So, I survived another Hash Monday, and this one included a climb to the Kalaklan Ridge. There is no easy way up, but the Hash trail took the least difficult path I know of to the top. Of course, once we reached the ridgeline, there was still more climbing to be done, just not as steep. It had been quite a while since the last time I’d done Kalaklan, and I’d almost forgotten how tiring the journey can be. Or maybe I’m just weaker and older these days. The escalation to elevation left me exhausted.
Of course, what goes up must come down, and I decided to stay on the trail as intended by the Hare. And the route he took was on a path we call “Motherfucker.” It earned that name because of how hard it is going up that way. Yesterday was a reminder that it is a motherfucker to go down as well. At least it wasn’t raining, but it was still steep and slippery. I had a couple of close calls but somehow managed to keep my feet all the way to the bottom.
And yes, I did take a shortcut. Once we were back on the street, there was a kilometer or so to go to reach our On-Home venue. I’d had enough by then, so grabbed a passing trike to take me the rest of the way. Yeah, I may be a pussy, but at least this time I skipped the easiest part of the hike.
Here are some photos from the journey:
And there you have the story of this week’s Hash.
From Facebook memories, that day in Poteau, Oklahoma, forty years ago, when my younger brother tied the knot.
From the April 2020 LTG archives, I’m still ranting and raving about shit, but I’m also out hiking. And on this day, Scott introduced me to the mountain mama, MJ “Gam-Gam”. Her ex left her with two half-American kids, but was at least still sending her support from the USA. When he died a year or so later, I took over the role of feeding his kids. It’s my main charity project these days.
Today’s YouTube video lists some of the cheaper places to live in the Philippines that still offer comfort and amenities. The only one I’ve personally visited is Davao, a city I found oppressive (vaping wasn’t permitted there). Anyway, I don’t expect I’m going to be leaving my chosen town. Except in an urn.
I post, you decide:
And on that note, we’ll call this post done.
Re: Hash
You still got it, so keep on hashin’
Re: MJ
Situations like that suck. Sending $200/month is better than nothing, but seeing where she did/does live, ouch!, doesn’t seem like enough. If the births were properly registered, she should be able to pursue citizenship for her kids. Though probably would take more money than she has available.
How are mixed race kids treated there in the PI, especially when living rural and “local”. I remember reading stories about mixed race kids that were products of the Vietnam war, and those kids generally didn’t fare too well.
There is an interesting story about the “H” part of DHL, Larry Hillblom. Fathered a number of children throughout SE Asia, I think mainly with (relatively) poor locals, and when he died in a plane crash, a smart lawyer took up the case. I believe that four (or maybe 5) kids were found to be biological children of his, and each received millions.