Who says age is a hindrance to achieving our dreams? An 83-year-old man was able to conquer the highest peak in the Philippines despite his old age!
Climbing Mt. Apo is one of the dream mountains of every Pinoy mountaineer. Mt. Apo is the highest mountain in the Philippines, standing at 2,956 meters above sea level. It’s dubbed the Grandfather of the Philippine Mountains. And one grandfather, or lolo, was able to climb it!
Pascacio Carcedo, also known as Tatay Casio, broke all odds and climbed Mt. Apo last September 11, 2022, via Sta. Cruz Boulder Face Trail. The elderly mountaineer was assisted by the members of Sta. Cruz Mount Apo Guides Association.
On Facebook, Sta. Cruz Tourism in Davao del Sur shared photos of Tatay Casio and his amazing achievement! At the age of 83, he’s considered the oldest climber of Mt. Apo. He’s also the oldest recipient of the Trailblazer Award.
To reach Mt. Apo, Tatay Casio climbed 3 lower mountains around Sta. Cruz municipality.
“Prior to his Mt. Apo (ascent), Tatay Casio scaled the three minor mountains in Sta. Cruz as part of his preparation. He climbed Bamboo Peak in Jose Rizal twice before completing Mt. Loay in Zone 2 and Mt. Dinor in Sinoron, making him the latest and the oldest recipient of the Sta. Cruz Trailblazer Award,” Sta. Cruz Tourism wrote on their Facebook post.
Tatay Casio is a farmer from Barangay Tacunan, Davao City. With his achievement, he broke the record of an 80-year-old Singaporean who climbed Mt. Apo in 2021.
Tatay Casio’s success was praised and lauded online. Many couldn’t believe that he was able to do it despite his age. Many hoped Tatay would be recognized and honored.
A netizen wrote, “Congratulations bigtime tatay! You are amazing. I am so proud of you!”
What an amazing feat, Tatay Casio!
