SMC-BMC 4 Training Climb: Reflections

On Climbing Mountains:  An Essay of One Question

            “What's the point?” one of my fellow climbers joked.  And everyone within earshot laughed as someone added, “Oo nga.  Dahil lang sa picture?!”  This was the exchange I was listening to while walking along Ambangeg trail of Mt. Pulag.  We were remembering our most recent climb at Mt. Tarak where, upon reaching a point we're not even sure to actually be the summit, we did nothing but take pictures:  of ourselves, our fellow mountaineers, the neighboring peaks and the sunrise.  In the conversation, someone added, “Bakit ba natin tinotorture mga sarili natin?”  Listening to jokes being passed around, I wondered, “Oo nga, what's the point?  Ano kung marating mo summit e pictures nga lang naman ang napala mo?”

            What's the point?  I got my answer the day after our return to Manila.  One of my friends asked, “Kumusta naman kabundukan?”  Without any other intention besides expressing how I feel about the climb, I replied, “Ayun masaya, my ups and downs, my highs and lows.”  And my friend answered, “Wow! Para palang life ang mountains.  You're really fit for that because you've been through life's extremes.”  Aha! There! I have my answer.  What's the point of letting ourselves be tortured by the pain we feel in our muscles?  To ignore the throbbing in our ears as our blood rush and our heartbeats race, the aching of our heads, the numbing of our feet, the pain in our backs as we carry heavy loads, the growling of our stomachs as we skip one meal to walk one more hour or one more mile to the designated place for eating?  Why do we endure thirst just to save enough water to get us through the entire climb?  Why do we endure extreme cold to the point that we need to cling on to someone else to warm ourselves?  In the other end, why do we endure dizzying heat that makes our heads feel like splitting in two?  Why all these when we can have all the comforts of our homes?  Why?  Simple.  Because climbing mountains allows us to experience the WALK OF LIFE, literally.  It's like saying, “Life in a nutshell” where there are laughters, there are tears; there are moments of glory and moments of pain; some ran through it, others take it one step at a time; we slip and fall, almost all the time, but we get back on our feet because we want to finish this; many are scared but the brave ones are there to lend a hand; some take the lead, others are content to be in the tail; others get sick, but there are those who are willing to take care of them; we get cold, but someone comforts us; we need an extra pair of gloves or another piece of clothing, someone shares his spare; we don't have a place to sleep in, someone offers his place.  Isn't this exactly how life is?  But despite it all, what matters is we went through it together.  No matter who got there first, what's important is no one was left behind.  We all reached the peak.  And the most wonderful realization struck me when someone shouted, “We are now at the highest point in Luzon!” Wow, that feels great.  For a few moments, we were above everyone else.  And what do we have as proof of that? PICTURES! Now we can no longer say, “Dahil lang sa pictures?”  Every shot we took, either along the way or at the peak, is solid proof of the bond we've formed as climbers, as friends, as family.

So what's the point of climbing mountains?  It is not a punishment but rather it is an opportunity to glimpse at life, to experience its entirety in just a day or two with the company of people you've grown to be fond of.