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THIS is a long overdue blog post. The Delbros AB Normal Club climbed Pico De Loro (aka Mt. Palay-palay; 664+ MASL) on March 29, 2008. It was the Club’s second climb this year as well as the second for the month of March alone. We must be avid mountaineers, or eager-beaver neophytes jumping at every opportunity to climb.
††††††††† The more palatable explanation has to do with timing. And it has been all figured and planned out by our climb leader and AB Normal chairman and founder, Jose Eduardo C. Delgado (JED), a seasoned and highly-experienced mountaineer and outdoorsman. The summer season was quite short (it is now officially over) and we wanted to maximize our mountaineering adventures while it was still safe and pleasant to climb.
††††††††† Our photos from the climb tell all about it. Except for one important detail perhaps.††But that one is a story on its own.
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Our Pico De Loro climb begins at the Cavite side, as pointed out by a “local.”
The Delbros AB Normal Club is a jolly bunch.† And clueless on the difficulty that lies ahead.
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Thank goodness there are road signs.† At least we wouldn’t get lost.
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LOST!
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Looks do deceive.† From this vantage point Pico De Loro looks like an ant hill.
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On all fours.††Is it for real?† Or are they simply faking it?† Cheats!
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Rest Stop.† This portion of the trail is particularly treacherous.† Right at its base†an AB Normal climber†lost consciousness.† He had to turn back.
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The last stretch leading to the summit.
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Almost there.
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A few more steps†to glory.
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Finally, the Summit.
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Father and daughter team – JED and Camille – first to summit.
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Haggard and hungry. Tired and thirsty. Wan and weary.
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†Two “locals” tagging along with the AB Normal Club all the way to the summit.
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Playful.† Camille and Anton Delgado at the summit.† “Careful kids.† It’s a looooong way down the slope.”
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SMB endorser.† “Kahit saan.† Kahit kailan.† Kaibigan.† Maasahan.”
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The AB Normal Club, then and now.† JRC represents the “then” [i.e. veterans]; RUS/Bong represents the “now” [i.e. the neophytes].
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All together now.† Almost.†Three people didn’t quite make it to the summit.
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JED and MOC doing their “BD KORE” at the summit.
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For the record.††The AB Normal Club descends the summit, successfully conquering Pico De Loro.† But not without casualty.
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Sweepers.† The last group of AB Normal climbers descends Pico De Loro.
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†Into the parrot’s beak.
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At the base of the Parrot’s Beak.
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A look back at the summit.† “You mean we came from all the way up there?† How did we do that?”
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Booze and Beach.††Our Pico De Loro climb culminates at Nasugbu in Batangas.
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Camp Site @ Nasugbu Beach.† Rest at last.
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†#RUS†
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Hi Gig, thanks for the very apt description. Actually, as most of you already know, I also almost fainted a few meters from the base of that treacherous vertical crawl. I was just ahead by about 20-40 meters from Medel’s group. Just seconds before he passed out I had to stop because I started to feel dizzy and my vision is about to blacken out. The hysteria that ensued may have saved me. =P
It doesn’t hurt as much looking at the photos now. The climb to the summit, for the benefit of those who weren’t there, was literally a vertical crawl upwards!