True love is found in the pages of ‘Day Hikes and Nature Walks’

I was fortunate enough to speak with Gideon Lasco, also known as the blogger Pinoy Mountaineer, before unwrapping my copy of his book "Day Hikes and Nature Walks from Manila."

Our chat was brief, just a little over five minutes, but from that short interaction, it was clear enough that his relationship with mountains is a profound one and that he feels compelled to share the beauty he sees in them with everyone.

None of his enthusiasm is lost in the pages of "Day Hikes", which is a compact (yes, small) guide to 21 day trip destinations that are an hour or two away from Manila—depending on the traffic, of course.

The introduction is short but surprisingly thorough, covering the basics of hiking while also imparting the philosophy of being a responsible hiker. There is no sense of conquest and instead of promoting the view at the top, Lasco promotes the old adage "stop and smell the roses" without being cheesy or resorting to uttering that cliché to get his point across.

Lasco imparts generous practical advice: Each destination is accompanied by a short background of the trail or mountain, followed by instructions on arranging your trip, details on transportation (public or private), personalized notes on the hike (this trail has epic talahib, that trail is particularly exposed to the sun, et cetera), and a suggested itinerary. 

"Day Hike" provides most of the necessary information you need to plan a hike and answers the basics: How much money should I bring? How much time should I allot?

It not only guides you through the trail, it also provides information on what you can do while you're in the area. Lasco includes restaurant suggestions and somewhat encourages you to get sidetracked and explore more of Rizal, Zambales, Batangas, and other nearby locales. More importantly, the book contains thoughtful details such as what small sari-sari stores at the foot of the mountain signify and whether or not you should patronize them.

Lasco's genuine love for the Philippines (every inch of it!) is found in every sentence of the book—he aims to infect readers with the same appreciation for the land, the trees, the sky, and everything in between.

"The root of advocacy is awareness and the root of awareness is appreciation," he told me. "But on the other hand, too much promotion without the necessary responsibility among the hikers and regulation among the government officials and the locals—masisira naman 'yung bundok."

There's a surge of #wanderlust fueled by competitive Instagramming of beautiful places and this professed interest in #adventure makes "Day Hike" a required reading. Lasco speaks with respect for nature and, without being preachy, the book succeeds in helping you understand why we should all follow his lead. —KG, GMA News