The Southern Sierra Madre Expedition

Finally, after months of anticipation and preparation, our Southern Sierra Madre Expedition will push through. Together with Jake Segui, we will establish a trail starting from Mt. Balabac in the city of San Jose del Monte, Bulacan all the way to Biac-Na-Bato, still in the province of Bulacan. It's a long, arduous, and ambitious plan that will take us 5-7 days to complete, hopefully.

We will gather waypoints as we go along using our Garmin Etrex Venture HC GPS Device and a compass, to aid hikers in their future treks to this part of the Sierra Madre Region. We will hike through virgin forests, the forests where I grew up hiking in with my youngest brother and some friends back in the days. Though much had changed since, I am hoping that there is still a patch of green, lush forest that  is left untouched by the uncontrollable appetite of deforestation. There are a lot of river crossings, and hopefully a boat ride or two in Ipo and Angat Watersheds. We will bring minimal supplies, as planned, to lessen the load on our backs and thus make our hiking a bit faster and comfortable than it would be under heavy load. This will be the first time that something like this would be undertaken, so we are taking all the necessary precautions to ensure our safe journey. Stoves would not be an option, though an alcohol stove would be brought in case of an emergency. Living off the land is something not new to us, and thus would not be much of a concern.

Planning our route for this trip was not an easy task. It included trips to NAMRIA (National Mapping and Resource Information Authority) to secure the necessary maps. The maps, aside from being outdated, were scaled 1:50000. This gives us a topographic view of a needle in a haystack. Maps from Google also did not include this part of the Philippines. To guide us, we would always have to check our position on our map with the help of our GPS, and if push comes to shove that we run out of batteries, we'll have our trustee old compass to help us out. Getting a team to volunteer for this trip was also bothersome. Some would sign up, but then back out on the last minute. The heat, which is tremendous not to say the least, is also a factor. We were leaning on a mid-May trip, but then had to postpone it 'til towards the end of May hoping that it would somehow cool down before we make the journey. Sensing the futility of it, we decided to high tail now, or call it off 'til after the rainy season. The former seemed like the best option.

The Unexplored region of the Southern Sierra Madre Mountain Range

In this trip, I will also conduct a test of the Coldsteel Bushman and Coldsteel Kukri Machete. Both knives are from Coldsteel made of high carbon steel. We'll see how they fare i the jungles of the Philippines where it's damp and hot and humid all the time. This trip will also give me a chance to test a locally made hammock, purposefully made for the army. No tents. Mine is pure black, since I in no way intend to be associated with the army in this part of the country, if you know what I mean. I'll bring a fishing rod with some flies that my dad sent me from abroad, and see if our local fish would take a bite. This will also be a perfect chance to test the MSR Miniworks Water Filtration System which is just collecting cob webs in my garage where I keep most of my stuff.

So why are we doing this? We want to raise awareness. This part of the Sierra Madre is being deforested faster than it would take you going to your office. As of now, there is a plan to put up another dam in the Laiban Region by the Metropolitan Waterworks Sewerage System (MWSS). This plan would drown the Southern Corridor of the Sierra Madre Region. This would mean floods, the destruction of animal habitats, and the displacement of some of the Dumagat and Agta tribes living in the area among others. There are alternatives to our development, alternatives that are not detrimental to nature and to ourselves. By hiking the greater Southern Part of the Sierra Madre Region, and showing the country and perhaps the world the beauty that lies in it, then maybe a few more voices would join us in saying "WE WANT OUR CHILDREN TO SEE WHAT WE HOLD DEAR IN THIS PLACE, AND THAT YOU ARE NOT, AND WILL NOT BE WELCOMED TO TAKE FROM US WHAT IS RIGHTFULLY OURS!"

This would be my last hike for the season.

This has been Glenn "The Weekend Trail Hiker" Disu. I'll see you out on the trail.