and maybe the most confusing term there is are the terms used for the activities done outdoors-hiking, backpacking and mountaineering. Hiking is just a simple term almost synonymous to walking. It’s the same as the term "traveling on foot." Backpacking on the other hand is almost synonymous with the word "camping" which means "a popular recreation, involving living temporarily in the outdoors, usually in a shelter such as a tent, lean-to, or special recreational vehicle." It has been termed as "backpacking" since all the necessary equipment to live outdoors are packed and carried through a bag called a backpack. While mountaineering is the sport of climbing mountains.
I have received a "hate" e-mail before from someone who claims that there should be no such thing as "mountaineers" here in the Philippines. This was his wild reaction to the number of mountaineering groups that have sprouted throughout the entire archipelago. He may have an impression that mountaineers are people who climb high mountains such as the Himalayas or other alpine destinations. But by definition, mountaineering is a wide sport that encompasses a lot of related activities. As mentioned earlier, it is the sport of climbing mountains, any mountains. It has also been defined to have three types, scrambles or walk-ups requiring no special equipment (non-technical), rock climbing and ice climbing (technical). Some other sports falls within the jurisdictions of mountaineering like spelunking and rappelling although the goal is not to reach the summit. Mountaineering may simply be a term for any sport activity, which you can do within the mountains. So it’s definitely safe to claim that there are mountaineering destinations here in the Philippines. It may not be as high and/or as difficult as alpine mountaineering but Philippine mountaineering has distinct characteristics of its own, sometimes as challenging, as exciting, as beautiful and as dangerous as alpine mountains. It is more fitting to give it a distinct term of it’s own, which is the reason why it is now popularly known as "tropical mountaineering."
Therefore, an activity may be hiking, backpacking and mountaineering at the same time or it may be limited to hiking and backpacking or hiking and mountaineering and so on. Generally, hiking, backpacking and mountaineering are related terms but not the same as each other nor a classification of a particular activity wherein if one belongs to a particular category, it may no longer be classified as the other. And then there is the word "trekking," which means hiking along the trail, a more specific term to call the activity of walking or hiking with a purpose of traveling to a destination or attaining a goal like climbing to a summit. So mountaineers usually trek to the summit, than hike to one.
A bit confusing huh ? But never mind, since we don’t care that much how people will classify our activities, lets just call it a "mountaineering activity" since almost all destination are mountains or parts of mountains. And we will call these places "mountaineering destinations."
As mentioned, Itineraries listed in this webpage are popularly termed as mountaineering destinations but not all of them are summit ascents. Some are treks to a particular location like waterfalls or the exploration of caves and other geological phenomenon. All mountaineering destinations in this webpage are non-technical although you can do technical activities on some sites like rock climbing or rappelling but the focus is more on the non-technical side. Itineraries listed here are intended for mountaineers.
MOUNTAINEERING IN THE PHILIPPINES
The Philippine Island is blessed in terms of "outdoor destinations." It was born out of volcanic origins making its landscape rich and exciting. The country offers volcanoes, mountains, falls, river systems, caves and other geological phenomenon worthy of exploration. As the Department of Tourism’s slogan puts it- "The Philippines has 7,107 island- 7,107 exciting places to explore."
It has hundreds of mountains and only a handful of them has been declared as "mountaineer’s territories," since others are still waiting to be explored. The highest mountain in the country is Mt. Apo measuring 2,954 meters and is about a third of the world’s highest, Mt. Everest measuring 8,848 meters. Most mountains have rainforests while others have distinct high altitude environment such as mossy forests and other high altitude flora and fauna.
It has numerous volcanoes being located within the Pacific Rim of Fire, 22 of which are active. Some have gained distinct places in world geographic records like Taal Volcano, the smallest active volcano, Mayon Volcano with it’s perfect symmetrical cone and the most recent Mt. Pinatubo which have caused the most violent eruption of the 20th century.
It has extensive cave systems from Luzon to Mindanao since a number of mountains are made up of limestone, the main ingredient for cave formation, which was chiseled by the extensive river systems cutting across Philippine forests. Famous caves systems includes the Callao Caves in Cagayan, the Biak na Bato Caves in Bulcan, the Sohotan Caves in Samar and the St. Paul Subterranean Caves in Palawan.
Each province has it’s own waterfalls to boast while most mountains has been dubbed as "mountain of water" due to the springs that flows from it’s slopes. Banahaw and Isarog were dubbed as Vulcan de Agua or "Volcano of Water."
Needless to say, the country has very promising adventure and ecotourism destinations and is currently being positioned as one of the leading destinations for such activities.
Mountaineering in the Philippines has its own distinct characteristics. The travel itself from Manila to the jump-off point, is already an experience distinctively Filipino. You may ride a jeepney, a pump-boat, or a tricycle or even the most unique and indigenous mode of transportation like Mindanao’s skylab. The guide you will be hiring is also an opportunity for a rich cultural interaction since majority of guides are locals indigenous people living in the mountains. The people within the mountain and the jump-off point will not only show you the ways of the mountains but more so, the traditional Filipino way of hospitality. The mountains itself have rich colorful legends giving it distinct characteristics of its own.
In general, the experience of Philippine mountaineering is a holistic experience encompassing rich visual, physical, spiritual, and cultural experiences. Needless to say, the more you climb, the more you will want to explore more of the country’s exotic places.