YEREVAN, ARMENIA – Armenia and Georgia are so close to each other that it would have been a pity to skip the former in my Eurasia expedition. Likewise, it would have been a shame to miss out on Mt. Aragats, at 4090 MASL the highest mountain in Armenia, after reaching the summits of Ararat (Hiking matters #706) and Kazbek (Hiking matters #707). As it turned out, although my hiking buddy Jeshua Sales and I did it as a dayhike from Yerevan, it was a worthy challenge in itself. Leaving Yerevan at 0620H with our guide Gar from Armenian Geographic, we arrived at Lake Kari (around 3200 MASL) over a ..read more

Of late, I’ve favored spending more time in fewer countries rather than visiting a lot of countries without really experiencing what it’s like to live there – at least for a while. This is why I had planned on going directly to Kazakhstan after Uzbekistan. However, since Bishkek was very near Almaty (my final stop in the Eurasia trek that started in Turkey last month), I thought that I might as well drop by for a few days – mindful that I can take a much longer trip in the future, perhaps attempting some of the high mountains there. And so I found myself in Bishkek a day after climbing G ..read more

After the series of hikes in Turkey’s Mt. Ararat (see Hiking matters #706), Georgia’s Kazbek (see Hiking matters #707), and Armenia’s Aragats (Hiking matters #708), I was prepared to rest while touring the Silk Road cities in Uzbekistan. However, I couldn’t resist the opportunity to do a hike in this Central Asian country, especially when I found out that one of the local favorites – the 3309-meter Greater Chimgan or Mt. Big Chimgan is accessible is a daytrip from Tashkent. Fortunately I found an agency who was willing to arrange the logistics, including finding someone to guide me. &nbs ..read more

ISTANBUL, TURKEY – I have always wanted to climb Mt. Ararat, not so much because of its Biblical significance, but because of its prominence – 5137 MASL – as the highest peak in Turkey, as well as the opportunity to visit a part of the world that I have not been to. Thankfully, I realized that I can actually combine it with a climb up Kazbek, using it is a “training climb” to improve my chances. And so in August 2022 I embarked on a five-day climb up Mt. Ararat (known in Turkey as Ağrı Dağı), flying from Manila to Igdir via Istanbul, and being brought to the town of Doğubayazıt which ser ..read more

TBILISI, GEORGIA – After a successful five-day climb up Mt. Ararat in Eastern Turkey (see Hiking matters #706), I went to Georgia – flying via Istanbul to Tbilisi – to take on the greater challenge of climbing Mt. Kazbek in the Caucasus mountains that lie along the Georgia-Russia border.  At 5054 MASL (some say 5033 MASL), Kazbek is lower than both Ararat and Elbrus – the highest in the Caucasus – but is said to be physically and technically more challenging. Joining me in the guided expedition was my hiking buddy Jeshua Sales, with whom I had a great summer climbing season last year in ..read more

During the first year of the pandemic, Mt. Arayat was one of the few mountains outside Laguna that I climbed, and I still remember the feeling of being at the Pinnacle Peak, and seeing the expanse of the rice fields of Central Luzon – after not having seen such a view for a relatively very long time (see Hiking matters #641). Together with my Mu Sigma Phi brods, I revisited this mountain last May 28, 2022 and was richly rewarded with the same experience: A challenging-enough dayhike in a forested mountain, with scenic views both at the Pinnacle Peak and the viewpoint at the South Peak. The ..read more

Mt. Talamitam in Nasugbu, Batangas – very near Alfonso, Cavite – is always a nice and easy hike even if it can feel a bit far from Metro Manila especially on weekends when one has to negotiate Tagaytay’s notorious traffic. Even so, since I haven’t visited it in a very long time, I decided to visit it, this time with my neighbor and friend Gretchen Ho – with whom I also did my last Makiling climb in January 2020 – as well as my former student Diego Salcedo. Another draw for us was the recently-established trail up Mt. Lantik, which, like Apayang, is a peak of the Talamitam Range. We arrived i ..read more

Tarak Ridge in Bataan is one of the few remaining destinations where the locals don’t require guides, which is a good thing because it allows hikers to develop their navigation skills – and there’s always an option to get a guide for those who need one. I have many good memories of this Ridge, from the time I first climbed it in 2007, including a dayhike with Sky Biscocho in 2011 (see Hiking matters #187 ), a couple of Pantingan-Tarak traverse dayhikes (See Hiking matters #529 and Hiking matters #386), among others. Which is why it was great to be back in June 12, 2022 even just for a simple ..read more

BAGUIO CITY – It feels super amazing to be back in Mt. Pulag – as soon as the full reopening was announced, I made plans to go. Thankfully, my hiking buddies Koi Grey, Jeshua Sales, and Daryl Comagon were on hand to join me in another Mt. Pulag dayhike via Akiki-Ambangeg, my third such climb after two great dayhikes in 2014 (also with Koi; see Hiking matters #441) and 2018 (see Hiking matters #594). After not having seen Pulag after a full four years – and with a pandemic at that – I decided to take it easy and enjoy the hike instead of trying to beat our time in 2014. Accompanied by guide P ..read more

DAVAO CITY – I am so thrilled to be back in the mountains of the Philippines with a successful ascent of Mt. Apo via the Santa Cruz trail! This is my fifth up the country’s highest peak (2005 -Kidapawan, 2010- Kapatagan-Kidapawan, 2011- Talomo-Apo Traverse, 2014- Kapatagan, 2022-Santa Cruz), and only my first overnight hike in the Philippines since the pandemic started, given that I had been in Latin America for a year. Leaving Davao at around 5:30, we headed to Kapatagan, the pleateau in Digos, Davao which has its own namesake trail that leads to Mt. Apo. From there we took a small truck to ..read more