“30 more minutes and we’re there” shouted our trail guide James as we were stopping over a shade. Then I heard him snicker under his breathe and uttered to himself “plus 2 more hours”. He said further “This trek is just a piece of cake, like taking long walks in the park”. The park that he must have been referring to was probably Central Park in New York or Parke del Retiro in Madrid because our hike from Mantalungon proper to Osmeña peak was no where near taking long walks in the park.
Osmeña Peak is known to be the highest peak in Cebu province. Based on actual GPS altitude, it stands approximately 1000 meters above sea level. It is located in the vicinity of Mantalongon, Dalaguete which is known as both the summer capital as well as the vegetable capital of the province. It’s deemed as the mini Baguio of Cebu.
For me it wasn’t just a hike up the mountains and getting in touch with nature. It was conquering something that I’ve feared of doing for such a long time and which my mother feared for me also. You see I am known to be the one in the family who has a recurring case of asthma. And although the last attack was 12 years ago, I still suffer shortened breathing once in a while. But as I asked for permission to go – I still do at the age of 25 – my mother was hesitant because I might not make it through the entire trip. But as stubborn as I am, I insisted upon going because after all we have been planning this since January. So to rid myself of the worry that I might not finish the trek, I tried packing light and stuck to two walking buddies at the beginning of the hike. Along the rugged path, scorching heat, freezing cold and the rough terrains of the mountains of Mantalungon, I’ve discovered rare gems of personality, strong foundation of friendship and an overflowing bag of realization.
• Take baby steps
It’s my first major climb. My uncle, aunt, cousins and I used to take a walk up San Carlos heights in Pardo but it was summers ago that we did that. And in this trip I learned that I need to take small steps to keep my balance. It is difficult to walk straight if you have a ton of weight on your back especially when walking up a hill with just a tiny pathway to walk upon. To your left you’ll find a steep inclination towards the mountain side or those itchy copra plants and weeds. And to your right is a deep drop of the cliff. So it is best to take tiny sure steps even if it will take you a longer time to get to the next stop. Because if you take a huge one, you might be able to catch your breathing or you might feel that awful sensation in your knee that hinders you from taking another huge step forward. Relating it to the broadness of life, it is but wise to take small continuous steps in pursuing your goal. You might sometimes want to make a huge leap but before you do that you need to check that there’s a rock that you can hold on to in case you slip.
• Look ahead once in a while just to check if you are still following the pack but you must keep your sight on the path that you are taking. The walk ways were tricky in the sense that sometimes even if you step on dry land doesn’t assure you that it’s not slippery. When we got the part called as the half moon on traversing to Kawasan falls, the walk way became more difficult as it became narrower. We were all so tired and I for one am trying to regulate my breathing and trying to disregard the scorching sun making its mark on my nape. I was just lazily following the group when all of a sudden I stepped on loose land, slipped and landed on my right leg. I was so caught up with my breathing that I didn’t pay attention to the ground I was walking on. I got blinded by the sun and then I saw a shadow reached out to extend a helping hand…Was it my night in shining armor ready to rescue a damsel in distress? No… It was a very reliable friend ready to pull me up, check if I was injured and then encouraged me to get back to the game.
• If all else fails, improvise!
What could be worse than joining a trek for the first time in one of the most challenging climbs in my history of outdoor activities than to have both soles of my rubber shoes coming off? We were still 3 or 4 hours away from Kawasan falls when I thought that a branch got stuck on my right shoe. I tried kicking it off and then walked for another 5 minutes and realized that it was not a branch that’s adding weight. It was actually me exerting effort to lift my leg to keep my sole from coming off. I had to stop. And embarrassing as it may seem, admitted to our Manila friends what had happened. I wanted to dissolve to the ground and blend in with nature! Then one of they guys named Jim said not to worry and that it happens all the time. He called out one of the members of Accenture Outdoors club who happened to be my school mate in college to help me tie my shoelace around my shoe to keep the soles from coming off. The trick worked and I was able to reach Kawasan falls with the same shoe now with a new design: blue band aids on both tip and shoe laces holding it together.
During that trek I thought I was the weakling who always needs to stop to catch my breath and slow down my heart beat. But then I wasn’t the only one. We are all humans and although some may have more strength and endurance as me but they are not there to scrutinize.
It was difficult but I was able to reach our destination and didn’t get left behind. Why? Because in every difficult moment, even in the most scariest step, there was always somebody to reach out and pull me up or push my back pack so that I could carry on the weight and take the next step up the mountain. I had someone who would accompany me when I stop and encourage me to move forward. There was also someone who would come looking if ever we lost our way. And lastly there were friends who would sing and whistle to make the hard climb seem like just merely taking a walk in the park.
