Mt. Apo up close from the sky

The tallest mountain in the Philippines, Mt. Apo as seen early in the morning

It was mid morning and as the plane maneuvered to land at the airport in Davao City, I caught sight of Mt. Apo’s peak. It was a beautiful day, the sky was clear and the country’s highest peak was showing me her best.

I have lived in Davao City for a total of two years and have visited the city countless times. Never for once, have I come close to Mt. Apo or climbed up its slopes. From Davao City or when taking the bus going to Davao del Sur, the view of Mt. Apo is just distant, with its white patch a marker of the mountain.

I’ve only seen photos of the mountain’s peak, the Lake Venado shot as well as the boulders. And during my butterfly and beetle days, I know that there are several interesting species up there and many are endemics, meaning, its not found nowhere else but only in Mt. Apo.

The plane was going to land in a few minutes. I hurriedly put on my supertelephoto lens on my camera and was taking a couple of shots. After a minute, the plane tilted on the other side and turned and the view of Mt. Apo was gone.

For a brief moment, I saw her majesty. I felt close to the mountain that I’ve seen only from far away. But I know that one day, I will kiss her head and greet the sunrise atop one of her boulders.