There are times that you don’t want to get off from bed and face the world (who does?). We would rather stay asleep or stay in our comfort zones. But going out of the confines of comfort, safety, and security is what adventure is all about. It is what makes life exciting and worth living. In fact, the best things in life lie outside our shell.
Starting something that you’ve always wanted to do can be downright nerve-wracking. There are so many uncertainties. But facing those uncertainties can be exciting too. Thus, Halourd, Sweetie, and I were filled with a mix of trepidation and excitement as we prepared to climb Mt. Patullok, commonly referred to as Mt. Lubo—the first of the Bakun trilogy in Benguet, Philippines. This is also the highest mountain of the three.
One of the most recent climbing trends in the outdoor community is undergoing day treks. As the name implies, day treks are treks (hikes or climbs) that can be completed in a single day without the need to camp in the wilderness. These adventures also imply that day treks are short and easy. Well, that is definitely not the case! We discovered that a day trek can be as difficult as a major climb during one of our grandest adventures of 2018—the mighty Bakun Trilogy in Bakun, Benguet in Luzon, Philippines.
Sometimes, even the most familiar places hold pleasant surprises. Sometimes, even the most well-laid plans take a different turn. That’s what makes life—and adventure—exciting! Although Sweetie and I are sticklers of planning, we do live for such excitement. That excitement happened during a recent weekend climb on Manggapares Trail on Tagaytay Ridge.
When you climb a mountain, pass by a highland village, or immerse with a tribe, you need to be consciously aware that you’re a stranger. Your presence alone disrupts the natural flow and dynamics of the place. Imagine if you actively do things that you’re not supposed to do. That will truly exacerbate the situation! Worse, you may inadvertently change the culture of that community.
In the blockbuster movie Back to the Future, both Marty and his father George McFly said, “If you put your mind to it, you can accomplish anything.” Well, one of our goals is to take an arduous but scenic long-distance trek that spans hundreds of kilometers. Finishing even a quarter of that trek gives us the inspiration to go on, reinforcing the idea that completing the trail can be done. Well, that was exactly what happened when we finished Segment 2 of the Cebu Highlands Trail.
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If you want to engage in outdoor activities, you must understand a very important concept. That is, Mother Nature is unforgiving. She doesn’t give a damn about what happens to you. In the outdoors, nothing is as easy as it seems. Believe it or not, that includes walking on concrete or dirt roads! That was what we had to contend with during our trek on Segment 2 of the Cebu Highlands Trail.
Adrenaline Romance 