“If it scares you, it might be a good thing to
try,” – Seth Godin
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| The view while heading to the summit. |
To do a major climb in one of the top five
tallest mountains in the Philippines is one of my dreams, it’s on my bucket
list. But doing it with a huge group scares me. It’s a big leap of faith for me as
I am more confident traveling solo.
But since I love random dares to challenge and
get to know myself better, I asked my friend Kulot, known as Pacatang to most,
if I can join his group in one of their major climbs.
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| Early morning view from the summit of Mount Kitanglad |
Yes, I was a gatecrasher. I gatecrashed their
Mount Kitanglad adventure, the fourth tallest mountain in the Philippines,
located in Bukidnon, Mindanao, Philippines.
As a backgrounder, I became fascinated with
mountain climbing when a friend I met in Thailand introduced and challenged
me to try it one of these days. I had been longing to do it soon but it did not
happen sooner that I expected. It took me almost three years of waiting before
it happened.
It was a week ago today when I did my first
major climb with I think more than or almost 20 mountaineers. I know only two
of them and the rest were strangers to me.
But days before the climb, I was having
apprehensions and quite anxious of doing it. Thoughts like what if I can’t make
it? What if I can’t jive with them? What if something wrong will happen to me?
Will they be helping me? All those were
running in my head and I admit, knowing that I don’t know the terrain and know
the people I will be with scares me to death.
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| The stairs that gave me body sores! |
But my excitement prevailed.
It took us, I think, nine hours to reach the
summit and six hours to arrive back to the foot of the mountain the next day,
since we had an overnight stay at the summit.
Along the way, I stumbled while walking through
those big trunks, roots and stones and muddy forest; I complained with my heavy
load at my back; I doubted myself if I can make especially when I was about to
reach the summit and I was about reach the foot of the mountain climbing those
steep stairs.
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| The trail. |
Thoughts like, why did I do this? I can just go
to the beach, hang my hammock and sleep with the sound of the waves splashing.
All those negative thoughts were in my mind.
But more to all those struggles along the way,
I was greatly blessed to be with the right people.
My companions, whom I met for the first time,
were so kind. They are few of the most amazing companions I was with. After all, I realized that, being with the people you share your passion and love for nature with is one of the best experiences. And it is a fulfilment for me to finally loosen up.
They never left me behind. They were so supportive to a first-timer like me. They pushed me hard and encouraged me to keep going; they took and carry some of the things when they saw me having a hard time; one was at my back when I was walking like a drunkard with my soring toes and knees.
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| with Matetah and Yhen. Thank you, girls, for helping me out along the way. You, guys, are awesome. The climb would be overly challenging for me without you. |
They never left me behind. They were so supportive to a first-timer like me. They pushed me hard and encouraged me to keep going; they took and carry some of the things when they saw me having a hard time; one was at my back when I was walking like a drunkard with my soring toes and knees.
The singing, the encouragement and the munching
of our trail foods while we kept going were my motivation. And
whoops, that experience when we were having a break to wear our red lipstick and the photoshoots along the way were stunner.
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| The picnic team. Picnic because we love to munch time to time. Thank you, guys. :D |
And I was in awe of the view from the
top and even while we were in the trail. The colour of the mossy forest with the sun's rays through the trees we passed by, the small trees, a little taller than
the shrub, that looks like a fairyland and those old dead trees adding the contrast made it picture-perfect. It was enchanting.
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| The sea of clouds. |
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| The old dead tree giving contrast and element, making the view picture-perfect. |
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| The enchanting mossy forest. |
My Mount Kitanglad and my first major climb
experience reminds me that I am human. I am vulnerable and you have to reach out to people. They are just there willing to help you lighten your load.
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| The summit. Two towers are from the two big TV stations in the Philippines. |
The experience teaches me to live life, the
best way I know how and that giving up should never be an option; and when it
feels like an uphill struggle, get up and carry on. It’s not about how fast you
get there but how you keep moving to reach the top. Never give up!
I tell you, the view from the top is amazingly enchanting. There is serenity, a place where solace can be found. It is heaven on earth.
I tell you, the view from the top is amazingly enchanting. There is serenity, a place where solace can be found. It is heaven on earth.
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| The sunrise seen from the summit. |
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| Another sunrise view seen from the summit. |
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| Thank you, ROTA, for tagging me along. You are amazingly the coolest.
ROTA means Rebirth outdoor Trekkers adventurer. It's a Cagayan de Oro City - based organisations with members sharing the same passion for adventure with a cause in reaching out to Indigenous People communities in some parts of Mindanao.
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Note: I was writing this in the bus on our way to Cagayan de Oro City, just few hours after we arrived back from the summit, with muds all around my body and aching toes and knees.
Most of the photos were taken using an iPhone.
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