By: Jaden Alberto
Filipino mountaineers Elaine Jhon “Jeno” Panganiban and Miguel Mapalad aim to fulfill the daring quest of conquering Mount Everest, the world’s tallest mountain, this April — 18 years after the first successful recorded attempt by any Filipino.
The campaign will be spearheaded by their group, the Philippine 14 Peaks Expedition Team, whose name is derived from their goal to conquer the 14 highest mountain peaks in the world—all of which are 8,000 meters or 26,247 feet above sea level.
After summiting the 8,163-meter Mt. Manaslu last October, the team hopes to conquer more 8,000-meter mountains in less than a year by overcoming Mt. Everest, Mt. Cho Oyu, and Mt. Lhotse.
Both mountaineers have expressed that not only do they get a sense of achievement from reaching mountaintops, but they also enjoy the thrill of travelling and experiencing the beauty of nature.
For the 29-year-old Panganiban, who runs a wholesale business for fruits and vegetables, his love for mountain climbing started during his college days after joining his friends on a hiking trip.
Since then, the De La Salle University graduate has climbed countless peaks both locally and abroad, such as Mt. Pinatubo, Mt. Fuji in Japan, Mt. Kinabalu in Malaysia, and Taiwan’s Mt. Yushan.
The 42-year-old Mapalad, for his part, started his mountain climbing journey in 1999 when he had to climb Mt. Cristobal in Quezon for his church’s bible study outing trip.
The San Juan City native has since been able to brave freezing temperatures and climb the mountains such as Mt. Ama Dablam in Nepal, as well as other heights in the Himalayas, Africa, and South America.
To say that scaling the Mt. Everest would be a tough task to hurdle would be an understatement, but both Panganiban and Mapalad are welcoming the challenges that would come along the way with their dream quest.
