- the tl or team leader is the person who heads the climbing pack. he/she organizes and maps out the itinerary; arranges for the transporation, climbing permit/s, and guide (if needed) and other requirements; designates the role of each member and makes sure that they are all in good condition and well-fed. in short, alila ng grupo. hahaha!
- the sweeper or tail positions himself at the end of the pack. he/she is usually one of the strongest and veterans in the group since he/she must "sweep" anything that's accidentally (or intentionally) left behind by the other members, including a worn-out body. during my early mountaineering days, i usually befriend and charm the sweeper or tail as i know how useful he can be to me when am already too tired to carry my own backpack. hahaha!
that particular climb is on mt. amuyao--traversing the mountain from the other side to the other--all the way to the remote village of batad. it took us 3 days to complete it, excluding travel time. i was the team leader in this adventure (would you believe?) and jude was one of the sweepers together with our fellow member who's a doctor by profession. the presence of these two senior members from our group was enough to intimidate me and made me feel incapable of leading the group. jude later revealed to me that he was only waiting his time to take charge as he was seeing me as too feminine (his euphemism for maarte). in fairness, jude has something to boot as he served their all-boys college mountaineering group for two terms and did it with flying colors. he was already climbing since his high school days while i, on the other hand, was only a neophyte then. that's why a girl for a team leader in a multi-day hike on an unfamiliar territory was unacceptable for him. especially someone who can't live without a face powder and lip gloss. hehe. but i proved his initial impression of me wrong! and that made him like and admire me even more daw. i think my organization skills and control-freak attitude helped me to assume the role.
that climb is really a memorable one for us. because aside from the strenuous and risky adventure we had (i almost fell off to the ravine), the unique and breathtaking sceneries that greeted us each morning, jude and i also found love over the mountain.
i hope we can join again our group in one of their climbs very soon. it would be great to relive the memories of our pre-wedding days when weekends were also spent in hiking and camping out. the experience of being on top of the mountain or in the midst of wilderness with someone you trust and love dearly duplicates the life that we have now. and it's really comforting to know that amid the uncertainties and challenges of a married life, there is someone whom you can always count on.
mt. ugu climb with mms; july 2005
hanep! hehe
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