The Definition of “Arayat 5”

It all started with this:

Many expressed interest but few chose to heed the call—and those who did conquered every odds and obstacles in order to claim, “We owned Arayat!”

There were only five of us who went on with the climb—Sauron, Ohmer, A, R and me. Actually, I wasn’t even sure of going and R really had no intention to come at all—it turned out that at the last minute, those who expressed the intention to climb bailed out and we ended up choosing to join instead. The Arayat 5 from DLSU. From left: Ohmer, R, A, me and Sauron.

Since Ohmer is from Pampanga, we met with him in Brgy. Ayala and began the convoy that would bring us to the base of the mountain.

And as if sharing the ride with us, we saw what awaits us in minutes—a mountain that does not look as intimidating.

So this is the base where we began the trek. There’s another shot way before we’re completely wasted from climbing. Hehehe, nakangiti pa, o!

The rest of the climbers are Ohmer’s friends—they were nice enough accompany us in this trip.

These were some of the views of the lowlands—and we’re not even a quarter past the base!

I suppose it’s safe to say that this is where things got serious. Of course, we didn’t know that until we were deeper into the mountain. Since this terrain was such an open space, we had to adjust to the sun, which slowly began to take a toll on our hydration. Despite that, the photo ops were too good to pass up.

Deep into the trail. At this point, it’s a physical and mental battle. Although personally, I enjoyed the climbing part.

And we arrived at White Rock, which I believe is the second highest peak. From this place, the summit of Mt. Arayat can be seen...reaching THAT little tower is our goal.

Sauron is not yet here because he took a wrong turn and went temporarily missing…

Oh, there he is now.

A couple of hours later, we finally reached the top, where two dogs greeted us. Here is one of them.

We had our lunch here (at 1430H) but we were too hungry to take a pause and photograph the food…so, just settle with how view from the peak looks like.

So here we were after gaining some energy back…

We stayed at the peak for about an hour before heading back. Dusk caught up with us but it was still a sight to behold—the sunset and the emergence of the stars (okay, this is actually the planet Venus, the stars were too far to be photographed).

I suppose the big question is, “Was the climb worth it?” Well, it’s my first time to seriously climb a mountain—apparently, the trekking we did in Davao is child’s play compared to this. I would consider this as one of the charge-to-experience moments, where at least, I wouldn’t wonder “what-if?”

For one, I learned I am a climber, such that I can keep up with the guys going upwards. Going down, on the other hand, is a totally different story—I suck at going down. Compared to how fast (and almost with reckless abandon) I climb up, I was incredibly slow and careful when I go down, and even with such care, I still slipped more than thrice. It felt more spectacular for me when I got down compared to when I got to the peak (though it felt awesome, too) because of the sheer amazement that when I looked up again and saw the tiny tower on the peak, I had to remind myself that I just came from there.

One moment I won’t forget is literally climbing a steeply inclined terrain with only large rocks to cling on for support—no harnesses or something soft to fall back on. In hindsight, it was dangerous but it was worth the risk. Trekking for 10 hours in varied terrain definitely tested us physically and mentally. On a personal note, I remind myself not to dismiss ideas such as climbing the stairs of Andrew Building from ground to, say, 10th floor at the least; undertaking two straight hours of tennis training-in-hell under humid conditions in an open court; or taking 9 units of post graduate course work under the known sadistic professors.

The climb made me realize just what all of us are capable of—we’re not the Arayat 5 for nothing.

Pics from Arayat 5 cams--Ohmer, Sauron, R, A and J. For those who plan to grab the last two pics, please credit the genius in Sauron--nag-overtake pa yan para lang habulin ang sunset.