Hi Lagataw (Adonis),
Tell us about yourself - (You may include some trivia or unusual things that are not known to many)
I was born a wanderer. Even before I started school, I loved to roam around town—as wide as a 3-block radius around our house. I was even tied upside-down on a guava tree by my mother when I missed lunch because I was busy wandering. Sometimes I am inclined to believe in my childhood superstition that the big mole on my left leg is responsible for my being a lagataw. But that’s just me—I can’t be confined nor contained in just one system. I was a freelancer for 10 years, teaching Koreans and Japanese the English language. And when I get employed, I most often work my way up to becoming a boss. I never joined a club or an organization in my university or in the local mountaineering and trail running communities. And this leads other people to think I don’t know how to follow rules or that I am an introvert. But I think I just happen to have my own set of rules and code of conduct.
Why Lagataw?! Any story behind your moniker?!
Lagataw is a Waray word that my mother used to call me when I was a kid. It means ‘wanderer’. This term coincidentally befits the lifestyle I’ve chosen. I find it difficult to answer the questions ‘Taga saan ka?’ and ‘Saan ka galing?’ Y’see, one day you’ll find me in Batangas. Then the following week, I’ll be in my sister’s place in Cebu, or at work in Clark and Baguio, or relaxing at my brother’s home in Laguna, or my mother’s in Leyte, or a friend’s in Antipolo and Cainta or in different homes all over Benguet. I also find it hard to answer the questions ‘Kelan ka pupunta dito?’ or ‘Saan ka next month’. I had actually planned to go back to Leyte in July this year to take care of my mother and start farming but that plan was actually a plan B for my November 2015 homecoming. And now I have just decided to go back to school and study Anthropology in Baguio. I guess my homecoming plan will have to be back-burnered again. I refuse to be bounded by space and time. I don’t like waking up at the sound of the alarm. I don’t want to live all my life seeing the same set of people in the same office and the same set of merchants in one town. Some people call it fickle-mindedness. I call it freedom. Many people stick to one plan because they have already made a commitment. And this commitment or contract or agreement keeps them from considering other options…at times better options. I keep changing my mind because I refuse to let my affinity for good things (and better choices) be impeded by arbitrary spatio-temporal commitments. This readiness to instantly change plans helps me accomplish great things. For one, it led me to my successful climb in Mt Tabayoc in 2006 when I was told at the bus terminal that I could not climb Mt Tenglawan because the roads had been damaged by the incessant rain. And being aware of this character of mine, I always refuse invitations to join clubs or groups because I don’t want to disappoint others when I suddenly change my mind.
How long have you been hiking? (Give us a short history of when, why and how did you start and fund your treks?)
This August I will have been hiking for 11 years. During a town fiesta celebration in 2005, a high school classmate who had been climbing since the 90’s happened to hear me mention the name ‘Mt Pulag’. He never expected that someone from our school in Leyte would be interested in mountain climbing. He took me to Mt Romelo in August 2005 and I instantly fell in love with the outdoors. That first step was followed by fifty thousand more. I work hard in order to fund my climbs and races. When I have some extra, I sponsor a kid in some trail running events.
How do you plan and prepare for your climbs and ultra-marathon trail races? (TIPS)
I used to go on different types of diet. One time, I even abstained from rice for 13 months in preparation for an ultra-trail marathon overseas. I used to do yoga, and slacklining. I even took lessons on functional training that simulates the trail running and rock climbing environments. But now that I’ve become a climb organizer, my regular climbs and mountain explorations serve as my training. I choose races that have a high elevation gain-to-distance ratio (mountain races). My leg muscles are not trained for horizontal movement. My recent success in a mountain run has debunked all my previous notions on trail running. I didn’t get any sleep before the race, I used socks that I bought from Japan Home (PhP66 a pair), I didn’t go on any diet. I ate chicharon and drank beer at times. But I finished the 60K race with a very good time anyway…my best finish probably…and an injury-free one. So I guess success in trail races isn’t all about scientific training and gear. It could also be about slowly building your muscles and improving your dexterity on technical terrain by continually exposing yourself to an actual mountain environment.
What's the best thing about being a solo trekker/traveler?
You get to be YOU in a solo travel. You can get naked whenever you want to. You can sing out loud any song, or eat any food you want to at any time and place that you want. You get to own your time. Nobody’s there to tell you to slow down or to speed up. Nobody is in hurry to go home or to go back to work. Most importantly, you get to notice the place and the little wonders that present themselves along the way. Only when you’ve had an intimate experience with the place can you truly say ‘I’ve been there!’
Do you have any hiking inspirations?!
None. My name is Adonis but I’m more like Narcissus. My apparent narcissism somehow led me to my epic exploits like Luzon 3-2-1 and Ultra Trece de Benguet. I really don’t wanna follow in anybody else’s footsteps. That’s why when I learned that Che Guevara had done something similar to my Batanes-to-Tawi-tawi educational volunteerism plan, I abandoned it in 2005. Having said that, I also don’t want anybody to do what I do. I don’t feel really proud that many climbers have followed suit after my Luzon 3-2-1 in 2006. I never really thought that the climbing community would grow this big. I wish had not branded Luzon 3-2-1 nor written about it. On the other hand, I feel very happy when people I know are able to make their own unique legacies. I am very proud of my friends Elvis Pimentel and Koi Grey for having been able to make their own marks in the fields they’ve chosen. It is not important whether what you’ve done is really grand, novel and unique. What’s important is that you did it of your own accord. You are not just a shadow of somebody else’s achievement and success. That way, we are able to call something as truly our own.
Tell us more about your campaign #travelbeyondtourism
It is basically a campaign to go beyond the widely peddled equation Tourism = Money. This equation has corrupted the minds of locals, some of whom have abandoned their livelihood believing that guiding tourists is more lucrative. Commercial tourism has favored the ‘pabebe’ tourists who just pay a local guide / travel agency and start behaving as if, and believing that they should be pampered at all times. It has also made locals and tourism officers see tourists as walking dollar signs. And when they can’t extract any amount from a tourist they become unwelcoming and sometimes hostile. In an effort to rise above this system, I continually explore places that are pabebe-proof. And I am actively promoting and supporting a different kind of travel culture—a culture where money or commerce is not an integral part in the relation between the traveler and the locality. I go to places where locals don’t think of me as a tourist but as a visiting stranger. These virtually inaccessible places happen to offer a much more remarkable experience than the world heritage sites in the country. Aligned with my ‘travel beyond tourism’ campaign is the ‘Don’t Ask Don’t Tell’ dictum. I used to blog about the places I go to, complete with itinerary and budget. But now, I post pictures of beautiful less popular places on the internet without indicating the name and the location not in order to brag or to keep viewers drooling but to send a message that there is more to the Philippines than just Boracay, Palawan and Banaue. The only passport to these locations is the zeal to really experience something unique and rewarding. And to stop people from asking the quintessential weekend warrior question, ‘Where is that?’ I use the hashtag #dontaskdonttell. It is not to dangle a carrot in front of the drooling audience but to send a message that you too can find your own little paradise. The Philippine islands number to more than seven thousand as to be exhausted in one’s lifetime.
Do you really prefer trail runners over mountaineers in your events? What can you say about the new ones who recently joined your epiphany treks?
I used to prefer physically strong companions. This way, it is easier and less risky to convey the participants to the desired destination. As a result, we are able to meet the desired itinerary. But in my recent treks, some weaklings got mixed in. Apparently my screening process didn’t work well. But in contingency planning and management, I always follow the ‘NO SHOULD HAVE’ rule. I don’t entertain the thought that ‘I should have done a more thorough background check on this girl’ or ‘I should have emphasized more clearly how tough the climb is.’ Instead of focusing on faults and flaws, I face and handle the challenge at hand. And getting through the challenge of keeping everybody in the group safe and having fun in spite of the differences in their pacing and attitude makes me feel victorious. So I have downgraded physical strength on the list of qualifications to second priority. My top criterion now is attitude (which includes strong will). The bonus I get is that the weaker ones start training hard after my event. It makes me feel happy that somehow my treks have created a change in their character and lifestyle. And when I saw some of them again in a second or third event, they surprisingly got stronger. It makes me feel like I’ve done something good in this world.
What can you say about the growing popularity of hiking nowadays? How do they differ from before? Any advice you can give them?
More than a decade ago, mountain climbing was called mountaineering in this country. And it deserved that name. It was taken part in only by a few trained and dedicated outdoor enthusiasts. It was a small community. Today, however, climbing a mountain is no longer very different from going to the beach or securing front row seats at a Coldplay concert. It is harder, yeah, but doable just the same. There are still a few exploratory climbs like in Mt Pena, Maripipi, and the most recent one where they blazed a route connecting Mts Madja-as and Nangtud. These individuals are fortunate to still somehow get a taste of the sense of fulfillment that the earlier mountaineers enjoyed when they trailblazed Banahaw, Halcon, Guiting-Guitiing and other popular climbing destinations. However, the vast majority of climbers are now found on Facebook. And most of them cannot do any better than joining an organized hike on a popular destination by someone they don’t personally know. That is how accessible climbing is nowadays. It is really no longer necessary to give any advice to anybody as far as distinguishing mountaineering is concerned. It is as ludicrous as trying to affix –eer to the activity of going to the beach. Climbing has become so easy and popular now. The only request I would like to make is for everybody to be as environmentally harmless as possible.
Top 3 achievements you are most proud of?
I used to be proud of pioneering Luzon 3-2-1 and Mindanao 1-2-3 expeditions. But when I became a trail runner and I ran the traverse routes of Mts Apo, Pulag and Kanlaon (BIG 3), I realized that our physical capabilities have almost no limits as far as climbing is concerned. I couldn’t be proud of accomplishments out of my physical strength.
Like what I have told a consulting novice, climbers and trekkers go through three levels of expertise:
1. Physical (ability to climb or trek and withstand the elements)
2. Terrain Control (land navigation and survival)
3. Human Relations (ability to deal with and gain the trust of locals)
I think the accomplishment that makes me very proud as an outdoor enthusiast is my Ultra Trece de Benguet. From May to July, 2015 after I quit my job, I walked the hidden trails of all the thirteen municipalities of Benguet for ninety straight days without a map, a compass, a detailed plan, corporate sponsors, and only spending less than PhP4000 throughout the whole journey. I had to climb many nameless mountains alone using only my 30L backpack and the sun as my compass. I had to gain the trust of the locals in many remote sitios who would take me for a fugitive, a PDEA agent or a communist insurgent. I had to commune with them. I had to eat kuhol and dog meat. I had to live without the Internet and telecommunications. I had to learn a new language. It was in this journey where I could say, I have passed all the three levels of expertise of an outdoor enthusiast. And the reward I got was just priceless!
What else do you want to accomplish? (Anything that is still in your bucket list)
I don’t have a bucket list. As they say, I am fickle-minded. I don’t worry too much about the future nor plan for it. As for now, I just want to get a degree in Anthropology and be able to authoritatively write a book about the Cordilleras and the Igorots. But then again, this could change.
Do you see yourself retiring anytime soon? What do you think will be your greatest legacy?
For a person like me, I guess it is futile to attempt to see the future.
