HikeAndSketch

100-3018 – View from parrot’s beak

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We are sticking to our resolution of doing at least one hike a month, so on March 1st we went up Mt. Pico de Loro. According to Wikipedia, it was named by Spanish sea-farers as the summit resembles the shape of a parrot’s beak, and when seen was taken as a signal to turn east to get into Manila Bay. We had to book in advance with DENR (Department of Environment and Natural Resources) as they allow only 90 hikers per day (it was closed for 6 years due to the volumes of trash left by visitors, degradation and soil erosion) – but when we arrived our payment hadn’t appeared on their system…so our hike started with a bit of stress (from me). However the hike was pleasant – not too steep with lots of forest cover and really old trees (the area is protected) which I would have loved to have stopped to sketch.

Sat-1-Mar-2025

99-2989 – Blustery on Mt. Mabilog

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On Sunday 9 Feb we went for a short hike up Mt. Mabilog near San Pablo City (keeping up with our resolution to go on at least one hike per month). This blog gives you an idea of what you can see on the hike. It was very muddy on the way up and quite treacherous on the way down. Our guide (who was 72!) seemed to have no problem though and just skipped along chatting all the way. From the top we could see some of the 7 lakes (Lake Yambo, Lake Pandin are relatively nearby and in the distance we could see Sampaloc Lake) of San Pablo City.

Sun-9-Feb-2025

98-2968 – Mt. Buntis green blobs

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Instead of joining the #UskManila #SketchWalk in Escolta, Manila on 18 January, we decided to go on a short hike – our first of the year. This trek started at the Kaingin hanging bridge in Maragondon, Cavite and finished at the peak where a sign said that the revolutionaries camped there for one week when they were escaping the Spanish forces. According to some, Mt. Buntis is called such, because the mountain is shaped like the pregnant belly of a woman…can’t say I could see that.

Sat-18-Jan-2025

92-2823 – Sant Jeroni Hermitage

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I am jumping ahead with this post, as I have a number of unfinished sketches before this one. After a couple of days in Barcelona we took a second trip out of the city to Montserrat by train. Apart from seeing the Basilica and the Black Madonna, we also took the funicular rail up the mountain and went on a 7km hike, where I did this quick sketch near the peak, where we had our lunch.

Sun-18-Aug-2024

92-2802 – Scared by cows near Lantern Pike

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On Saturday 3 August day we took a train up to Stockport from Manchester to meet with a friend and then did a hike from Hayfield to Lantern Pike. This of course included a stop at the pub on the way and we ended up having an excellent simple dinner at “The Village Chippy” in Hayfield before heading back to Manchester. I started this sketch when we stopped for a rest (but didn’t finish, hence the delay in posting it)…there were some scary looking cows in the field behind us (actually bulls I think), with huge horns.

Sat-3-Aug-2024

90-2768 – Hiker

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I rarely do sketches from photos, but made an exception so I could make a little birthday card for my wife. This was done from a photo taken on our hike to Nagpatong rock in Tanay, Rizal, in June 2022 (see sketch No.2093), with May wearing the shirt she almost always wears when we go hiking!

Fri-5-Jul-2024

83-2609 – Crater lake

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The day after our sketch-walk with #UskManila in Angeles City, we went on a trip to Mt. Pinatubo. This required us to leave our Airbnb place at 4am, drive for an hour to arrive at a pick up point, take a 1 hour four-wheel drive ride and then hike for 2 hours. The volcano erupted in 1991, blowing the top off the mountain and resulting in an ash cloud which went 35km into the atmosphere, with the falling ash burying some nearby valleys in 200m thick deposits. Now a beautiful lake has formed in the crater and hundreds of tourists (like us) hike up to it…and even swim in it.

Sun-25-Feb-2024