At any age, hiking is no easy feat, but 83-year-old, Pascasio Carcedo proved that age is just a number after officially becoming the oldest person to scale Mount Apo, the country’s highest point.
What was once a morning sight to Pascacio, is now a dream realized.
“Yung dream kasi niya dati pa, umakyat talaga ng Mount Apo kasi yung bahay niya po, paglabas niya makikita ang Mount Apo, so kahit wala siyang experience sa climbing pero pangarap at goal talaga niya umakyat sa bundok po” shared Lito Palao, Pascacio’s Mountain guide.
(It’s really his dream to climb mount apo because it is the first he sees whenever he leaves home. So even if he has no climbing experience, he has made it his goal and dream to reach the top of the mountain)
Pascacio Carcedo isn’t a professional hiker or climber, but this was not a setback to summiting the nation’s highest crest on September 10, 2022.
Alongside Lito Palao and his group, the team managed to reach the peak after traversing through giant boulders and sulfuric terrain for a total of 18 hiking hours. And on the dawn of September 11 at exactly 7:45 am, Pascacio stands atop the Philippine Rooftop and is officially the oldest person to climb the grandfather of the Philippine Mountains.
The historic moment was shared in a viral post which has now garnered more than a thousand reactions and shared 991 times as of this writing. however, this farmer’s Mount Apo ascent did not come easy.
Before standing 10, 311 ft above sea level, a diet of vegetables and daily walks reaching kilometers of distance was Carcedo’s daily routine for 2 months.
“Si lolo kasi Madali lang i-train kasi ang background niya mahilig na siya sa hiking so hindi na mahirap, ang sa amin lang is yung limitation niya sa bukid, kasi iba din yung climate, and yung preparation namen is Day Hike and Night Trek” expressed Palao during a side-by-side interview with Carcedo minutes after descending.
(Lolo Pascacio was easy to train because of his background and hobby in hiking, what made us worry a bit, was his limitation when it comes to the climate. As for his preparation, we did Day hikes and Night Treks)
Following their fulfilling odyssey, the Sta. Cruz Tourism Office of Davao Del Sur awarded Carcedo the Sta. Cruz Trailblazer award on Monday, September 12, making him the oldest recipient of recognition.