When envisioning a getaway to the Philippines, most think of two of the major three vibes/lifestyles: the busy hustle and traffic of Metro Manila or the relaxing, picture perfect views the country’s many beaches offer.
Most people neglect probably the more prominent of the three: provincial life.
On November 28, 2016, my mother and i alongside two of my titas (“aunt” in the Filipino language of Tagalog), conquered the extraneous long hike and climb of Mt Pinatubo. This journey was 14km there and back from the drop off site which is equivalent to about 8.7 miles.
Our day consisted waking up before the sun rose, 3:30 am to be exact, to be able to reach the guide and hiker meetup spot by 6 am.
By 6:30 am, after over 40 year old like my mom and one of my titas took a blood pressure test, we rode an open 4 wheeler jeep to the drop off that begins the trek.
This keep ride lasted over an hour covering 18km. The scenery was mostly rocky with splashes of mini rivers and brooks. There were scarce animal sightings, only seeing an occasional water buffalo. However more towards the distance the scenery was a vibrant green jungle of the mountains. I was amazed by the plentiful plant life and sighting of animals and mountain people.
Why should i be so surprised? well, did i ever mention that mt. pinatubo, now a dormant volcano, had the second largest terrestrial eruption of the 20th century just 25 years ago?
This eruption hit close to home as the lahar wiped out my father's childhood home.
Our test of stamina and perseverance began around 7:45 am and the views never seemed to change for what seemed like forever. It was still the constant rocky terrain with the green background of mountains. It reminded me of the scenery in ‘Mulan’ when the army is walking and singing ‘A Girl Worth Fighting For’.
The first sign we saw indicated we completed 2 km but our next interesting sight was a small sari sari store (a small snack shop) 3.5 km into the trek run by the mountain people known as the Aetas. Our local guide, Raul, told our group that the Aetas replenished the store’s supply daily indicating they made this difficult journey as an everyday necessity. He also mentioned that some of the Aeta children attended school back at town where we met our guides over 20 km away.
I couldn't imagine the lifestyle of complete endurance these people had. I had the convenience of driving my mini van everyday to high school which was only about a mile away. I thought it was a struggle to wake up early just to make classes but it's nothing compared to what these people go through just to make end meets and to provide their children an education. They showed the strength of the Filipino spirit.
At that store, many of the other groups gathered buying chips and water, We also made acquaintances with one another sharing where everyone was from. We met people from Israel, Spain, Japan, Switzerland and other Filipinos who took on this challenge.
Once we continued hiking again, the scenery began to change to become a bit more green. Our last major stop indicated we had completed 6 km, just one more until the top.
The last km consisted of an ever flowing creek/stream and a complete vibe of venturing into a jungle. Towards the top, the bottom of my shoes fell apart and my guide was ready with duct tape to repair them. The kindness Raul showed our group was immense. He never complained about the amount of stops we made, always kept an eye out on where everyone was, never tired from the curious questioning, offering to carry our bags and gave a lending hand through tough areas. He exhibited the compassion of the Filipino spirit.
After a final grueling set of rock steps, we reached the top around 11 am.
The view was worth it after that 7 km.
The crater was massive and it’s too bad that you aren't able to swim or boat there anymore like they did in the past; it was due to some deaths years ago plus the water is filled with sulfur since of the volcano.
We stayed at the top of the world for an hour embracing our accomplishments and eating lunch. I was thoroughly surprised to see my mother complete the hike since she was getting a bit sick coming into the day. Her determination to undergo this journey and make her goal was incredibly admirable and made me proud. She displayed the willpower of the Filipino spirit.
When it was time to head back down, we were ready to go. It's not like we didn't like the top; we received what we came for and there was no need to extend our time there.
We went through all the stops again and it was a little more difficult with the afternoon sun beating on us but we made it back to the drop off site around 3 pm and rode a bumpy jeep ride back, due to newly formed streams, to the guide meet up area.
It was a long day and everyone was sore afterwards. It's the kind of sore you get when you haven't played your favorite sport for months even years and you just played an intense scrimmage. I can easily say that was the most physically demanding thing I've ever done but i honestly didn't feel that much pain throughout the journey.
