Tag: reflections
Learning to Fall Behind on Kalatungan
“Sometimes, it feels good to get lost in an adventure—or forget about time and schedules.” I don’t remember much about the itinerary anymore. There were permits to secure, vehicles to coordinate, schedules to follow, and campsites marked on maps. Before every climb, I tend to build the trip in my head long before my boots...
What Mt. Kalatungan Taught Me About Getting Lost
The recent news of a hiker getting lost in Mt. Kalatungan is unfortunate. Yet for those who have spent time in its forests, it is not entirely surprising. More than a decade has passed since I climbed Mt. Kalatungan, but I still remember it as one of the most demanding mountains I have ever encountered. …...
Mt. Kalatungan-Wiji: A Mindful Hike Through the Lens
Sometimes, it feels good to get lost in an adventure—or forget about time and schedules. Sir Joy A Trail Begins: Letting Go of Control, Finding Flow The Mt. Kalatungan-Wiji Traverse isn’t your average weekend hike. And from the start, we knew this climb would be more than a physical challenge—it was shaping up to be …...
Tracing Footsteps in Iloilo: A Journey Through Memory and Meaning
They say you can’t go home again—but maybe that’s only true if you expect everything to stay the same. I returned to Iloilo after nearly 15 years, heart full and schedule packed, ready to rediscover the city that shaped the early days of my journey in medicine and in life. We had planned a whirlwind …...
Mt. Matutum Summit Ascent
Editor's Note (2026):This article was originally written following a 2007 ascent of Mt. Matutum and has been lightly revised for clarity and accompanied by a new reflective epilogue. The events and observations remain substantially as originally experienced. Nearly twenty years later, I remember very little about reaching the summit of...
