MT. ROMELO, my first hiking experience

Last year, around May of 2015, i joined a group hike (it was my first) and though I experienced horrible physical pain, I feel like sharing it on this blog. 
The following paragraph was taken from my journal entry written few days after the climb. It was edited a bit to fit my present view.

Climbing Mt. Romelo was one of the hardest travel experiences I've ever done in my entire life. It was the longest two days of my life and it felt like I traveled from the moon and back with my bare foot.

I went there on a whim, a single invitation from a friend a day before the start of the journey. I didn't expect the hardship that I was about to encounter. It was the idea of adventure that led me to accept the invite. I admit I was excited, I felt like Bilbo Baggins.

We started our climb in the middle of the night, around 8 or 9pm, I suppose. We put on our head lights and off we go.

Photo before we ascend the mountain

The steps became heavier and heavier as we ascend to the top. I felt a slight regret and fear. At some point, I thought to myself, "What the hell am I doing here?" "Why did I say yes to this?" It was too late to back out so I shred the negativity, went forward, and accepted the challenge.  

A little rest after about an hour of trekking

While I was struggling, a little thought came to mind:

"It is not the man who chooses the mountain, it is but the mountain who chooses the man."

I then realized that I was there because this mountain chose me to be there. Call it the real call of nature. I have the chance to prove something for myself, and this mountain has chosen me. And yes, I wanted to be chosen, I wanted once and for all to know how it feels like to climb such magnificent creature. Call this the adventure of my life.

I have pushed myself to the limit, stretching every muscle I have. I tried to be as strong as possible physically and spiritually. My body was telling me how fragile I was and that I needed to STOP. But my spirit went on and on and on. I walked. I follow through. I remained strong.

When we reached our camp site, I was relieved.  The tent was small and uncomfortable but it provided me with shelter and rest. What more can a small wanderer ask for? My body was fu**ing exhausted like I never felt such exhaustion before. But I made it.

Finally reaching our camp site

After four hours of sleep, drizzle of morning rain woke me up. The mountain air was cold, the sky was foggy. I got a bit afraid because I know it would be a steep climb. After a little breakfast, we then continued our climb and went on to see "Sapang Labo".

Morning before trekking to the falls

If the first climb was hard, this was even harder. The road was rocky and slippery wet. I fell a thousand times, million even. They gave me a little stick so I could balance myself better and I felt not only like Bilbo but Gandalf (Sorry for too much Lord of the Rings references). I cried most of the times. I hated the long rocky road, to be honest. I wanted to go back home, I felt so far away from comfort.

After what feels like eternity, we reached the falls. The scene was indeed beautiful- breathtaking even. And the water is so clean, so perfect. Paradise indeed. What made it even more beautiful was the fact that I fought so hard just to see it. I drenched myself in the cold mountain water. It was pure delight.

The team were supposed to go to another summit/falls, but I decided to go back to our camp site. Physical pain was pulling me down and I couldn't walk much longer  and I realized I was starting to become a burden especially to my boyfriend who was supporting me throughout the hike. Good thing another hiker (hello Lynsley) also decided to go back to our camp site so I wasn't really alone as we head back to the camp. I was so happy with my decision not to go to the next summit because I happen to become friends with Lynsley and we had this long deep conversation while waiting for the whole team to come back to our camp site.

Around lunch time, the whole team came back and they told me how hard their trekking was so I was relieved I did not pursue it.

The whole team had a little lunch (we asked the locals there to cook for us) and then rest a little, then off we climb down the mountain.

Climbing down, I felt home was so close yet so far, there was no way the end was near. No way. By this time, I was willing to give up everything just so I could have someone to carry me down. I was suffocating. I was falling here and there. I was exhausted. My feet felt numb. Hashtag: the struggle was real. I just felt pain everywhere.

I cried. here and there. A silent cry. A real cry. A baby cry. An adult cry.Yes I did all of them.

So, when the final steps was in my sight, I breathed a prayer. Finally, I said. Finally.

---

It took me a lot of days before savoring what it really felt like to climb a mountain. when a man faced a huge struggle and surpassed it, he's changed in one way or another. I for one cannot look at hardships in life the same way. I realized that the spirit is stronger than the body. and that if the spirit is strong, the body will follow. Rest if you must but never ever stop... and rest a little.

I have been looking for accomplishment in my life. I have been looking for a mountain to climb. I have been waiting for a mountain to choose me. But I realized, Im looking at a mountain the wrong way. Accomplishments are made by sweat and blood, because the only way you can climb a mountain is to prove you are worthy of the destination. It is the journey,as they say. For some reason, I have proven myself to the mountain, and that because of my perseverance and hard work, the mountain has chosen me. The universe knows if you deserve it, and you have to do the dirty work to deserve such humongous mountain. I have always been curious as to how successful people did it. I have always been wanting to be on top of a mountain. But I never realized that those people have pushed themselves to the limit and that they told themselves there is no going back. Going to the top is the only way.

Now that I am back to my real life, I am looking at myself and I know that every time I will encounter such hardship, I have the guts to say, "You can do this because you already did at the mountain.

All my life, I am afraid to stumble. I am afraid to get hurt and wounded. But I realized I cannot climb a mountain without my fair share of stumbles. It hurts and it is scary, but it's all part of the journey. It is all a part of being chosen.