Dispatch Apr1

Testing bloggers mail2blog feature J

Book Excerpt: Antarctica/Vinson Chapter

Vinsol Low camp (filtered sunlight view)

I soon switched to my new downsuit to keep warm.

We rested and ‘toured’ our nice camp. High Camp is THE BEST camp in Vinson.  A PERFECT view of Mt. Shin – one of the continent’s tallest mountains, a partial view of Vinson and mesmerizing view of the Ronne Ice Shelf in a far away distance!

There where good nooks and corner with visible rocks offering spectacular Antarctic views.  We took time taking videos and pictures – and simply cherished that moment.  It was a rare opportunity to see first-hand the vast landscape of the Ice!

Seeing the beauty of this world from somewhere high above was never a missed opportunity for me.  And I’ll forever climb high mountains for as long as I could and continually be awed by this lovely planet.

Book Excerpt (fr. Everest Chapter)

(pix: South Summit photo taken from Hillary Step)

May18, 2006: March to the summit

"Below us, the train of climbers’ lights started to fade away. I saw that some teams decided to abort their climb, I couldn’t tell how many but it seemed like we were the only ones going for the summit.  I looked back at the retreating climbers, wondering if we should do the same. Doubt began assailing me again, “Will I just tire myself out, and lose the chance to summit?”

I shook my head, took a deep breath and concentrated on nothing but moving my feet. We were on our own when we got lost.  We wasted more than an hour  just walking laterally on the first part of the icefall desperately looking for the starting rope line. The rope-line will confirm that we are going the right way and the rope will offer good protection from a fall when we are clipped to it.  I began feeling hopeless,  “Here we are at 27,000 feet in the middle of the night, tired, cold and miserable, lost in a middle of an icy hell!”  Thoughts of a previous disaster played in my mind. Jan Krakauer’s Into Thin Air clearly described the place where climbers got lost and died of exhaustion and hypothermia, and I knew that we were IN it somewhere."

Book Excerpt (fr Carstensz Chapter)



(pix: below the summit ridge, near the 'crux')



"The only protection I have is this icy 10mm rope, fixed and anchored somewhere up by previous expedition teams.  The problem is that – my safety device called “Jumar” has LOST its bite and grip!  In other words -“walang kuenta!”  

I was almost unprotected, with real possibility of falling down to the nearest anchor point. Falling down is a sure way of abruptly ending the expedition, in a not-so-very-nice-in-fact-very-bloody fashion.

I was tiring my legs fast and so out of desperation – I decided to “rope climb” by pulling the fixed rope with my wet gloves and manage to move up one or so meters.  But there’s more to go and the giant wall didn’t seem to offer a friendlier route. 

I quickly realize that what I did was stupid -  with just one little mistake, I could have slipped and end up falling to the last anchor point, or worse, fall down the entire length of this thousand foot wall!

I aimed to climb the 7 Summits – and not die in one of them.

With a failing safety device and a challenging rock wall ahead of me – I knew that my next wrong move could be my last…"

The Beginnings



teaser book cover designs from Punks.


After a few rounds of beer with the R.O.X. gang and UPMs (incl Punks), i shared about the old book idea. Next day, Punks made this cover designs and i was instantly 'pressured' to rekindle the project hehe :)

What is the book about?  What do I expect to read about?

It’s Romi’s journey of the 7 summits with details of every mountain trip he made from the late 90’s to 2012, spanning many countries in all 7 continents.  The book talks about Romi’s struggles and difficulties, about his challenges, even failures; It talks about his triumph and successes in summiting all significant peaks including his historic Everest climb, and leading to the completion of the 7 summits. Only around 300 individuals have completed this task, and Romi is the only Pinoy (and 3^rd ASEAN) who has done this so far.

The book is also about Romi’s travel adventures. With some details of his foreign trips in Korea, Indonesia, Japan and others. A good read for travellers or would-be travellers.

It’s also about various adventure sports or activities that somehow ‘connected’ some pieces of the ‘Adventure guy’ puzzle.  It completes the picture of what kind of a person does things that he does.

All in all, it’s a book that Romi hopes will inspire readers – to dream big, and follow through it!  To climb their own Everest!  And to have a well-lived life…

 

(Book Excerpt Intro Chapter).

"There are grand things in life that started as mere wishful thoughts. Something we dearly want, but unsure of the eventual reality.  Like my wish to climb Mt. Everest and to summit the highest mountain on each continent.  It all started as a big dream.  It was a dream of an ordinary adventurer who simply loves sports and is captivated by nature’s beauty and charm and at the same time - challenged by its harshness and violent moods.

The road to the top of the world was a long and tiring journey, yet it was full of excitement and inspiring dramas, a complex mixture of fun and testing moments, thriving successes and agonizing failures, an eventful cultural tour to the ends of the world; it’s a path blessed by beauty, triumph and awe-inspiring moments."

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"When a solid Everest plan was put in place, and later followed by a finishing plan for the 7 summits -  I set off towards the blackhole of high altitude adventure, and on towards fulfilling a big and somewhat impossible dream.  It was a very long journey, taking me several years of climbing, spanning different countries and continents.  One step at a time, one mountain at a time – I slowly trudged on, and on – each step taking me higher and closer to that dream. 

And this is my story, and my long personal journey to the top of the world… and the highest mountains around the world.  The story of my 7 Summits!"



"The Cold Truth" September, 2012.
Here, I shared bits and pieces of my experience in my long journey of the 7 Summits.  This talk is also my subtle 'pre-empt' for the (hopefully) upcoming  book on the 7 Summits.