the hills of Chama...

This is an image that shows the crystal glass wall overlooking the Tabernacle of the Blessed Sacrament in our Abbey Church which is in turn being overlooked by the hills of the popular Canyons of Chama where three giant wooden Crosses were erected to complement an air of solemn atmosphere and silence to most guests and visitors of the monastery who come over from different parts of the country to receive the silence and solitude that they most need.

The hills of Chama are considered a haven to pilgrims who have the stamina and endurance to climb its steep and loose slopes.

The ascent takes three hours and the descent takes two hours. For those pilgrim-climbers who wish to invite monks to join them, they need to seek the permisssion of our superiors before they can get us to their climb.

i climbed Mt Cristobal: the 'evil' mountain...

as part of the year-long training climb the college org in which i was the moderator-adviser had to achieve, we had to climb level two: Mount Cristobal in Dolores Quezon.




Many stories were told about this mountain. Stories about the eerie experiences mountaineers experienced in the past. Stories that i really don't know if true or otherwise.







Mt. Cristobal was long known within the mountaineering community as the "spooky mountain." It was always referred to as Banahaw's alter ego meaning that if Banahaw is the power mountain with lots of positive energy, Cristobal is supposed to be the opposite - a mountain with negative energies.












Lot's of stories that circulate tend to prove this but we are not just sure if they are fabrics of a mountaineer's adventurous imaginations bolstered by a pre-conditioned mind that this place is supposed to be a "horror mountain."







Mt. Cristobal is a level 2 climb with steep continuous single-track trails. Its rooty terrain had eroded the soil to form a step-like feature on the trail. Close to the crater rim, the soil is mixed in with volcanic stones. Vegetation is lush providing covered shade on hot days. On some parts, it was necessary to climb on all 4s.










Cristobal is part of the volcanic Mt. Banahaw but unlike Lukban de Banahaw, which lies on the slope of Banahaw itself, Cristobal seems to be a different mountain on it's own. Along the slopes of Cristobal, a wide flat area can be seen which was actually a test site of a proposed geothermal plant that didn't push through. Another controversial project that was proposed was the creation of a highway that will link Dolores to Nagcarlan passing between Mts. Cristobal and Banahaw. The project didn't materialize since residents and environmentalist opposed the idea.


Being a "Spooky Mountain," Mt. Cristobal has a lot of legends, urban legends that is, since most of them are recent stories created by the city hikers which have circulated back within the city limits. One of the popular myths about the mountain is that a creature that the locals call the "Tumao" roams around it's premises. Tumao is actually similar to the Bigfoot of western legends. The best activity to do while you are camping on its peak is to do some night trekking especially when the fog sets in and test the limits of your bravery. Imagine the swamp, mossy crater and dense jungle. The sun sets early in the campsite since you are inside a crater. Try watching "The Blair Witch Project" movie before hiking Cristobal...

I climbed the Holy Mountain...

In the year 1994-'95, when i was invited to become the moderator-adviser of a college org in san beda, my major concern was to get to know the objective of the organization. Upon knowing from them that the main goal of the san beda mountaineering society (SBMS) was to climb two mountains of minor category with an elevation of two to three thousand feet high, and to climb two mountains of major category with seven to nine thousand feet high, i didn't hesitate to accept the invitation. So in that same school year, i became their adviser-moderator. that would mean i had to join with the members and officers in all of their four climbs within the school year and its summer. the adventure in my life began...

i learned from the current officers of the org that the two minor climbs the org members and their applicant-would-be members must tackle will be held at Mt Maculot in Cuenca Batangas, Philippines and at Mt Cristobal in Tayabas Quezon which is otherwise known as the evil "spooky" mountain. furthermore, i also gathered information that the major climbs will be held towards the beginning of the second semester at Mt Banahaw in Quezon Province which is famously tagged as the Holy mountain. The other major climb and the last training climb will be held at Mt Pulog in Benguet Mountain Province with an elevation of 9587 feet and will be best conquered during the end of the school year around March and April for reasons of weather disturbances.

climbing Mt Banahaw...the Holy Mountain.
It is said that Mt. Banahaw keeps away those who are not yet ready to receive its secrets. Rising some 2450 meters from sea level, this active volcano, a part of the Banahaw-Cristobal National Park, has long been believed to be a storehouse of psychic energy. The local residents considers it a sacred mountain. It teems with legends and superstitions. It has been the home to countless members of religious groups: hermits, soul searchers, spiritists and faith healers who climb its slopes to meditate in it’s cave and commune with the mountain spirits. It clearly shows the other side of Filipino fanaticism and superstitious ways. Being in Banahaw is something like stepping into incredible stories of apparitions, heavenly voices, strange sounds, dwarves, fairies and even UFO’s. Geographically, Banahaw stands on a power point where the key lines of the earth intersect.Wherever such latitudes and longitudes meet, they create energy fields that allow higher frequencies of perception, physiological or otherwise.

images of the climb with my students...