Hello everyone!
This is the continuation of my failure to summit Mt. Madja-as. In my previous post, I mentioned that the weather started to change when we entered the forest. It rained, so it added another burden to my already failing body. The sudden change in weather is to be expected in the mountains, but having a developing cough became the nail in the coffin. I knew I would be sick, so I already took some medicines, but even that didn't help.
As we continued our ascent, some of my friends heard sounds like someone's drumming, but I was oblivious to it all. I was so focused on not fainting in the middle of the trail. One of the superstitions of the local guides is that once you hear sounds of drums, you need to walk faster because those are warning signs of deities and guardians of the forest. They indeed started to walk faster. I didn't know the reason why the pacing started to pick up, but I didn't want to get left behind, so I also walked faster. The agony started as I felt a little bit dizzy, maybe because of the combination of fatigue and the medicines I took. From that moment until the third day, I was not able to take a single photo.
One of the guides may have noticed that I was dragging the pace. He offered that we would switch bags because his bag was not that heavy. He said that I should just conserve my energy for the next day's assault to the summit. I reluctantly obliged, but it turned out to be for the best. As we started to descend to the campsite, I noticed that I was already steaming. It's literally like vapors were rising from my shoulders. I also started to feel cold.
We reached the campsite at around 4:30 PM and immediately after pitching my tent, I realized that I already had a fever. I said to my friends that I'll rest after taking another medicine for the fever and they would just wake me up for dinner. When they were done cooking, they woke me up and I ate a very small portion just to have something in my stomach. I thought I would be okay the next day because it was not the first time I got sick on a major climb. In almost all of my major climbs, I would get sick on the first night, maybe because my body was still adjusting to the altitude. With that in mind, I prepared the things I would bring for the summit.
I took another medicine for the fever before I slept. I didn't join them in their socials because the call time was at 2:00 AM. When they woke me up to prepare for the assault to the summit, I noticed that it took me a while to open my eyes. It was as if my eyes were sealed shut. When I was fully awake, I tried to get up, but I couldn't. I didn't have any strength left. I was devastated because I already knew what it meant. It meant that for the first time, I wouldn't be able to summit a mountain. They waited for me for almost an hour, but I still couldn't get up. I told them that they would have to summit without me. I would be left in the campsite.
They left me food to eat, but I didn't even bother checking it. I slept the whole time. I woke up at around 10:00 AM because I felt my bladder was about to burst. I needed to pee. It was drizzling, so I grabbed my umbrella and got out of my tent. It was eerily quiet at the campsite except for the sounds of the rain and the rushing water, since the campsite is located near a river. I was like a drunk, wobbling as I looked for a spot to pee. It was a struggle even to refill my water bottle.
As I admitted that there was no way for me to summit Mt. Madja-as, I thought of my upcoming birthday celebration with the kids. I had to go home alive because of that promise to bring the kids to Cebu Safari. I thought of quitting mountaineering for good. I thought Mt. Madja-as might be my last mountain to climb. It was a depressing moment while being alone at the campsite.
Everything went blurry after. I just remembered I ate some of the biscuits that were supposed to be my trail food and that was the only food I ate the whole day. I didn't know what time they arrived at the campsite after the summit. I woke up when they invited me to eat with them at their very late lunch. They woke me up again for dinner, but I said I was not hungry. The truth was that I was too tired to get up. My only thought was to conserve my energy for the descent the next day.
I woke up so early and I couldn't go back to sleep. I was feeling a lot better than the previous day, but I felt that my energy was just enough for me to descend until Brgy. Flores. I didn't have the energy to carry my bag. Good thing France told the porters to bring my bag since they didn't have anything to carry anymore. I would be just bringing my small sling bag during the descent.
I was ready to go home defeated. It was @mariasalve who took some photos of me while I was playing with the dog. I didn't have any drive to take photos. My only thought was that I should be able to descend safely. I took medicines before the descent just to make sure that I wouldn't have a fever and would be able to walk.
I honestly can't recall much about the descent. I felt like I was a zombie. The only time I remember was when we traversed a different path to see Lake Danao. The lake was not that interesting. It was just a small catchment, no more than a water buffalo's mud puddle. It was the view of the highlands of Antique that's really amazing.
I just realized that I looked so pale in the photos. As they joked about my whole situation, it was as if I only went to Antique to rest and sleep for two days. As they commanded me that they would take photos, I just obliged, even if my breathing was shallow.
If you ask me if I want to go back for another attempt to reach the summit, maybe not this time. The scar is still fresh and I'm still contemplating if I should quit climbing mountains. I'm just glad that I was able to go home and spend my 30th birthday with the kids as I've always dreamed. But I always wanted to see this view again.
I guess that's all for this post. Thank you @mariasalve and @junjinju, for these photos! See you in my next post! Maybe there's still a consolation after this ordeal.
Kim Ybañez
Welcome to Kim's small corner in Hive. He is a chemical engineer by profession, but a blogger by passion. He is a wanderlust and an adventure seeker. Join his quests as he visits remote destinations, climbs mountains, tries new and exotic dishes, and explores his country (The Philippines). He's also a trying-hard photographer so stay tuned as he shares his photos and his thought process while creating them.
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