Jojo Nanquil's Kanlaon Near Death Experience

THE DAY MT. KANLA-ON ALMOST SWALLOWED ME UP

Joseph A. Nanquil


Standing lofty above Negros Occidental , the majestic Mt. Kanla-on is the highest
Landmark in the entire Visayas and considered the 3rd most active volcano in the country.
Yes, lofty and majestic as it is, this volcano almost became my permanent graveyard last April, 2009.Its been more than a year now since our group, the ZAMBOANGA FEARLESS MOUNTAINEERING SOCIETY , or ZAFMOS for short, successfully conquered this 7,521 foot-high volcano after 2 days of torturous trek thru steep and slippery trails.

BEHOLD! When the day finally came that we came face to face with its fearsome yet awesome crater, it was like journeying to the depths of the earth. Staring blankly in perfect silence at the active crater neither gave us the creeps nor the chance to utter any expression at all. But reaching this soccer field-wide opening at the volcano’s peak didn’t came that easy. We were hovering between proceeding to the crater or turning back as thick fog engulfed the entire surrounding. In mountaineering, this is a very dangerous situation when you practically go on blindly, that is if you opted to defy the odds. But our common sense dictated us otherwise, so we patiently waited for the fog to clear up. And indeed it did!

Now came the moment of truth. Inching our way up the rather steep and slippery slope a few meters away from the crater, our heartbeat grew stronger, faster upon realizing that the summit was merely a few minutes away. With me leading the group as we raced towards the lofty peak, I was shouting at my co-mountaineers to hurry up .With my head turned backwards towards the group, I suddenly glanced forward just on time and merely one meter away from the very edge of the crater! Instinctively I simply dropped to my knees just as a speeding car screeched to a sudden stop and stared astonishingly at the majestic opening just a meter away!. I was just a few inches actually from my Fiery End had I FALLEN DOWN TO ITS SEEMINGLY BOTTOMLESS PIT! For a few seconds I just stood motionless unaware that the others have caught up with me and similarly staring at the crater. Little did they know that I almost ended up unseen forever from their sights had I not stopped on time at the last moment!

Well, after realizing what almost happened, but luckily did not, we spent the next hour clicking our digicams capturing lots of unforgettable moments atop VISAYAS’s highest mountain. We may never have the chance to go back to Kanla-on’s summit again, but one thing is sure, I will never forget that day for as long as I am still breathing earth’s oxygen .Those precious seconds that spelled the difference between Life and Death shall forever be etched in my memory with only the swirling fog and the crater as sole witnesses to my 2nd chance in life.