By RHODA S. SANTOS

Instead of spending the May 10-11 weekend malling or vegetating at home, I joined an open climb to Tarak Ridge at Mariveles, Bataan. A cyber advertisement said "all you need is a sturdy pair of legs and a sense of humor, and the University of the Philippines Mountaineers (UPM) will provide the rest." Four months at the gym and laugh lines surely qualify me for the trek.

The climb is "minor" because the ridge is low (1,006 meters above sea level) and will take only six hours of treeking.

Dennis Lopez, UPM President, said "the regular summer open climb (called Talikasan portmanteau of Talik and Kalikasan to convey, "being one with nature) is a tradition started in the late 80's.

It is also the UPM way of introducing people to the outdoors and promoting environmentalism and responsible mountaineering."

We woke up very early in time for the 5 am bus ride to Brgy. Alas-asin, the jump-off point for the trek. I traded my usual weekend gym bag for a 20 lb backpack- change of clothes, trail food and water, and medicine.

Some 20 participants (mostly my workmates) and 14 UPM members made up the Talikasan group. The participants were divided into three teams, each with a team leader and assistant. For expediency, food rations, tents, and cook sets were distributed among group members. A vehicle can be chartered to the trek point, but we chose to walk. Warm up session? Check.

The trail started out easy but was expected to increase in difficulty, as it got closer to the summit. "Tree roots provide stable footing and hand-holds, especially at the final section," Lopez reassured us. Fair enough, I thought, confident that I was physically prepared to handle the trail. But down came the rain, and washed me out, like the spider in that children's song..

Lopez said the mostly single-track and forest-covered trail has become more challenging lately due to the number of landslides that cut through it. A feature of the trail is a 20-foot deep gully. To cross it, trekkers must use ropes, hang on to rocks, and in our case, listen to the coaching of experienced mountaineers. Shell-shocked, wet, and cold, I made a mental note to push for the re-writing of the advertisement to say, "Abandon hope all ye who enter here."

The famed Papaya River- why papaya? I never got to know- provided a brief but refreshing break. A dip in its cool waters can inspire hope (or illusion) that one is more ready to face the physical and mental challenges of the rest of the climb.

As the trek resumed, the itinerary for the climb and groupings were not strictly observed. This was to accommodate concerns such as an advance party to the campsite and support to PIDs - participants-in-distress. The rain eventually stopped and as if on cue, a rainbow appeared. At about 4:30 pm, the trail opened up to the ridge's grassland and to the campsite. Boulders pepper the ridge, some hanging from the edge; slow moving fog hovers above rich, green trees that cover the mountain. When the sun started to set, its "fire" light gently ripped the bluish sky as thick clouds sailed across. From the ridge, one gets an expansive view of Bataan including Corregidor and its neighboring islands, Manila Bay and parts of Cavite. Almost surreal, the panorama gave added depth to the phrase "view from the top."

Participants took time for photos, a luxury we did not have during the grueling seven hour trek. Some had the sense to put out wet clothes to dry while UPM members set up tents on the rather rocky ground. Dinner meant freshly cooked pork sinigang, reheated mixed adobo, and rice donations from other teams (our team's rice did not get cooked on time.) This brought the teams together, so typical of the Pinoy fiesta spirit of wanting to share and taste a bit of everything. You may call us underachievers, but most of us did not do the summit assault the following morning. Perhaps some thought to save every bit of energy for the trek back or were already contented just to be on the ridge. For whatever reason, it was another "flaw" that yet felt right at the time. We broke camp at around 8 am, checking and re-checking to make sure we did not leave anything behind, including non-biodegradable trash.

If the way up was daunting, going down was even more so. It did not help that the rain loosened rocks that a wrong step may cause them to fall and hit someone below faster than one can yell "bato!" It started to rain again as we left the Papaya River after lunch. By then, the Talikasan group was broken into even smaller ones. Participants were practically free to team up with anyone, but UPM members assigned "porters" or minders to participants needing assistance.

The rain had created flowing mud water at a section of the trail. Being novice climbers, we slipped several times, unable to maintain our footing on the sticky slopes while trying to make up for the lag between our team and the one ahead. So as not to risk injury to ourselves or each other, we were advised to slide as a last resort, mindful that widening the muddy trail may make it harder for the team behind us.

Schedules may not have been strictly followed, but this also helped me with my own pacing. At one point, "teams" meant whoever happened to be in front or behind you, but it also meant bonding with different people at different stages of the climb. These "glitches" in what was expected to be a solid climbing weekend tested the participants' grit and ability to rise above their own limits and perceptions. Instead of making us retreat, they helped us walk faithfully, buoyed by the cheerful hearts of old and new friends as we marched along nature's path.