Not your ordinary Mt. Pulag Climb

Indistinct it was waking up in a murky, tranquil, and chilly surrounding.  The wake up time was supposed to be 3AM but me and Fonzy woke up around 12 midnight. The sound of the wind, the humid on our tent, the very cold weather, prevented us from having a good night sleep.  It’s true that the night-time is hardest in Mt. Pulag. It made my eyes and body tired and I started to think if I can do the morning hike to the summit with only 3 hours of sleep. I was not prepared, we only have blanket, no sleeping bags. But I did not come here for nothing. There will be no white flag out of our tent. My zeal to watch the perfect sunrise in the summit of Mt. Pulag as they claimed it and the sea of clouds was just bigger than my fear of twinge.

Then it’s time to start the trek. As everyone is preparing their headlamps and flashlights, I did a little stretching to walk up my senses, and to fill my stomach, we ate Libby’s and chopped pineapple. It was my second time to undertake a hike with hours of darkness.  The first was when we descended Mt. Batulao at 7PM with only cellphones as our source of light. After one and 30 minutes non-stop hiking we reached the top of the mountain.  The hike was easier than I thought it would be. It was still dark when we reached the summit. I am preparing myself to utter words such as “Majestic” “Amazing” “Wonderful”. I am imagining myself having a picture taken with the sea of clouds and a perfect sunrise as my back drop. There were numbers of hikers on top who were waiting for the same thing. But there were neither sunrise nor sea of clouds. The weather forecast before we left Manila stated that the storm already left the country but habagat winds still linger. Still, I should have seen it coming. 

My friends Jed and Marielle

How does it feel if you did not see the things that boost your excitement? If you fail to witness what you’re up to experience? Broken and unsatisfied?!  I sat there watched the skies and mountain peaks, listened to the sound of the wind for an hour. I observed people as they took pictures, videos and make memories.  Then I saw myself. I prayed for a safe hike and God bestowed that. I hoped for new friends and awareness and God supplied that.  Travel is imperfect. It’s not about having perfect scenery, photos you can brag and make great cover picture on FB. What is important is that you learn, experience things, make connections to nature and people, and realize that even if there are several unknowns, still try to push your limits in order to fulfill your dreams. Everything then fell into place. Mt. Pulag never fails a brave heart.  I am thankful for the meaningful journey and for giving me the reason to visit Mt. Pulag again.