First Hiking Experience in Mt. Batulao
First hiking experience (Mt. Batulao)
New trail + backtrail
2:00 am Jump-off point + preparations
2:30 am Briefing/orientation + warm up
2:45 am Start trek
3:32 am Peak 1
4:40 am Summit
7:00 am Start descend
11:00 am Greenfield drop-off
Hello, just wanna share my first ever hiking experience last weekend in Mt. Batulao. First thing that came into my mind was, "Bakit ngayon ko lang to ginawa?"
My first hike was a really humbling experience. I never expected it to be an easy experience in the first place but iba pa rin talaga yung feeling when you're already doing it. I'm used to long walks since me and my partner travels frequently. So far, we've been to 3 countries together in 2 years with an average of 15k to 20k daily steps during our travel. Before this rin, I would regularly walk/jog sa umaga for maybe about 1 to 2 hours. 2 weeks before the hike, I did minor workouts. I didn't really know what kind of preparation I should do but I did step ups, longer morning walks, and leg stretches all while wearing my hiking bag to prepare my legs and improve my endurance.
Despite all that, nahirapan pa rin ako especially from peak 9 onwards dahil sa sunod sunod na assault. I had to slow down dahil sa pagod and also because I was actually scared. Madilim pa that time but the trail was obviously steep and there were lots of narrow paths. I was so scared but I just kept going until di ko namalayan na malapit na kami sa summit.
So far, that was my most rewarding moment. Dahil maaga kami, we had the chance to watch the sunrise and OMG sobrang ganda ng view from the top. We started our descent by around 7 am. I would have loved to stay longer but dumarami na rin yung tao + ayaw namin maabutan ng tirik na araw. Di ko na natrack masyado yung time after that but by 11 am nakauwi na ko sa bahay (Greenfield drop-off).
For some reason, hiking never really crossed my mind before. I was never the sporty type but I would say that I am on a bit more of an adventurous kid growing up. I used to love obstacle courses dahil sa Legend of the hidden temple. Mahilig ako umakyat sa walls or kung saan mang pwede umakyat. My mom would also tell me stories about her travel/hiking experiences since she used to hike when she was younger. I have always been fascinated sa stories niya and she would also encourage us to explore the world paglaki namin. And boy, I did!
What I love about travelling/hiking is the wisdom that comes with it. It made me see the world in a different, or rather, a better perspective and I feel so honored to experience life this way. I find comfort in knowing that I am just a part of the world and whatever problem/s I have now will eventually pass. There are far more greater things in life and I have the whole world to explore.