Trail and Frame Inventures

11/09/2026

11/09/2026

**TRAILED, BUT RAN!**

I signed up and ran my first official trail race at the ’lomlok Trail Run without knowing anyone there, not knowing the route or terrain, and never having raced a trail run before.

What tipped the balance was the scenery. The photographer in me saw the views and thought, okay, let’s try this.

It was supposed to be a 15 km trail run. I ended up running 17.58 km, with 645 m elevation gain and a max elevation of 935 m.

I actually had time, so I found myself stopping and lingering at the viewpoints longer than I probably should. Then I’d remember, wait, I’m supposed to finish a race.

At one point I was thinking, I should have signed up for the 42 or 70 km so I could stay up there longer and enjoy the views.

Then I had to slap myself back to reality.

I haven’t trained for 42 or 70 km. 😂

I finished with my fastest 10 miles, which is also a PR for me, and way within half of the cutoff time. So for a first trail race, that was a pretty fast trail run for me.

As a newbie, I discovered a few things during the race.

First, the uphill was no joke. There was a long brutal climb on paved road, and I was glad I brought my trekking poles for my aging knees. 😂

The sunrise helped. The mountain, fog, haze and changing light made the climb much more bearable. Of course, this also meant the photographer in me kept getting distracted.

Then came the aid stations.

They were basically a fiesta. Overflowing food and drinks everywhere. Was this a trail race or a food-dium race? 😂

I definitely didn’t need to carry that much water.

The locals, organizers and marshals were great with assistance and directions, especially for someone running solo.

And yes, I was running solo. I didn’t know any of the photographers there either, although I had met some of them in other races. So I brought my own gear to document the run.

Thankfully I did, because I couldn’t find any photos of myself from the race. Hahaha.

Looking back, I think what made me not regret signing up was really the local community and the organizers. When you’re trail running somewhere unfamiliar and doing it solo, having people who are there to guide and help you makes a big difference.

My only regret?

I should have signed up for the longer race. (And ask Columbia Sportswear to sponsor their gears I bought and I was using-Kronos, Trail Hat, neck and arm bands, shirts and shorts, 😂 because I love it)

Which is probably exactly the kind of thought I should ignore until I actually train for it. Or Columbia Sportswear beke nemen. You have my number.😂😂

But there’s next time.

Trail and Frame Inventures
F'lomlok Trail Run
Lady Justice Endurance Events
Lady Justice Running Team
Lady Justice of the South Apparel

20/06/2026

I arrived on Mt. Kalatungan carrying a plan. Timelines, campsites, sunrise shots, summit targets—the usual things we bring into the mountains and call preparation. But somewhere between the moss-covered forests, fog-swept ridges, and endless pauses to photograph the world around me, the schedule slowly unraveled. We fell behind. And unexpectedly, that became the point. Some mountains are conquered by moving efficiently. Others reveal themselves only when you stop trying to stay on time. Kalatungan taught me that there is a difference between reaching a destination and truly experiencing a place. This is the story of a climb where falling behind turned out to be the way forward.

Read the full essay here: https://trailandframe.com/2026/06/17/learning-to-fall-behind-on-kalatungan/

20/06/2026

Most people climb mountains for the summit.

I do too.

But over the years, I've learned that some of the most memorable parts of a climb are found far below the peak.

On Mt. Kalatungan, one of Mindanao's wildest mountain ranges, I found myself looking more closely at the things I would have hurried past when I was younger: moss-covered trees, delicate flowers emerging from the forest gloom, lichens clinging to branches, strange fungi recycling fallen wood, and tiny berries waiting for birds to carry them across the mountain.

The mossy forest of Kalatungan feels like a world apart. Cold, wet, and quiet, it is an ecosystem shaped by mist, time, and altitude. Every trunk seems alive. Every fallen log becomes a garden. Every step reveals another small story.

This article is a collection of natural history notes and photographs from that climb—not a scientific survey, but an attempt to pay attention to the mountain beneath the summit.

To read the full story, click the link at the comment section.
https://trailandframe.com/2026/06/19/the-mountain-beneath-the-summit/

19/06/2026

Most hikers measure a mountain by distance, elevation gain, or summit success.

Photographers often measure it by the images they bring home.

On the Mt. Kalatungan–Lumpanag Traverse, I discovered another way to measure a mountain: by how often it makes you stop.

Stop for a patch of moss glowing in the morning light.

Stop for twisted cloud-forest trees draped in lichens.

Stop for fog rolling across a ridge and erasing the trail ahead.

While others worried about schedules, I found myself falling behind—again and again—not because I was tired, but because Kalatungan demanded attention.

This is not a trail report.

It is a field guide for hikers who carry a camera, photographers who love wild places, and anyone curious about one of Mindanao's most remarkable mountain traverses.

📷 Read the full article:
https://trailandframe.com/2026/06/17/photo-climbing-mt-kalatungan-lumpanag-traverse/

17/10/2024

PROGRESS, NOT PERFECTION

"If you're considering a career change but worried about taking a step backward, remember this. It's better to lose the past two years of progress than to waste the next twenty"- Adam Grant

14/10/2024

WORK AND CREATE

Today, I was working on something many believe isn't part of an actual work. I always fell short of convincing people the relevance and value of what I am doing in the context of their future needs. Yet time and again, experience taught me that the influence and imprint of these creations, where far enriching and essential particularly in the context of unpredictable, fast paced and ever changing workplace. So yes, I join organizations not just to work but more so create. For someone who believe work is "creating", the distinction is obscure.

“When you can’t create you can work.” says Henry Miller. But you can never create without working..

So today, I will create, even if it meant I'm going to work..🙂
-------------------------------
Photo below is The Dongon Falls of Lake Sebu circa 2013

EM5 II + 12-40 2.8f + Little Stopper + Tripod

13/10/2024

"The only true wisdom is in knowing you knew nothing"- Socrates

13/10/2024

A DAY AT THE LAKE | Morning that makes us humans...