Getting a Taste of Nature
By: May Fellores

My first stint with the Nature Club (NACCI) began with a simple text message. "Hoy May, gusto mo bang mamundok? -Kim." Kim, a college pal, had been invited by her sister's friend, named Violet, for a fun climb.

When I got that text message, I was in that stage of life when everything seemed bland and routinary. Work and partying no longer excited me. Anything that is new would have been welcomed then. If Kim had texted me that we enroll in Street Dance or Photography or Painting then, I might have become a dancer, photographer or painter by now. But since all I got was "gusto mo mamundok?," I became a mountaineer, rather backpacker.

So that time, I readily agreed to give the climb a try. I learned that the trek was in Mt. Daguldul. I had never heard of Daguldul before so I thought that this would be just some trip to a cheap farm-like terrain. But since I wanted a breather from routine, I decided to go anyway.

"Oy Violet, ano ba mapapala namin dyan?," kidded Kim during the pre-climb meeting.

"May papa ba? May papa?," I, Kim and Sherlyn (Kim's classmate) chorused.

And Violet's eyes sparkled in firm assurance and went on showing us pictures of guys in her previous hikes.

"Violet, cute 'to o!," I pointed to one handsome-looking guy in the photo, who later turned out to be not-so-guy.

"Ay huwag yan. Di pwede," chided Violet. "Sister din yan."

Tsk, tsk.. there I go again - romatically bluffed.

Anyway, fast forward to the Daguldul trek, there were 16 backpackers all in all. There's hyperactive Kim, porter girl Sherlyn, tatooedly cool Issang, survivor Issa, searching Rache, searchee Ritche, Harry Potter Mikki, superdad Lawrence, anime Lance, wacky Ivan, mysterious Gary, funny Alvin, astig Dexter, master Photographer Tim, Mother Nature Violet and a tardy me.

Whenever I compare all the hikes I've joined, this Daguldul group rings special probably because every "first relationships" never die. This is the only group where I know everyone by name, maybe because we were only 16 and maybe because there was just this special bond that was formed among us.

That is why apart from the green nature yahoo groups, we have this unofficial Daguldul (Hagulhul) email group that is from time to time revived by one of the Daguldulers or Haguldulers (that's us).

But what like Violet said, "We should not limit our social circle with the same group of people."

So there I went to Caliraya Twin falls (which unfortunately was a false twin falls since one part was merely a water trickle that time) and Biak na Bato/ Manalmon.

The Manalmon trek too was somewhat special because of the people again. Who can forget the gin and rhum(?) night session with Violet's multi-million dollar survey on whether men prefer beauty or brain (naturally, beauty won)? And who can forget Meleecha Melissa? And what about the Monkey Bridge Challenge?

Although I am sidelining with another Mountaineering group now, the people-approach and camaraderie in Nature Club is something that I would always reminisce with a smile.

With Nature Club, it is not only about getting to the top first, but also ensuring that there are enough jokes and horsing around during the journey up the mountains. And I think this is good because generally, it is really the journey that counts and not the destination.

Err… OK, both the destination and journey count.

May