By Ina
I can't remember the last time I went off work for more than a week and did climbing "full-time". But after years of waiting, the stars have finally aligned, and I was able to take an extended climbing trip with my husband again. Though it wasn't to any of our dream destinations, nor was it a long trip like our last major one way back in 2008, it was a good two weeks spent at Baguio and Cebu, digging deeper about all things climbing-related, and being reminded of what truly matters.
Like knowing my climbing roots and not taking for granted the things I am enjoying today. As a gym-bred urban climber, it's so easy to fall into the trap of learning how to scale a wall and hitting the cliffs without even noticing the state of our crags or the little communities surrounding it. But knowing our roots is part and parcel of growing our crags...I know it may sound silly to say that to move forward we must also look back, but that's because, it's only when we understand how much work was put into an area's development -- from the "turf wars", bolting issues, logistical limitations, local community relations, down to the actual effort of route bolting and clean-ups -- will we put the supreme effort to maintain it and make sure the area is not sullied or spoiled, and that the local community won’t be left uneducated or the local ties strained.
I can't remember the last time I went off work for more than a week and did climbing "full-time". But after years of waiting, the stars have finally aligned, and I was able to take an extended climbing trip with my husband again. Though it wasn't to any of our dream destinations, nor was it a long trip like our last major one way back in 2008, it was a good two weeks spent at Baguio and Cebu, digging deeper about all things climbing-related, and being reminded of what truly matters.
Like knowing my climbing roots and not taking for granted the things I am enjoying today. As a gym-bred urban climber, it's so easy to fall into the trap of learning how to scale a wall and hitting the cliffs without even noticing the state of our crags or the little communities surrounding it. But knowing our roots is part and parcel of growing our crags...I know it may sound silly to say that to move forward we must also look back, but that's because, it's only when we understand how much work was put into an area's development -- from the "turf wars", bolting issues, logistical limitations, local community relations, down to the actual effort of route bolting and clean-ups -- will we put the supreme effort to maintain it and make sure the area is not sullied or spoiled, and that the local community won’t be left uneducated or the local ties strained.
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