This post is Part 2 of a series of entries about my hiking trip to Mt Daguldol.

Part 1 here

At 1:00 PM, we started the hike up the mountain. Mt. Daguldol is 670 meters above sea level and is considered by some mountaineers to have a difficulty level of 3 out of 9.

Becca, a friend who went on the same hiking trip a weekend before I did, warned me that the uphill climb was quite a challenge and it took their group (also with Columbia Sportswear) a little over four hours. I will experience first-hand if Columbia lives up to the promises it out on the tags on their products. If they don’t deliver then a bitch-fit will be thrown at every pit stop. I smoked up one last cigarette stick thinking that I wouldn’t be able to smoke for another four hours.

Here’s what I looked like during the first 30 seconds of the hike:

The first ten minutes of the hike proved to be very difficult. It was quite a challenge forme since the last time I went on a sort-of-similar trip was more than a decade ago.

After three minutes of hiking:

Ferdz taking a photo of me taking a photo of him

We arrived at the first rest stop after ten minutes and boy was I relieved! I was sweating like a pig, I was so exhausted and my the lack of sleep, like Maroon 5’s This Love, started taking its toll on me. We rested for about ten minutes and this is how I looked:

HaggarDina Bonnevie!

I was so exhausted I almost called my mom for help. I was wet all over! Sweat flowed from every sweat gland of my body. I realized that there was no need to call my mother since (1) she wouldn’t be able to do anything about it and (2) I got motherly love and comforting – thanks to Columbia’s gear and products that are marketed as products of one tough mother. My Hogback Trail Tee quickly absorbed the moisture and wetness, thanks to its Omni-Dry® technology, a wicking / evaporation process that keeps you cool and your clothing dry.

As much as I wanted to stay at the first stop for a longer time, we had to start hiking again, lest we wanted to get caught hiking in the dark. I started getting the hang of this hiking thing and psyched myself up so I would be able to get to the next stop. I managed my breathing and was conscious of my pace.

Rocks, roots and fallen leaves seemed as if they were challenging me, making my every step more difficult with their presence. But dear Beartooth S8, my hiking shoes, were there to take on that challenge! It’s Omni-Grip technology provides an excellent combination of traction, stickiness and durability for maintained trails and varied terrain. And thanks to the Cross-Terrain Suspension™ Technology (XTS), I got forefoot protection from sharp objects such as rocks or exposed roots on the trail. XTS also adds rigidity which reduces foot fatigue, especially over uneven surfaces. So take that you rocks, roots and leaves you!

An hour into the hike and we arrived at the next stop (which was really far from the first one):

All Fresh and Smoked Up!
(The Scarf’s purpose is to cover my nape.)

A Cock and my One Ton Cyberpack

I smoked two cigarettes and drank a lot of water before we headed to the next stop. Thirty minutes later, Mang Lizardo’s was already in sight (we would stop here for halo-halo the next day on our descent). I was surprised that they had electricity, but I was more amazed upon seeing these:

Horse!

Ax!

Babe, Pig in the Bundok!

Ten minutes of rough terrain later, we ended up at the Bukohan for a much needed BJ!

At the Bukohan

Mag BJ Tayo! - The Fashion Spread
Models: AJ and Phoebe | Clothes, Shoes, Headgear: Columbia Sportswear |
Photos by: Jayvee using Phoebe’s Nikon | Buko: From the Bukohan

After the BJ break and the much-needed rest, we resumed the hike up. A few minutes after we set off, nature started testing not only us but also the functionalities of our Columbia apparel and gear by pouring us with rains!

To be continued…

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Kenrich International Distributor Corp. is the distributor of Columbia Sportswear in the Philippines.

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