Skyruns: Mt. Apo Skyrun (August 14, 2011)

View of Mt. Apo from Lake Venado

I never ever thought that going up Mt. Apo was going to be easy let alone do a skyrun there. It’s the granddaddy of all Philippine summits after all. I did my homework and read up on online information about climbing Mt. Apo. I got in touch with the Kidapawan Tourism Office and made inquiries about it. I also got in touch with friends who successfully reached the highest summit in the country. And it all came done to one conclusion: A Mt. Apo skyrun via Kidapawan City is only possible if I use the shorter PNOC trail. But due to security reasons, it is difficult to get a permit from PNOC. 

The slippery 90 degrees trail

It doesn’t really help that most people I asked gave me incredulous looks and flat out told me that doing Mt. Apo in one day is simply not done. Nay, they say it is impossible for me to do so. Plus, the weather conditions decided to add extra challenge by pouring heavy rains a week before my scheduled climb. Marble River was guaranteed to be swollen plus trails are sure to be wet, slippery and muddy. I have to admit, I was very close to throwing in the towel. Thank goodness for my BFFEE Christine who kept pushing me give it a shot while taking into consideration safety. And so I did.

My eager guide: Jason aka Wowie

Jason (aka Wowie), my 17-year old guide, is eager to try the day trek with me. He said no guide has ever assisted a climber who made such an itinerary and no other guide really wanted to do so. Personally, I was just happy that someone was crazy enough to get on board with my skyrun attempt. To give us ample time for our effort, we had an early start at 3:00AM. I told Jason to go as fast as he can and I will try to keep up with him. I also advised him that we will have minimal breaks and just maintain a steady, solid pace.

One of the many river crossings at Marble River

More than the ascents, I was worried about crossing the Marble River several times but Jason was always there to ensure that I maintain a secure footing against the raging river. Despite the challenge of trekking in the dark, we kept pushing for a fast pace to maximize time. We kept going even as we encountered the 87 and 90 degree ascents. Jason seemed surprised that we were able to arrive at Lake Venado by 7:00AM, much earlier than we both expected. I think it helped that it was still dark when we started.  I didn’t get too distracted with the views and was able to focus on just moving forward. 

Wading at Lake Venado

But when we got to the lake, it was already bright despite the sun hidden by thick clouds. I finally gave in to the urge and took out my camera for a couple of pictures. Hehe! But it was back to business when we resumed our trek and faced the last hurdle to the summit. We encountered a group of freelance mountaineers from Davao City. Since it was off-season for climbing, they said they were the only group they know that came from the Kapatagan jump off. After a couple of pictures, we each went on our way. Jason and I were much slower, the thinning air making it difficult to keep a strong trek. But we kept pushing forward.

View of Mt. Apo Crater behind me. :)

By 9:00AM we were at the rooftop of the Philippines: Mt. Apo peak! 2956+MASL! OMG!!! I was in a daze; I couldn’t believe we were able to reach the summit in 6hours! Jason urged me to head to the crater for some pictures. And that’s when I broke into a big grin: pictures! I have to take pictures! The fog made it difficult to get clear shots but that didn’t really deter us from getting as much as we can. I was literally overflowing with happiness! I couldn’t help but share it with family and friends so I sent a mass text message to greet them a wonderful Sunday morning! It was indeed a happy day!

Skyrunning at Mt. Apo! ^_^

After an hour of photo ops in various areas at the summit, we decided to head back down. Jason held on to the camera and took pictures of me running. Adrenaline was surging and I was literally flying down Mt. Apo! This was where we met Ran-Ran (EDGE Outdoors, Davao) and Austria-national Benedict. They were the last ones to try to climb Mt. Apo on that day. After a quick chat, Jason and I continued on. Because we had plenty of time left, we were able to get more pictures and enjoy the trails. I heaved a huge sigh of relief when we finally crossed Marble River for the last time. We got back to Lake Agco Resort by 3:00PM.

Meeting new friends: Freelance mountaineers from Davao City :)

Below is the general outline of my Mt. Apo Skyrun Itinerary:

3:00AM              Start Run. Jump off Lake Agco Resort.

7:00AM              Arrive Lake Venado

9:00AM              Summit

10:00AM            Start Descent

11:00AM            Arrive Lake Venado

3:00PM              Arrive Lake Agco Resort

Thanks to Ma’am Ging Pame of the Kidapawan Tourism, friends from LANDBANK Kidapawan and Coop Bank of Cotabato for helping me prepare for the Mt. Apo skyrun. Thanks also to family and friends who prayed for the success of my date with the granddaddy of Philippine mountains. ;) BFFEE Christine, we're going back, pinky swear! ;) PSA friends, let's do a skyrun here! :)

Read about my second Mt. Apo skyrun adventure here. :)

For more pictures, check out TRM at Facebook.